Reflection on God's Will

Here are some of the affirmations I got from last night’s singles gig with Fr. Mike La Guardia.

1.       Most of us are in search for answers to what God’s will is, only to arrive with frustration how incomprehensible it is. It is written in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts that your thoughts.” We are not here on earth to figure out what the whole plan is all about. If everything is already given, like a detailed life manual, would we still seek him? I do not think so. Even if he did not give us full instructions, he laid out what his will is for us in some verses written in the bible.

       “Be holy, for I the Lord, your God is holy.” 1 Peter 1:16

        “So be perfect just as your heavenly father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

      God’s will is our sanctification because He wants all of us to be with Him. He desires us to reunite with Him in time. Our life as Christians (meaning follower of Christ), is a call to holiness regardless of what our past is. When we talk about holiness, the first thing that comes to our minds is perfection but no one on earth is perfect. God is not like humans who judge us for our sins, he is a father who looks through the heart.

2.       We are godly designed, an image of God. One of my favorite verses in the bible is “God created mankind in his own image and likeness.” Genesis 1:27 Our dignity (meaning worthiness) as human beings goes beyond our circumstances in life because we are God’s people, we are designed with all the love in his heart. So, no matter what our imperfections are, always remember this: You are loved beyond measure. You do not need to be accepted by people to feel loved because there is one person who would love you more than anyone could despite of your unworthiness. He does not only call the qualified, but he qualifies whom he calls. You just have to accept the love that He has for you.

3.       God wills for us to be happy. God has given us an intellect and a free will to walk the path that we desire. We are not puppets or robots that needs to be controlled in order to move and do something. For God said, “You came from me, you will end in me. The rest is up to you. You make your choices in life.” God had already implanted a blueprint in our hearts. He is a loving father. A father who would ask his child what they want to be when they grow up, what their hobbies are and let them enjoy it. He is not like an earthly parent who would impose what he wants for his child. He is happy with what makes us happy. What will make us happy is his desire for us. However, the noise on earth distracts us and steals that moment where we can reflect and focus what is in our hearts. That is why it is essential for us to have a quiet time alone. Eventually, we will know if our choices match the desires that God has for us. No matter where we go in life, even if we lose our way, He will bring us back to the path of His plan.

4.       Always Pray. Let us always talk to God about our hearts desires and ask if it matches his. It is okay to ask for signs but we have to be careful not to impose our own signs because if we do, we only tend to see what we are looking for and miss the one that God wills for us. We will know that we have met God’s desire if there is inner joy and peace within us. There is a motto in nursing that says, “When in doubt, discard”. So, when you are doubting about something, do not do it. “For God does not give us the spirit of fear but of power, of love and sound mind.” Pray that we will always be in the right track because it is fulfilling to be in line with what God desires for our life.

Praying for you.

Battling with Patience

When I was 19years old, I was applauded for my unwavering patience. That time I always looked beyond people. My motto was if I show love and compassion, their actions will eventually follow. For years I endured a battered relationship thinking that showing God’s love would lead people to treat us better. I was wrong. I lost myself in the process of trying to change someone’s heart. The experience made me lose my own patience, I began to be pissed off easily. As I go through with life, I discovered new ways to tame my temper but there is no better way other than allowing God to enter our hearts again and heal the part that was lost.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

God can remove your defective heart and replace it with grace, truth, love, hope and faith. The beginning of purpose and your destiny begins after a heart transplant. The spirit of God not only has that ability but the commitment to replace the old heart with a new heart. A heart full of joy, peace, mercy and love that will do nothing less but change the world. ~Anonymous

Sometimes it’s difficult to hand over our hearts to our creator, and we wonder where do we start? It’s not an overnight process, it takes time. God can hear you clearly even though you don’t know what to say. I encourage you to take it one day at a time. We can do this!

I am praying with you.

Opportunity in Adversity

What a beautiful day guys! It’s been a while. We have lived in a fast paced environment ever since we were little. Our journey towards growing has caused us a lot. We have been through a roller coaster ride because no matter how we want to live our lives easier, it always ends up challenging. That is why many people have depression. Our heart desires to have an easy life. We were not taught how to manage our emotions properly. 

This pandemic crisis has put everything on hold, our plans, income and so on. I have seen many people struggling emotionally and financially. There so many people ranting on social media. It’s sometimes frustrating to go on Facebook or on twitter because of it. I know that it’s hard to see the positive in times like this but if you look at it in a bigger picture, we will see that there are blessings in it. We just need to learn the power of appreciation.

According to Matthew 22:36-37, “The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” How many of us forgot about Him because of our everyday hustle? This pandemic gives us an opportunity to look into our hearts and rekindle our relationship with God. 

He never stopped knocking in the doors of our heart but we never pause to listen to what he wants to say. To love God is the basic foundation of it all. We learn to appreciate because of love. God is love. Let us seek Him with a humble heart and lay all our troubles in Him. 

He is waiting for us. God is the greatest provider. 

He never sleeps. His ways are beyond impossible. 

Trust Him.

Stay safe, God bless!

Day 11 of 14. Self Quarantine

Last March 27, one of the catholic organizations in Manila conducted an online worship and prayer for those who are affected by COVID-19. I am a nurse at a well-known hospital in Manila. I'm on self quarantine since March 20 due to colds. As I was listening to the worship service, one of the songs they sang got into me as I started crying while praying with them. I realized that I am scared, I'm not yet ready to die and leave my loved ones behind. But as I submerged into God's words, I began to understand that this is not my fight, but its God's. He is the pilot of our lives. We are here on this earth 'for just a moment', to carry out His mission. Not everyone believes in God. I respect that. I pray that you will be able to feel His loving call for a change of heart and would answer whole-heartedly. I hope that we will all be open to the messages of God through this trying time because of Covid. Let us also take this time to make the most of it and embrace our loved ones as we battle through this.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

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.

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil---this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11-14.

Everything happens for a reason, it's all part of God's plan.
Let us face our fears head on and trust Him.

Stay safe & God bless!

Matthew 20:1-16

"A landowner went out early in the morning, to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay each worker the usual daily wage, and sent them to his vineyard.

He went out again, at about nine in the morning, and, seeing others idle in the town square, he said to them, 'You also, go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is just.' So they went.

The owner went out at midday, and, again, at three in the afternoon, and he made the same offer. Again he went out, at the last working hour- the eleventh- and he saw others standing around. So he said to them, 'Why do you stand idle the whole day?' They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' The master said, 'Go, and work in my vineyard.'

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' Those who had gone to work at the eleventh hour came up, and were each given a silver coin. When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received one silver coin. On receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

They said, 'These last, hardly worked an hour; yet. you have treated them the same as us, who have endured the heavy work of the day and the heat.' The owner said to one of them, 'Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on silver coin per day? So, take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. Don't I have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Why are you envious when I am kind?\

So will it be: the last will be first, the first will be last."

As humans, we always want a fair share of everything. We tend to compare ourselves to other people. That "fair" mentality causes us to want more things that can never satisfy us. But God teaches us to be content on what we have because only Him can satisfy.

The Art of Compassion

I believe compassion is beyond its meaning.

NURSE BY HEART

During one of my duty in Padilla before the end of my college life, an old lady approached my groupmate while we were having an early dinner in a store just right in front of the hospital.

She looked at me and said, “Hindi namin siya maintindihan. Ikaw nga kumausap.” (We can’t understand what she is saying. Go and talk to her.)

So I asked her, “Ma’am ano po yun?” (Ma’am what can we do for you?)

Old Lady: (I was not able to hear what she said.)

ME: Ano po yun? Sorry po di kita marinig. (Pardon? Sorry, I cant hear you.)

Old lady: (teary eyed) Pwede bang makitext? Nasa emergency room kasi yung anak ko. Wala kaming pera panguwi. Wala din akong load. (My child is in the emergency room right now. We don’t have any money in order for us to come home and I don’t have credits to message my relatives about it.)

ME: Ay ganun po ba. Wait lang po ah. (Really, wait)

(I turned to my groupmates and told them about her problem.)

They said that I should tell her that we don’t have enough money to help her because they think she’s faking it to take advantage of us. So I told the old lady…

ME: Ma’am, wala po kasi kaming load. Wala din po kaming pera. (Ma’am we don’t have cellphone credits and we don’t have enough money to lend you. We're sorry.)

The old lady looked really sad as she walked away from us.

So I called her again and gave her my last money and left 8 pesos for my ride home. She almost hugged me. This time I could see the tears streaming from her eyes as she asked, “Pano ikaw? Baka wala ka nang pera?” (How about you? Do you still have enough money for yourself?). And I told her, “Okay lang po yun. Meron pa naman po ako natira.” (It’s okay. I left enough money for myself). She thanked me and it felt really good!

After that incident, I heard negative comments about me and the old lady. I pretended that I do not hear anything and just smiled.

As we walk pass the emergency room, we saw the old lady again and I told my groupmates that maybe she wouldn’t be there if their judgments were true.

In today’s Gospel, John 9:1-41 the Pharisees were blinded by their own set of rules that they fail to see who Jesus is.

My groupmates are like those Pharisees.

COMPASSION IN ACTION

Compassion puts God’s heart in exchange of ours, letting go of our attitudes, selfishness, forgetting about ourselves and focus on “Loving our neighbor as ourselves. Mark 12:31”

Being compassionate is not easy as a human. We have to take our eyes out of the blinding spots of this world. Throwing away the “what ifs”. And this requires consistency to achieve its fullest capacity. What actions?

It is to live our lives in God, for God, through God and with God. Loving Him with all our heart, with all our being, with all our strength, and with all our mind. Luke 10:27

It is truly through Him that we would succeed.

Brothers and sisters,

God looks through the heart. He judges differently. He calls us to do the same for Him as His children. Let our faith be bigger than our fears. Let us always practice compassion and find ways to touch hearts through the Love that God gave us. And let our hearts rejoice to an awesome journey of  compassion in action.

God bless!

Overthinking

As women, we have the tendency to overthink. Overthinking is either normal or destructive because it could cause a negative thought that piles up and eventually leads to negative emotions. Negative thoughts came from our past experiences or fears.

Destructive overthinking holds us back from being the person that God wants us to be. So, our challenge is on how to break free from this.

We are God’s Princess. He uses us to bring out the best in His people. However, our royalty is a threat to Satan. He would do everything to take away our crown and defeat God in us through our minds.

We can’t face this on our own. We need to humble ourselves before God and ask for His intervention.

Princess, even Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 to “Bring every thought captive to the obedience of God.”

There are 3 STEPS IN BATTLING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS applying this verse:

1. Write down every negative thought you have along with the truth

Example:

I’m not worthy.

-I am worthy because I’m God’s princess. He made me in His likeness and he loves me more than anything.

2. Present these thoughts to God

3. Be still and continue growing

For Sisters in a Relationship:

Steps 1, 2 and 3 plus number

4. Talk to your partner about it.

Sisters, God gave us the power to overcome everything this world offers and that includes ourselves.

God is working through us. Let us be sensitive enough to feel His presence and hear Him better. See to it that He is our first priority in our lives. Allow Him to lead you towards the Princess He intended you to be.

God bless! :)