On Letting Go

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What does it really mean to let go? Let go, meaning to get over a hurt that would otherwise turn into something destructive. How does forgiving someone sound – say, in prayer form? To let go and let God is one of the reasons it is hard to be a Christian because the nature of the flesh is to take revenge and fight for one’s right which is the more popular option in the secular world since it seems reasonable and intelligent. However, the Bible tells us that, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (Proverbs 14:12) Defending one’s self sometimes becomes Satan’s subtle tool to make the believer lose trust in God. It is the non-verbal articulation of the soul that God will not defend them, so they must do it themselves. Many times, the believer does not even know they have fallen into this pit simply because they have not really pondered upon the situation – and mostly, due to lack of insight that could have come from spending time in the Word. So one, instead operates on the secular principle of justice. However, if one claims to be a Bible-believing Christian, he or she will live out the Biblical truth that true justice can only come from God (“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19). If the believer truly believes that there is a God who will one day judge everyone then he or she should be all set in terms of fighting back. It is better said than done, though. This is why when hurt and disappointed, we must turn to God first – not to Facebook, not to our friends, but to God.

“Lord, this hurt is too much for me to bear and I feel like defending myself. However, you are my ultimate defender and so I turn over this hurt to you. I forgive (the offender’s name) as an act of obedience to you. Give me wisdom on how to deal with him or her or the situation.”

To let go and choose forgiveness over revenge is like putting down all your weapons before God and allowing Him to fight for you (“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” – Psalms 20:7). It does not come from a place of insecurity or self-pity, but from a fervent faith in His command (“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:36).  

Most importantly, one must come from the place of an intimate relationship with God, from the belief that even though everything else is failing, it is well with one’s soul.

Let go. Let God.

Why Does Evil Exist in the World?

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“If God exists and he is supposed to be all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good, why does he allow evil to exist in the world?” This is perhaps one of the popular questions most people are startled with when they think about God. For the sake of discussion, the god I am talking about is the Christian God. This is a very sensitive topic and I will try my best to attempt to answer that based on my readings, my discussions with religious people and my Philosophy of Religion course.

Much of the reason evil exists in the world has to do with God having taken the risks of giving freewill to mankind from the very start. I believe God gave Adam and Eve this freewill, otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen to eat the forbidden fruit. That God allows His people to make moral choices – good or evil, is important in the authentic relationship He wanted and wants to establish with them. Would you call it a real relationship if God causally determined everything that you think, do or say? “Why does God want a relationship in the first place,” you might ask. A relationship springs from love. Love – the good and pure kind of love proactively seeks and maintains relationship. God is love (1 John 4:8). That is not romantic. That is the truth. So, even when the first parents (Adam and Eve) brought evil and suffering into the world, God still could not take away the freewill that he designed men and women with – even if that means freewill is being used by many to perform evil deeds. Think genocide, slavery, wars, diseases, abuse of all kinds, murder, rape – name it or just look at your own life. People steal from you; say nasty words against you and the saddest part is that the people who are closest to you are the most prone to hurting you the most. Does God know what you are going through? Yes He does (Matthew 10:29-31). God understood and He still understands the heavy burdens of being human so He provided a way for them to deal with evil the best way that they can by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins (1 Peter 2:24). If you accept this truth in your life, you will be totally set free from the powers of evil after you die; instead, you will enjoy eternity with God in heaven. Accepting this truth also means that God’s grace has sealed up the gaps between the existence of Jesus in your heart and your constant struggle against sin and evil. This means that once Jesus is in your life, you will have the power to overcome both (Romans 6:18). You will not be sinless – you will just want to sin less and you are always assured of heaven (1 John 5:11-13).

There are times too that good things happen as a result of some evil inflicted to us in the past or as a result of our own evil choices (Romans 8:28). Sometime along my Christian journey, I once blew it big time (not that I didn’t sin every day) but my own mistake compelled me to seek help and go through a painful yet redemptive process of spiritual and emotional healing. That experience showed me the depth of God’s grace and strengthened my relationships with people. But just because we can’t seem to see a good reason behind the evil does not mean that there is none (Proverbs 3:5).  In heaven, it will all make sense or if God does not explain it to you once you are there, you probably won’t mind because you are awestruck by its grandeur, overwhelmed by the glory of God, amazed that the time has come when God has finally wiped the tears from your eyes (Revelation 21:14). Evil and suffering, no matter how deep and long it is in your life is not the be all and end all of your story. There is hope. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Praying By Who God Is

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We are sometimes tempted to pray in the spirit of reminding God how good we have been for the past few days, past few months or even all our lives. We are tempted to think that perhaps God will be more favorable to us, more likely to say “Yes” to our prayers because of the many ways we think we have been obedient to Him. Yet this could be another form of pride, another way of buying God’s approval of our petitions. The truth is, yes God will bless our obedience and will certainly reward our faithfulness yet He will still bless us according to what He deems is good for us and for the accomplishment of His sovereign purpose. Our prayer in the first place is not a ticket to the fulfillment of OUR agenda, but of GOD’S. Prayer is first of all a realignment of our hearts and souls to His divine will so that we are made more united with Him. Prayer is not just for petition, it is for our relationship with Him. Therefore, our prayers should not tap on OUR goodness and OUR faithfulness but on GOD’s alone. (May 23, 2013)

Pleased by No Less than God Himself

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Many of us would rather please God all the time but feel uncomfortable spending time “being pleased” by Him. This is understandable; we live in a world where we are often judged by what we can do instead of who we are on the inside leading us to live secret or double lives. Many look fine on the outside; performing well but they’re rotting on the inside – wondering if there’s more to life than making money or being powerful or performing good deeds for God by giving and helping. Many of us tend to apply this performance-oriented mindset to our relationship with God. I do believe we have to serve God but if we can’t spend a day or even a few hours simply receiving what He is dying to offer us then we might want to check our hearts. Christ came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). He came to break the tension between God and man and establish friendship with him (John 15:15*) and He clearly demonstrated this desire for intimacy through the washing of the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17). People at church will probably applaud us for our performance but God is dying to get closer to us by active fellowship with him once in a while – thinking about His goodness, reading His word or a book about Him, praising Him for who He is and basking in His presence by ourselves or with loved ones, soaking in peace and contentment feeling safe, revived and free - pleased by no less than the God of the universe Himself. 

* “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (August 28, 2014)

Leaving Home to be Home (Moving to the US)

It was this day two months ago when I first arrived in the US. The 21-hour flight from one part of the earth to its exact opposite side felt a little crazy. I had certainly shown the naïve side of me by making surprising comments like, “It’s 7 PM and it’s still bright out!” and the Canadian guy beside me said, “of course it is!”
I was now in a totally different world; though, a few things were already familiar to me – like airports, security checks, cars and of course, my husband who drove for about three hours to pick me up. I started forgetting my body pains and that it was very cold when I saw him (big beard and all) waving and taking pictures of me at the waiting area. I had seen his big beard by pictures before which he said was a protest I couldn’t move to the US to be with him right after our wedding a year and a half ago. To see and experience the beard was special and it was radical and cool in a way. I wasn’t sure I wanted it to stay though, so it had to go. 

The moment I set foot on our house, I knew that a new chapter of my life has officially begun which is also true for him. I am experiencing culture shock of course and there have been days when a hundred bits of new information, new experience and new people all blend in together and create one overwhelming feeling inside. There’s a lot to take in.

I observed how efficient the American system is and how people here are still trying to make it even more efficient – you pump your own gas; there’s a vendo machine for everything (DVDs for rent, laundromat card); your doctor’s prescription gets digitally routed to a pharmacy so you won’t have to buy medicines there with one hand-written by your doctor (possibly with bad penmanship as I was used to in the Philippines); it doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to get from one place to another because a GPS will do just that for you; you ride on good roads in a very systematic highway system, you can buy anything online or have anything delivered by mail and before I forget, there are good bathrooms everywhere (flush, toilet papers and all). Because of these things, there are times I think that life is relatively easier here and there’s not much to complain about. However, I prove myself wrong whenever I hear someone get upset or angry because someone or something failed or is slower and less effective than expected. Somehow, it makes me think that the human desires are endless and unless one decides to just be content, he or she will never be content. I began to wonder how easy, happy and satisfying life might be for anyone anywhere in the world if he or she is more gracious, more understanding, more flexible, less critical and doesn’t rely on the system per se to make him or her happy.
It is easier said than done though and I am bound to make the same mistake – which is why, I try my best to rely on a much more trustworthy system – God’s Word and its role in my life. I have been going through different surprising changes and challenges every day – a part of which spring from the false expectations of people back home that setting foot on American soil automatically gave me a million dollars. Anyhow, I feel joyful and at peace and even closer to God in this place 10,000 miles away from what I used to call home because God’s Word is real in my life. Two days ago, I was very upset and felt alone yet Psalms 34 encouraged me more than Chinese food ever could. “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Psalms 34:10). God’s grace has allowed me to see the brightest side of it all – sharing life with my husband which has been fulfilling in many ways. At church last Sunday, I was asked which is better for me, the Philippines or the US and from the bottom of my heart I said wherever God takes me - that is the better place. (August 7, 2014)

God, The Most Misunderstood

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If there is one who has experienced the most unrequited love, it is God. If there is one lover who has waited so long for the object of His affection to reciprocate His love, it is God. If there is one crazy suitor who waits night and day for the pursued to receive His heart, it is God.

God said in 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” The world perhaps has been clouded over by so much lies spread by the father of them that the gap established by man between him and His creator has been too long, too thick, too far that God’s voice is lost in the turmoil, hazy in the loud music of the world’s confusion – of its lack of understanding of the loving God.

Yet God continues to speak. In fact, for many years, He has never stopped. He has been speaking in so many ways despite the hardened hearts and the deaf ears of the love of His life. Yet, he will continue doing so because that is who He is, that is what He does. He cannot disown Himself. (May 23, 2013)

God is the Goal

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How we view God will determine how we relate with Him, with others and how we deal with both the prosperities and adversities of life. How we view him is therefore everything because it will affect not only our life on earth today, but most especially the life after it (even this view is influenced by my own view of God).

 Some people sincerely believe they are “godly” because they are doing “godly” things: giving to the poor, helping others in need or even leading prayer meetings and bible studies. Yet, the essence of having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ is determined first of all by the direct fellowship of a person with God - how and how often he connects with Him by praying, reading the Bible and joyfully following it. Doing “godly” things is therefore just an offshoot of a vibrant, living connection with God. Otherwise, we are just making ourselves feel and look good or merely going with the popular flow of trying to do good things for no reason at all, or for reasons we don’t understand or reasons we will never associate with God. I am convinced that when we do good things based on our faith in Jesus, then that is true godliness. Again, otherwise, we are just being secular. I would even say that any activity is more spiritual (as long as it is not sinful) if it is done for the glory of God than a “spiritual” activity done for the glory of man.

 If God is number one in our life, we are hitting many birds with one stone. If we become so full of God, we couldn’t help but give “some of Him” to others; we couldn’t stand watching people waste their lives away; we would encourage them, pray for them and help them with their needs. Then again, helping others is found at the last part of this relationship equation. God first, then others. The true Christian tries his or her best to be on God’s side all the time – God’s partner, God’s friend, God’s messenger and this is a powerful statement but yes, God’s confidant and God’s lover. Now that I am married, I experience the wonderful blessing of being able to listen and share thoughts and feelings with my husband on a regular basis. Life becomes easier to handle and I feel guided in a certain way. But did you know or have you forgotten that the Church is the Bride of Christ? (Revelation 21:2) Our commitment and devotion to the Lord must come to a point when we can feel and know deep in our hearts that Jesus is the lover of our souls. And I’d like to emphasize the reality of that statement. It is not superficial at all. Experiencing God as a lover is possible – it’s as real as two people falling in love with each other or as real as the emergence of the selfie generation.

 Once we view God this way, God becomes the center of our life; he becomes not only our means to an end; he becomes both! We begin to do things with God and for God. That is because God has become our dream and our aspiration. If so, everything we do will be about pleasing Him and it will become easier to praise Him through both our victories and trials. If God is our goal, we can easily believe in His promises. But then again, if God is our goal, He will be more than enough. Time spent with Him will give us joy, peace and satisfaction. If God is our goal, I can only imagine what other goals we can achieve – but that is not the ultimate goal – God is.