Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end - Ecclesiastes 3:11


There are things that happen and then, there are things that happen but we wish never happened. We wish these particular incidents never happened at all because we feel it has damaged something in us; it could be our innocence, our dream, our hope, etc. But the fact is, they have already happened and no matter how much we would like to take things back that is not an option. What we can do is to not let these things take hold of us that we end up yearning for a beautiful past while living a wretched present.

No matter how we view an event in our life remember that God is ALWAYS in control. God can turn an ugly event into something beautiful by giving it a purpose in your life. He may not necessarily reveal what the purpose is but if you just let all the negativity flow and offer it up to Him, He will use it for your betterment.

The thing is we tend to see life in terms of milestones and we often feel that if we have not attained a particular milestone, we are a failure. God is much, much, much (MUCH) wiser than us. He knows that we can only truly enjoy a particular achievement/milestone/season if we have the right attitude for it just like a lover's declaration can only be enjoyed if you think you are indeed lovable, a baby's presence can only be enjoyed if you can see beyond the stress of taking care of them 24/7 or a wad of money can only be enjoyed if you are mature enough to know what amount goes where.

Do you have something you yearn so long for? Don't lose hope. At some point, you may get frustrated to the point of broken-heartedness. When these times come, pray and believe God has made everything beautiful in its own time. And rest assured, He will surely make this one, this particular thing you are yearning for, beautiful in its own time as well. :)

Motherhood 101: The Detour

Marriage spelled a new chapter in my life. New dreams; new plans; major decisions to come up with; a new me to unfold right before my very eyes. Yes, I somehow believed that there will be ups and downs but never imagined the magnitude of the down parts could be great that they would actually end up redirecting some of our plans. Naively, I thought, a newly married couple's bliss would be a cycle of petty fights followed by a succession of dreams coming to life one after another. I guess this was how I subconsciously spelled out happily ever after.

Two weeks after my D&C procedure for my second miscarriage, I'm realizing the down times are not simply composed of petty fights. Some down times can be large inkblots on a page they have the potential to destroy the promise of a beautiful story. I guess, if life was a book and this miscarriage is an inkblot in a page and I choose to stare on it again and again, I could conclude that the book is indeed ruined. But, I'm choosing to turn the page.

Some may think it's tragic or that we're kawawa or it's depressing that a year and a half into marriage and this is what we are encountering as we try to grow our family. I won't deny that. It would be a lot better if I could get pregnant easily and carry our baby into term and see our family grow without getting heartbroken because of these miscarriage encounters. But, the fact is, things happened otherwise, we need to accept the circumstances and move on.

Tomorrow will be another page for us. My OB says I might need some workup and she's already recommended me to a colleague specializing in infertility to work on my case. I surely never expected I would be meeting with such a doctor in my lifetime. Well, I never expected a lot of the things that happened in the past few weeks. This is certainly life-curbing... Nevertheless, tomorrow will also mark a major moving on for us. Our inkblots are already there, un-erasable and undeniable, but I have faith that the promise of a beautiful story is also there, un-erasable and undeniable.


==========================================

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" 

Let's Go 2014

What are you hoping for this 2014? I'm sure we have something we're looking forward to this year and to help you have a more positive outlook, allow me to share these 3 verses God gave me during last week's PnF:

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. - Proverbs 16:1-3

 .. and this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. - 1John5:14-15

Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass - Psalm 37:4-5

God is NO genie who will grant your every wish but for hearts who are sincere in loving, seeking and worshipping Him, He is more than willing to bless you beyond your imagination. And this is why it is my sincere hope that everyone will come to know and have the right kind of faith and relationship with God.

What are you hoping for this 2014? Whatever it is, I pray you put your hope in the one and true living God.

Mindfulness

Today, God reminded me to be mindful of my actions. He came to the world bearing the message of love and He expects me to bear this news in my thoughts, words and actions.

Naisip nyo na ba itong katagang ito “Grabe… parang di kristiyano to… “? Ako, first time ever ko naisip yan today at the moment naisip ko sya inisip ko kaagad kung ano kayang naiisip ng ibang tao sa akin, Christian man o hindi.

I’m far from being the good Christ’s follower that people usually expects. But, with God’s grace, I strive to be one. I just hope I don’t cause anyone to stumble or think bad of God, Christ or Christians in general.

THIS is what I understand from this verse:

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me “ - (Gal. 2:20)

I pray that when people meet and see me, they really do see the Christ that’s living in me.

Lead Like Jesus

There are the bossy, know-it-all ones who think that just because they’ve seen it done by others and heard the theories word per word they have every right to give out instructions not to mention, criticize how others work. There are also the OC, micro-managers who like to get their hands dirty and seem helpful at first but ends up leaving no room for others to learn and mature.

Both approaches are flawed. One may be irritating than the other but both are destructive to people who encounter it.

This was the debate in my mind that ensued the other day: If I were to be a leader, how would I really want to lead? I was actually so bothered by the thought that I ended up praying to God about it.

He, in turn, led me to this verse and realization:

   HEB 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This is how God wants us to lead. Like Jesus.

While on earth, Jesus gave a lot of instructions with the call for us to be perfect not to boss us around and act like some theoretical know-it-all. He gave us a lot of instructions because He was able to experience the things we are experiencing in our lives: temptation, discouragement, disappointment, persecution, etc. Yet, Jesus did not micro-managed everyone’s lives and shoved his principle down our throats but rather, shared what He knows with a promise that should one chooses to follow, blessings will come. As our leader, Jesus got His hands dirty by living it out here on earth. As someone who knows [a lot] better, His presence is the hope that we have to get out of the mess we are in as He is always ready to share what He knows provided that we ask.

This is how Jesus is. This is how Jesus leads. I hope to follow in His footsteps should I be called to lead.

To God always be the glory!