Life, Love and Relationships

God showed His power and majesty again as He concluded the St. Anne CLP and started the real journey of the participants. He is so faithful and loving to His servants. I can attest to this because He showed His truth once again to me thru this CLP.

One week before the St. Anne graduation while walking and talking to God, I was tempted to have these thoughts, ‘I always feel, see and hear You every second of my life. You always make me smile and You always guide me. How about the others? If you are with me, are you really also with them? Are you really omnipresent? Are you also talking to them the way you are talking to me? Or are you just a product of my imagination?’

He gave me the answer through the St. Anne CLP.  One of the DGL sisters was hesitant to be a head.  I tried my convincing powers which God allowed to work well with the other DGL sisters. Having a 2-0 point system with that approach gave me the confidence that she will agree to lead.  Saturday morning came, the first sms that I read was from her, begging off to lead.  Wow Lord!! What a way to start my day, with only 1 day left to graduation, what would you like me to do?  I stopped, talked to Him again, started my day early and talked to Him the whole day.  I broke the news to Ate Ellaine who was in Batam for the Discovery Weekend.

I didn’t reply to the sms right away. I prayed to God to tell me what to do.  God made sure that it was a busy day with friends around to prevent me from acting on impulse that may cause more damage hehehe.  In the afternoon, an idea popped in my head so I texted the sister.  While hitting the send button I told God, ‘last attempt please bless this.  I am lifting it all up to You.’  I also sent the same message to Ate Ellaine.  Surprisingly, Ate Ellaine replied back telling me that it was the exact words that she would like me to tell the sister. This made me smile because I know that the idea came from Him because here is His affirmation. CRYSTAL CLEAR!!!

After a while, the sister texted me and this time it was positive. ALLELUIA!!!! She agreed to lead!!! I praised and thanked God!!!

Monday came, the sister sent me the story behind her ‘YES’ to service.  She said that in Saturday, I believe it was between her morning SMS and my afternoon reply, God answered all her concerns. God fixed what ever it is that is hindering her to serve.  This was the reason why she said ‘Yes.’ 

This is so surreal!!! I realized that God was working in the elders in Batam, God is working in me here in Singapore and God is silently working in the life of the DGL sister.  This was happening all at the same time, happening to achieve His great work.  Indeed, He is OMNIPRESENT!!!   Who says the CLP is a battle being fought by the servants????   It was His from the very beginning.

This is what I love about Him.   He never fails to surprise me.   He always answer my questions in His own perfect time.  He also knows how to answer me in a way I can understand Him.   He never fails to put a smile on my face.   He knows how to talk to me.   He knows how to handle me.   He knows me in and out.   He knows me intimately.   He loves me very, very much!!!!

Cheers to my one great loving God!!   Who is everywhere, everytime and with everyone. :)   I pray that you will spend the time to feel His presence always and in all ways.

Two more Sundays to go and our St. Anne CLP is over.  I remember when we first started this 3 months ago, prayer time and fasting were set, warnings on oppressions were given and everybody was praying for protection.   As we near its end, God brought me back to one of the trekking experiences that I had. 

I am afraid of snakes and this is an understatement!! I can’t find the exact word to describe what I feel about snakes and reptiles in general.  This is the reason why in every trek that I go to, I am always in my most prayerful mode for protection in each step of the way.  I am not exaggerating when I said ‘each step’ because if you can just hear my mind while trekking, you will really say, ‘Oo nga ‘no at understatement pala ang each step.’

I previously had 6 trekking trips that went well and when I say went well it means no reptile encounters.. hehe  I firmly believe that it is because of my prayers for protection.

On my 7th trekking trip, I prepared myself for the battle and prayed as I climb up and down the mountain.  On our way down, I realized that we are nearing our final stop and I estimated that we are only left with 1.5 km to walk.  Then a lot of thoughts came in..

1. Moomai… you already had 6 trekking trips that went well.  How can this one be different?

2. I have 5 people walking in front of me and 5 more behind me.  To walk in the middle of a group is my silent strategy to keep away from reptiles.

3. Moomai… The chances of a reptile encounter is now slim because of the location that we are in.

All of these thoughts gave me the confidence and I stopped to be in prayerful mode.  I only drew confidence and relief from these thoughts.  Minutes later, a snake quickly wiggled it’s way in front of me.  I screamed!! I shouted in fear!! I shouted in anger as I use it to cover my fear!!  Afterwards, I composed myself. :)  hehehehe…

My fool-proof defense is now up.  I am now in my most, most, most prayerful mode for protection.  I asked Him, how could this happen?!?!  What are you trying to tell me?!?!  Then He answered, ‘You let go of me and you forget about me as you near the finish line. Why?’  I fell silent… It is now my time to reflect for my answers.

Then He made me realize these messages… In life, no matter what I do I should always pray for His grace, guidance and protection.  If ever I am nearing the end of that particular task that I am so fervently praying for, I should not stop in praying.  In fact, I must pray more.  I must also pray for humility that whatever is the result of what I did, it is Him who allowed it to happen.  He is the one who has sent me all the people and resources that made it happen.

We are nearing the end of our St. Anne CLP.  God reminded me that this is not the end of the journey.  This is just the beginning of the journey of His new harvest that He has blessed us with.  With this reminder, He told me to pray more for His people to continue the journey towards Him.  To pray for protection for His servant and people.

For all of these, may my big great loving God be praised!!! May His words be heard and be planted in each of our hearts!!!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! LOVES KO TALAGA SIYA!!!! LOVES TALAGA NIYA TAYONG LAHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I watched Kung Fu panda and it sure did give me lots of laughter.  I love watching cartoons because with the laughter comes heaven loads of wisdom. 

I’ve seen disillusion in Po and Tai Lung when they first found out that there is nothing written in the secret scroll of great power a.k.a dragon warrior.  A thought hit me, the effect of this discovery is different on Po and Tai Lung. 

Being the dragon warrior is Tai Lung’s ultimate dream.  He worked hard for it.  He waited for it.  He used it as a motivation.  He built his world around it.  He even hated his father and almost destroyed the whole community because of it.   So just imagine how his world crumbled when he found out that there is really no secret. 

Looking at it in a negative way (which what Tai Lung did) one would think ‘what now? where do i go from here? what happened to my dream?’  All these and more self-degrading questions will come out and would lead to self-destruction.  These negative thoughts are blocking the real meaning of the secret.  That is, everything is possible when you believe and there is really no need for any rocket science to succeed.

I suddenly thought of the dragon warrior scroll as one of my dreams in life.  A dream that I’ve worked hard for.  A dream on which I based my every decision on.  A dream that keeps me going.   Then, in the end I will find out that it is not what God want me to have.  Will I welcome His plan wholeheartedly???  Will I obey Him???   

Hopefully, this situation will not come.  However, if ever it will, I will always hang on to His words…

          Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, plans not to harm you but to prosper you.  Plans to give you hope and a future.

….and with this I will pray for guidance, humility and obedience… For I know that He knows what is best for me.

For this, may my great loving and faithful God be praised!!!!

A friend asked my definition of love because they need it for our SFC newsletter.  I suddenly thought ’sana high school na lang ako para isasagot ko kaagad ‘Love is like a rosary that is full of mystery’.  CLASSIC slum book days!!!! hehehe…  As I seriously thought about it, I was amazed because I don’t know how to define it.

Looking back to my high school years, I really thought of love as a mystery.  After a long journey in life, love and prayer, it’s mystery is not that great anymore.  However, why am I finding it so difficult to define?   I can only think of the manifestations that I can associate to my idea of love but never a definition. 

Halfway in writing this blog, a lightbulb popped on my head and I readily replied this to my friend, ‘Love is the absence of hatred specially to a person who had caused you great pain.’  And this is my poetic way of putting what I have in my heart. 

To say it in a modern way let me borrow the line that I really love from the movie 10 things I hate about you which goes, ‘…But most of all, I hate the way I don’t hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.’  This line was said after a litany of all the things that the girl hated in her boyfriend.

May it be poetic or modern way, it all boils down to what Christ commanded us to do ‘Love others (specially your enemies) as I have loved you.’  God’s been refining me in this area as I was confronted with so many situations that required me to go beyond myself by loving the people that I classified as difficult.

Ang bigat nga lang ng ‘…as I have loved you’ but I believe in God’s grace and with constant prayers and humility, I know Christ will get me there.

For all of these may my big great loving God be praised!!!!