Empty-handed Love

When my sister's family decided to move out to Mindanao, my 2 year-old niece, Theara was left with no other playmate - but ME. To my delight, she would come to my room early morning, wake me up and say breakfast is ready. She would watch me put make up on my face and force me to put some on hers. She would cry if I left to go somewhere and would yell out to say goodbye, I love you and don't forget to buy Mentos! When she got hurt, she would run to me and let me wipe away her tears. She would lay in my arms and listen to me tell her stories.

After a month, my sister's family came back and so did Theara's playmates. In the morning, I would realize I woke up late because the one who used to wake me up is now playing with my nephews outside. While they're busy role-playing, imagining scenarios, producing sound effects for planes crashing; while they're running everywhere laughing, sometimes fighting, I would just stand there and watch. Theara would never approach me anymore to say how beautiful my hair is or how much she liked my dress. I don't know what happened to her but for some reason, she would not let me hug and kiss her. She doesn't care anymore if I left for work. She is busy. She has her friends now.

Today, I came home with a huge announcement to the kids asking who wants to come to the store with me later to buy candies. All of them said a loud YES. I hugged Theara asking what she wants and with twinkle in her eyes, she enumerated the candies she wanted. I felt warmth in my heart. There's this special intimate feeling that only children can give - and I felt that again with her at that time. 

It dawned on me that I sometimes have to give material things to them to show my love and intimate feelings. And then I remembered God. Many times have God blessed me with good things that I was sure He was using to draw me close to Him. My laptop, printer, Ipod, bicycle, rubber shoes and even that dinner treat that satisfied not only my stomach but my soul through the company of good friends - that money from a friend that seemed like a gift dropped straight from heaven - that listening ear of a friend or that book that changed my life. 

But sometimes, God comes empty-handed. 

Life suddenly becomes a mess and I become just flat broke or something goes wrong with my relationships or my job. Then I am left with no choice but to gaze at the giver of all things. Seeing the tears in my eyes, He would tell me He is everything I need and I've got everything I need to not only survive but live an abundant life. In fact, I am blessed by Him this way. And I feel better after crying in His presence - not because I am made richer or a miracle happened in my relationships or my job - but I feel loved by no less than the Creator of the universe and beyond.

I sure love it when Theara finally hugs and kisses me because of my candies, but I will always love it more when she does it even without them. 

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"When our deepest desire is n0t the THINGS of God,or a FAVOR fr0m God,but GOD himself,we cr0ss a thresh0ld." - Max Lucado

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the  circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:11-12)

Words

image source: http://www.vocationnetwork.org/articles/show/9

When God created the world, he did it with WORDS. So that spared him from coming down and doing all the dirty job of making the ocean, forests, animals, humans, etc.

There is power in words - especially if they come from the creator of the universe. God did not create us only to bask in His power and splendor; He created us to have fellowship with Him. We are a projection of His very being. "So God created human beings in his own image..." (Genesis 1:27)

Because God wants a relationship with us, He wants to do so with WORDS. God's message for you and me lurks everywhere - especially in the Bible. Some of us have listened; some don't want to listen; some are getting there. 

Some don't want to listen because they think it's not going to help; they think it's not relevant to them. They think He does not really understand their circumstance. Some fear that if they listen and believe, He will turn their lives upside down, send them to Africa to feed the homeless or give up their evil ways. 

Some, however, like the disciples have laid aside their concerns and chose to listen intently to what God has to say.

The world has become so noisy today. Your facebook newsfeed alone will tell you this. There are messages everywhere. But in your 24 hours every day, can you still spare a single minute to hear what God has to say to you?

If you believe there is power in the word of God; if you believe it was His words that created the universe, then listen to His word to you today.Take heed because His word is out to give you a life beyond your wildest dreams and imagination. 

Alabaster Jar

image source: http://stephenclarks.blogspot.com/2011/04/alabaster-jar.html

The alabaster jar – perfume worth a year’s wage. To a thief, unnecessary expense. To a donor, better off given to the poor. To an extravagant worshipper, insufficient to express love.

The alabaster jar – symbol of everything precious you have that is worth nothing if not used to express love for Jesus.

image source: http://www.ccburbank.org/blogs/BrokenAlabaster/?page_id=29

What is precious to you? What is in your hand that you cannot share with Him? What are you willing to surrender to express love for Him?

Resurrection Day 2012

Today is Resuurection Day and I recall the first time I believed in Jesus and accepted Him as personal Lord and Saviour. I am full of joy now having experienced exhilarating moments as a Christian – my honeymoon stage in my walk with Him, my passion to share the Gospel especially when I was still a very young Christian.

Likewise, I feel honoured and overjoyed having experienced deep pains with Him. I have experienced loneliness, confusion, rejection and Jesus was with me all throughout. It was our intimate fellowship that did not only make me survive, but have made me come out a better person and deeper in the faith. The best thing about it is how he stuck with me and how I came to know him more intimately. Can one really know the one who created the universe? You bet. It's the best thing in the world.

Now, I know that whatever happens to my life, I will always be victorious because one thing is for sure, God will always be on my side. 

What a life! If people really knew how it feels, they would trade all things for a life like this..

“When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:46)

                                                                   

What God Truly Desires

image source: http://christinacharalambous.blogspot.com/2011/01/gods-love.html

Living in the Philippines that is said to be “the only Christian nation in Asia”, Filipinos can talk freely about Christ anytime, anywhere. In fact, 80 % would say that they have a firm faith in God and believe that He is a big help in their lives. We say that He is our guiding light, say prayers more than once every day: morning, before going to bed and even before taking a shower and in malls at 12 and 3 PM. We celebrate his birth not just for a day but for more than 5 days at the end of the year. We mourn over his death and would even walk miles contemplating it. Some even copy the very suffering of Christ and would have themselves crucified. We loathe atheists and we think highly of the religious. We go to Sunday masses and services and we give tithes and offerings.

But we spend the rest of our days and nights worried and restless. Feeling the great need to protect ourselves, we compromise. We don’t pay our taxes. We give false declarations about our incomes, our expenses. Feeling taken advantage of, we say hurtful words to each other and about each other. We curse. We lie. We refuse to love. We don’t mirror the very decrees our “faith” advocates.

When asked about our principles in life, we come up with postmodern ideas: you deserve to be happy; life is all about you; you owe it to yourself. You. You. You. We are more than confused about the way life should be. We claim to be Christians but our hearts are far from Christ. We believe in God but we live as though He doesn’t exist.

Most of all, our religious life is purely religious – just a compartment in life – a supplementary to make us feel right about ourselves,  giving us a feeling that we are not completely doomed. We play our game and we keep God on the bleachers – sitting there watching, not as a coach we allow to direct, teach, train and celebrate our victories with us. We pray that He will guide our marriage, that He will give us the “man” or “woman” who has knocked us off our feet – but we don’t listen when He tells us to let go, or when He tells us how to make things better.

We want the best of what we think He could give but we are not ready and willing to give our hearts to Him, to really know Him – to listen, to learn and to surrender. We want the best of life – but we have not turned to the only one who could give it. We want just a portion of God, not all of Him. We want to keep Him in our home but we are busy with other things. We think that we have it all made up by our piety and the things we do for Him. The truth is, God does not need us. He will still be God without our tithes, our worship, our fasting, our masses and services. What He desires more is our hearts – a child-like attitude in approaching Him, a willingness to give it all up in exchange for a life that He will bless and use to bless others. With this kind of life, God would often tip us off our comfort boats, our security blankets and our little comfy world. He would break us – only to make us whole. He would make us cry – only to comfort us with His Spirit. Then we end up satisfied, peaceful and joyful – not because we have everything or everything is going well – but simply because He is there. His presence would be enough. It would not be a life free from pain or the other nasty things, but one spent knowing the almighty God who will just keep blowing our mind away. We would be so busy knowing Him, loving Him and being loved in return that everything else would become so small and easy to handle.

Water into Wine

image source: http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/bring-it-on-scream-wine-lovers-bumper-profit-threatening-harvest-in-new-zealand/

                In a wedding feast at Cana, Jesus turned water into wine because the host had run out of it. The master of ceremonies who didn’t know where the wine had come from tasted it and said, “A host always serves the best wine first then when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” (John 2:10)

                Based on the Jewish practice, the guests would have understood if the wine that came last were inferior to those served first. Jesus, however, opted to make nothing but the best kind.

                Later in his ministry, Jesus began to have many people following after him – five thousand of them in one day and Jesus’ intention to feed each one shocked the disciples. Philip, one of them said, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” (John 6:7)  But there was one boy there with five loaves and two fish. He offered them to Jesus who multiplied them so that everyone ate as much as they wanted. There were even leftovers!

                When Jesus works, only the best is produced and people are satisfied. This is how He works in our lives too. We work hard to make our lives better but there are times when we run out of wine or we can’t feed five thousand and the only option we have left is to tell the guests the party is over or tell the crowd to go home because we have none to offer them.

                But we can offer God our water and ask him to turn it into wine, our five loaves and two fish and ask him to multiply them. To ask him to do so is an act of faith – a way of allowing God who could do the supernatural to interfere in the natural, a way of allowing a big God to meddle in the small stuff - a way of surrendering in an ordinary way so that God could do the extraordinary. Our water could be anything we have – a sickness, an insecurity, a meaningless life, a failed expectation or a broken relationship. Our five loaves and two fish could be anything we think as insufficient – a meagre pay, a deteriorating strength or so little time to do so many things. To accept the way God would work after we have surrendered is a part of our faith-defining gesture of offering our water, our five loaves and two fish to Him.

One thing is for sure, though, our wine will turn out to be the best and our five loaves and two fish will multiply and we end up satisfied. But we have to do one thing first – surrender to Him.

Life with You

Life with You is not always a mat on a meadow,

but at times a hanging bridge between two high mountains

Not a storm-free journey into the wild,

but a boat unsinkable by wind and waves

Life with You is not a tearless pursuit,

or a smooth road deprived of danger

it is a jump from a plane with just the wind for support

or a boat ride in the midst of a storm

With you, I'm a Fiona you would free from the tower

a Rapunzel you would die for

at the same time a Joan of Arc or Queen Elizabeth I

you would send to battle

You let life remain unsafe

yet you don't cease to be my fortress

I am not immuned to pain and danger

but my hope in You gives it a lot of sense

Life isn't always nice but You said 

"Cheer up! I have overcome the world."

And that makes all the difference...

-JCR (10/14/2011)