“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” ― J.K. Rowling Ever felt like a failure? Odds are that you did. Maybe you still do. I know I did. I know […]
A view of paradise as my eyes lit up attempting to see the whole surrounding, obviously we don’t have this type of season here in the Philippines. But we are blessed to have more sunny cheerful days than rainy gloomy days though sometimes I almost couldn’t believe myself appreciating the gloomy air. Yet I know the reason, it feels like it understands the sadness I am going through when that low point kicks in. Indeed there is a season for everything, but then it is undeniable that we prefer the warmth of the sun and its light.
In this picture, Hoarded Ordinaries shared, what attracts me the most — the orange and red combination of leaves and is my favorite.
Let me share.
Forget Emily Dickinson’s definition of poetry: the title of today’s post comes from a line from Pharrell Williams’ irresistibly peppy ode to joy, “Happy,” which invites listeners to “Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.”
Can you survive without sharing your life stories to anyone? Oh, how good it is to talk and share stories and ideas with everyone!
So then, here is the question: Why you choose blogging, what’s so special about being a blogger, or creating a blog? I’m sure it feels like discovering more about yourself; something is defined and filtered within. But the process of making it a habit is not easy, sitting in front of a computer while squeezing and typing down what’s in your mind (especially when you are not used to a virtual setting).
When I finally decided to have my own, keeping my blog alive was the overwhelming part. The battle was winning what I don’t normally do; sometime I stopped and took a break but as I went on it was becoming addicting in a good sense. Finally, I decided to make this a habit.
I’m still amateur in blogging; however, from the recent conversation of experienced bloggers I discovered there are unexpected benefits of blogging: Some could list it up to 20 items, but let me share with you what the topmost 5 benefits I believe are true.
Blogging heals
… and by this it means literally physically and psychologically heals. Some discovered that when they started to blog after the following tragedies in their lives; during this difficult time, blogging allowed them to connect with people in ways that lifted them out of the darkness. And found that the act of blogging lowered their blood pressure during a very stressful period. Writing every day was an important part of healing both their minds and body.
Blogging connects
If you are not the kind of person who has dozens of friends but have few close friends that you have held onto through the years. Yet so many people on the blog have become legitimate, close friends in such a short period of time. And not just “Facebook friends” but “come over for dinner. When they visit other countries they would meet and showed around their places. It happened all because of blogging.
Blogging defines
Where do you stand on issues in the industry? Is Facebook on the decline or on the rise? What is the best way to measure the success of social media programs? What does Google + need to do to break-out? How do you integrate social media with traditional media? How do small businesses find the time to create meaningful content for the web?
Blogging helps you think through these topics and help clarify— and your business’s positions — on vital industry topics. Blogging gets your mind organized.
Blogging teaches
Many started a blog posts that are incomplete that’s including me. There are times we are thinking about an idea or a theory that we are not sure about. As a blog member as you search for other posts you will learn something and begin to see the world in a broader sense, giving you more answers in any question which you can eventually incorporate to your speeches, posts, and conversation with a group or friends.
Blogging Inspires
You will have ample time to read and explore other world just by reading blogs attached on with pictures, videos, arts etc. As you take blogging step-by-step you will be surprised this will also create inspiration for you to take your personal life and growth into a more organized thought pattern and honed skills.
What about you? Have you started working on your blog? If not I encourage you to think of your blog heading, you will not regret that first step, unless you just stop there and forget about blogging!
Jesus was Forsaken, but He has overcome the world for us to be washed from sin and be forgiven.
The Father’s great love, our only HOPE.
At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46
Our benediction at church yesterday included this verse- when it started to be read I said it in my head and best them to the end, I knew it and had read/heard it many many times before. But this stuck me anew, Jesus cries “why have you forsaken me?” Feeling of abandonment by God. I’m sure there is theological and language interpretations that would be more technically correct then this….
I prayed yesterday, thankful for God incarnate– Jesus gave up His divinity to become fully man so He could understand and relate to my humanity. So I could be in relationship with Him, knowing He understood me.
My thoughts…
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Maybe the act of admitting openly can help out subside the overwhelming grateful feeling I have now. It had been a long time since I felt I’m talking like a broken record. And I hate myself for causing my friends’ minds and thoughts tortured. I know I need to figure this myself. And those trying times taught me a valuable discipline in mastering my emotions. It took me a long time to get better. Now that I am, I felt like I needed to walk those times when I had to cry a lot, wherever I was.
These words still hang on my very thought: “Take courage, and I will strengthen your heart. All you who hope in the Lord.” Yes, I asked the Lord many times, why do I have to suffer this way? When will this end? A couple of years passed and the emotional storm still keeps coming like the real storms occurring here causing a lot of people lose their loved ones. Mine is always losing the hope of love and then regain only to be blown again. It really took me a while until now.
Today, the only difference is I can face the storm without being blown away. From those times of floundering to regaining my stature made me leave the weaker me. And having a faceless concerned friend sums all that after all the hopelessness and difficulty, no matter how many ears were almost burned. There is still another soul who can help out for you to cross the bridge whole. You may have felt dying at times but sooner or later, yet in time, you’ll discover things are anew. Something beautiful is coming up, the light of hope is a
rising.
Inside my room I woke up with a heavy heart, and my mind started thinking of those breaking scenes again. Sometimes I cried, sometimes I didn’t. There were times it lightens to cry, but for more intense times when my head felt like bursting. If hurts were like water in the bottle, mine was not reduced.
Anger and hatred did a lot, crippled by it seemed to be there was nothing to do but cry and hate. Doubling the agony, multiplying the pain. I knew I was helpless in my box of emotions, tossed back and forth like a pendulum. Would I ever find help, would it ever stop, and leave? My heart was dying.
Inside my room, I looked around, held a Book and read it. One moment later, the door opened and heard a voice, “Come, let me show you something. Trust me, don’t‘ be afraid, come.” So I followed Him.
Going out of my room, I saw darkness, but then it turned red. From red there was complete darkness. I was afraid, but He said ,“Do not be afraid.”
“I know it’s hard, but you can choose. You can let darkness cover you or release from it. Remember, I died on the cross for your sins to be forgiven. I died so you would also learn to forgive. Don’t let it strangle you. Trust me.” Then, I saw a glimpse of light defeating darkness. Now the atmosphere was full of light. I looked around, and felt his presence.
Before, I couldn’t understand. I couldn’t find him and wander why but I knew the reasons now. Now I understand, He is the ultimate healer of my heart—and His name is JESUS.
There I found myself with the Book I was reading,
a “Be of good courage,
I will strengthen your heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.”
b “Everything will work together for good to those who love Him.”
I cried hard, but this time it’s about asking forgiveness to the Lord, for the lack of trust, and dwelling for someone rather than embracing His Great Love.
—————————————————————————————————————-
a Psalm 31:24
b Romans 8:28
Disclaimer: Photo from bloginthenow.blogspot.com
Two years ago, I told myself, “I am resigning”. I said it like a thorn was being removed. It was quite a relief, so i told my close friends about it. I prepared my resignation very well. A month or two had passed and I still hesitated to hand it over. I never did (now the backup is nowhere).
Changing career is not new and there are various reasons. But this is almost something unknown to an employee who dedicated long years to a company, he or she worked with after or outside student life. While it is easy for others to think about quitting their job, it is difficult with people who have family to support or sick loved ones at home. A lot of things are to be considered before finally diving into unemployment status. Mine is about my sick mother who was stroked 3 years ago and underwent acute myoma operation after a year that stroke hit her.
It was a storm in our family, but a storm that taught us the value of saving money, preparing health security benefits, applying for a memorial package plan (which offended me at first), running the house clean, cooking (on my side as the eldest) and most of all budgetting (add the medical rehab). Yes, lots of household adjustments has to be done particularly who will pay this bill and that bill.
I can recall how I felt weakened with this idea that our mother won’t be working anymore. It was horrible to think about, because we are used to having our mother shoulder the expenses at home. Now I see I needed to be taught how to finally be responsible with my money, our house, and family.
I‘m speaking in view of the eldest sister. And I agree, most of the time eldest sons and daughters carry more expectations of themselves compared to other siblings. I think this is also what younger siblings expect us to do. I do not wish to be the youngest or tease them either, but it’s good to have someone older that you can call “Ate” (older sister) or “Kuya” (older brother) in your family. No wonder, sometime in the past I longed to have someone to call Ate or Kuya too.
It has been three years since that storm of challenge came in our family. And I still couldn’t believe that we made it without our mother’s stretched arms. Instead, we made it with our own arms stretched for her and for each other. Of course, those various challenges that every one of us face will not be brought to us if we are not able to surpass it. The Lord is faithful when you trust and commit your ways to His.
I thank the Lord with all the prayer, planning, and preparation, I can now say that “I am ready for resignation”. And hope for the best to explore another field He is leading me.
As my hand touched the flow of the river; a feel of life passed onto me. And it said, “Come with me, go with me, feel me”. I looked into it, the water was clear and the morning sun glided through. I could see the bottom with its tiny, rough and smooth pebbles. It was so inviting, so I refrained from sitting and step my feet into it.
In the midst of all our endeavors, one is not alive without human connection and relationship. We have family ties to bond, church to be in the same mind and spirit, friends to hang on, coworkers to work with, and acquaintances to know and meet. But this story is how I describe when you enter a relationship or consider a special mutual understanding with someone and realize that something else has to be done.
So there I was, I looked into the river. It was so beautiful. I couldn’t help but walk my feet into it. The water was finely cold. The surrounding was so calm and peaceful. Everything was good except for one hanging on my thoughts—leech. I would leap, disturb the small fish and get out of the water when I see one, but the good thing there wasn’t any.
I should say, leech is the fear of rejection, fear of being hurt or left alone. Mostly it has something to do with our pride. We fear someone will change and leave us broken. And when a leech sticks to our skin and sucks our blood it scares us and worst shock us trembling.
But then I heard the voice again, “Come with me, go with me”. So I continued walking. The water was below my knee. There were small fish; it was enchanting to see them aligned like they were showing up. I tried catching some of them with my bare hands but they were so tiny and quick. So I stared as I took another step. A moment later I heard birds singing, I looked up and saw them flying, chirping and landing on from tree to tree. One of them alighted on the riverbank just a right turn away from me. I was amazed watching the bird as he put his beak into the water to drink. It was quite uneasy, roaming its head from left to right. And after I took another step suddenly it flew.
As i went on, I saw green plants along the riverbank. I noticed some were edible, some were not. Then there was a wide branch of a tree spreading out like a roof above the river. I was drawn to it, I reached those big green leaves. I jumped hard to reach it but it was too late the water was already above me. I struggled and kicked and kicked. But my strength was nothing compared to the rigid flow of the river, I was pulled. The light I saw was now flickering; until nothing remained of my strength.
Can you recall yourself so in love with someone? You anticipate his/her presence. Every thought made you smile and sometimes laugh. You couldn’t help yourself shivering. It will be agonizing not to see this person and like that small bird, you roam around. You can’t stay in one place. Your sister or colleague would say, “Hey! What is that in you?” And admit it, it’s worst when you’re alone.
However, you find that things just don’t stay as they are. Relationships have to go another chapter. And taking it further would usually mean hurdles along the way. Somehow, it’s the way of life to test and strengthen what is inside. When the other is too weak to hold on and fight. Someone or the other will try to fix the lost thread to save both ends. But catching your breathe and striving to immerse yourself is difficult. Your emotions and thoughts are tossed back and forth. How long can you hold on?
So then, there in the darkness I lay. I came back to my senses. My head was in pain. I crawled until I reached the grassy part of the forest. I stopped and fell asleep.
I should say, you don’t want to lose yourself. So you grasp all the courage you have to make it, finally, by yourself.
You finally accepted the truth. The other had left. The hurt became a hard shield to your heart. You swear to yourself, this won’t ever happen again! And you try to regain your composure. You stood up and face the blurry future. Somehow things are getting better. You were able to walk on your own. But then it felt like you’re missing something. When things appeared to be just fine and dandy, the emptiness submerged.
That is because you shut your heart down. Remember when you said “This won’t happen again!” That’s where it started. You stopped hoping. You stopped believing that God is good. That He has good plans for you. You thought you made it so safely, so secured but the truth is you were afraid and remained unforgiving.
We don’t want to end like this, so let’s go back to the story.
It was indeed a deep sleep. Not long enough, I opened my eyes and it was morning. My head felt better. I saw myself just a few steps from the river. I stood up and again looked into the river. Still it was inviting. It was so beautiful. So I walked my feet into it. And felt the flow of the river. And it said, “Come with me, go with me”. I answered, “Thank you but I have to continue my journey”.
~LB
Speech Project #4
Ticktack, ticktack, Rinngg! Rinngg! The alarm is ringing. Do you hear it? I guess every day we do. It’s been almost always busy for the rest of our busy life. Whatever we do, you may be sleeping, running, or working we are continuously bound to this ticktack.
It seems like we are worn hearing of this old line: “Time is gold”. Yet no matter how our ears ached, we cannot ignore the hold of time. That’s why we say and hear it again and again because deep in ourselves we wanted to make each day count. At home, lots of things are waiting to be shared and done. We know this from waking up early, preparing breakfast, sending kids to school, to deciding what to eat for lunch and dinner. When you come to the office –project deadlines, meetings, and events drive you to organize, delegate and monitor the tasks at hand. How about church? Obviously, there is no exemption. Ministers have to commit their time to plan, prepare a sermon, lineup of songs, and go on for a mission in response to the leading of the Great Shepherd. The ticktack never stops even at the very end of the day. We are the ones who are used up of energy and strength.
Losing a grip of your time is one of the most regretful situations because we could never go back. Once passed, it’s gone. Our parents had their time before us, when we were young they stood by us. They were amazed and fascinated with our childhood and growth. They have those past longing and images of us that we cannot grasp like they do. Time had formed thousands of different season. And will create more in the coming years. Choosing when to do things will either create some trying or striving season, critical or rewarding experience.
We don’t have the power to change and control time. Like the life given to us, we cannot extend even a minute or second. Time moves no matter what. It won’t wait, it doesn’t hear anyone. Even at the last breath of life. However, million years ago, some people lived almost a thousand year. One person whose name was Methuselah mentioned in the Bible was able to live for 969 years. Imagine if it does until now. Would you think twice or not? Hmm!
Let’s see, if I’m 28 years old, then probably I would be doing the same thing I’m doing now. When I reach 30, I could be married to someone. Have three children; send them to school, do some tutor, and attend some household needs. They will graduate, have a job, and start their own family. Would I still be wanting more children because at 60 I am not considered old yet? Or would I be happier not to apply my retirement and continue working at that age? Wouldn’t it be sweeter to just grow old with our soul mates? What do you think? How about choosing to stay single? Do I need more time to be fulfilled with my life? On the other side, do I need a thousand year to find the person I’m waiting for? Well, I don’t think so.
Let’s also try to evaluate what’s happening around us. There are people who enjoyed working for their careers. But not everyone, most Filipinos are working for the sake of the needs of their family, not for the mere reason that they are fulfilled doing their job. Even those who are fulfilled at their present job may eventually lose their enthusiasm. Time leads us to change. We cannot claim everything to be constant and permanent, because everything is borrowed. Our lifespan depends on our Great Creator. There are also factors corrupting the ways of men such us addiction, abuse, pain and suffering and other forms of crime. Maybe those are some of the reasons why the Lord said: “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he is also flesh: his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.” (Gen. 6:3)
Now I’m getting more interested with this saying “Life is too short”. For me, it drives me to be more aware, more responsible and mindful for the remaining length of time. So, I think we all see the need to plan, learn new things, adjust and settle for things we prefer. We all see that time has its power to persuade our course of actions. From the day we graduate from college we are expected to decide and plan for our own.
Sometime along the way, we feel like we lost all the zest and wonder. We come to realize that our time is like a stream. Time is but the stream you go a-fishing in. You drink at it; but while you drink you see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. We ask ourselves, why is this happening? And you know you can’t dwell on this pit of losing. So you strive hard to immerse yourself. But remember to trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
However, is this all we need to do? Make plans and prepare for what is seen right here, right now. It’s evident that we all come and go from this world. How about the other world where we will settle for eternity? How are you investing your time for that?
Let me leave this enabling verse: Whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report;
if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, let us think on these things.
And you’ll see life won’t be too short to live.
As I rode comfortably at the back of the tricycle, I saw group of men heading for work. I could tell by their clothes that they’re into carpentry. One of them rode beside me. Along the way, I heard him complaining about the flood while protecting his feet from the mud splatter. When we arrived at the next terminal, as I handed my fare, he uncomfortably said to the driver he was going to wait for his companions to pay his fare. I feel better hearing about it. I went on my way.
All I thought was to get my way to the office, but the previous scene kept playing on my head. While crossing the overpass, I found myself asking “Would it hurt you to lend a little?” I began battling with myself, “What? What are you talking about?” “You mean paying his fare? Yes, you could have done something.”
It is unusual to help a stranger. But what if you know that person, perhaps a neighbor, someone attending the same church, or a friend. I guess, your response is different. It would be easier for us to do something.
I wasn’t crazy but I realized someone was speaking to me. (There you go…) I remember a Sunday School topic about “Who is the Holy Spirit?” And I learned that we shouldn’t refer Him as “it” because He is a person, a God. The following verses tell us how the Holy Spirit interact with us. (John 14:26) The Spirit will teach us all things and will remind us of everything the Lord had said to us. (Jn.16:13b) The Spirit of Truth will even show us things to come. (Jn.16:13a) His Spirit will guide us into all truth.
So then, as the driver handed my change, someone gave me the idea of telling the driver to pay his fare. But I hesitated and went on my way, unaware that the Spirit of Truth was the one talking to me.
John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (NIV)
It doesn't end here 