"No more crushes!!" i remember telling myself this a few years ago and just recently. i advised myself that if i want to focus on my priorities, i should get stupid admiration out of my mind. i feel so much happiness and i am filled with so much inspiration when they're around.. but when i see them with their girl friends - that's just enough to let my moment down.. in other words, having crushes gets me off balance. on one second i am this high, and on the next,i am back on my feet -to reality. i couldn't just afford to lose my focus.. it was inevitable, however, for me to have crushes. somebody just comes up and then suddenly, i have a new crush already! Wow... : | .. So this cycle would go on and on.. inspiration to sadness then back to inspiration.. i felt once again so defeated.. what's annoying however is that there are times when i don't want to remember my crush anymore and then suddenly, he shows up.. what, is this some sort of a joke? this ups and downs continued on for some time until something happened... :)
Monday, July 29, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Modern Day Gideon and the 300
Remember Gideon? :)
i don't usually think of him. But now, i can't help but feel absolutely blessed and overwhelmed like him..
In the old testament, Gideon was used by God as an instrument to save the Israelites. But he wasn't supposed to do the job of a prophet or a preacher to proclaim the God's messages. Instead, he is to lead a battle against the Midianites, their oppressors. Gideon, was unbelieving that it was he who was chosen by the Lord. But after several signs shown by God, he finally accepted God's assignment.
i actually never planned it all. Upon entering college, all i dreamed and wanted was to be an honor student. So i have to keep my grades up, limit or exclude myself from participating in extracurricular activities, and always be focused with my studies and requirements. When i joined CYA, everything changed.
CYA is unlike most of the clubs in our school. It doesn't contain lots of members. It isn't very much recognized and popular. It doesn't even look or sound cool. But amazingly, lots of lives have been changed through it.
CYA is a nationwide movement of young Filipinos who wants to evangelize the youth and proclaim the Good News! In so doing, they themselves grow to become more mature Christians, more radical, wiser, stronger, and more faithful.
i joined CYA in the second semester of my first year in college. i was shy and unsociable. every time i joined an activity, i was always in an awkward situation because i really am not a very people-person and i am not very good at making friends. Somehow, i got hooked up. There were lots of games - fun games - and i looove games! i kept coming back joining their activities. it provided me with a new and different environment apart from my academic life. i actually found life there. i started singing and practicing songs. i met new friends. i was able to share a little of myself. i even invited my classmates because i found the club really life giving! i started reaching small yet new heights. With my co-CYAers, we did random evangelizations on parks, malls, in schools - we invited total strangers! Now, that is something for a shy girl like me!
On the third year, i had a hard time balancing my academic life and my nonacademic life. i actually almost flunked my subjects. Sometimes, i felt like, "why on Earth didn't i stick to plan A????" Perhaps there's no turning back now. Because we just had few club members in school, our club president kept asking help and support from us. These events coming and going were killing me every time i helped and was not able to help. When will things get better? At the end of the year, i was even disturbed and somehow honored when our Chapter head told me that it had been decided that i would be the next CYA club president. Well, honestly, i somehow saw that coming because there were very few of us left. However when the moment comes when it actually is handed on to you, it was really unbelievable. i mean, who am i? i don't even think i'm meant to lead. i don't even know what will happen in my fourth year in school. Will the subjects be more demanding and more challenging? How would my family react to my commitments? Yet, beyond all these doubts, it is as if something tells me i should accept it for it is the right thing.
i attended club presidents' meetings, received letters inviting our club to be involved in different activities. With my co-servants, we kept the club moving, we tried to hold the club together. there were really few members. They were so few that almost all of the active members were already our appointed officers. it was so draining and discouraging to see really few participants in our club activities. There are times when i really needed to sacrifice my studies just to meet a club requirement. i felt like i could really give no more. i'm tired and yet much is still asked of me. These are the times, the critical times, when surrendering everything to God's Will leads me to the manifestation of God's greatness. Whenever it seems like there is no hope left, something comes up and keeps all of us going. The year eventually came to an end with the club gaining a small but considerable number of committed members.
Now i'm on my final year in college. And by God's grace, i have not failed any of my subjects from the previous year. i am not anymore the club president because it is another person's time to assume the role. ☺
But this story will not end just like this. Like Gideon whom God had given only 300 men to help him defeat a whole lot of Midianite armies, i was also a leader who had been given few co-servants. And yet once again, like Gideon and the 300, we won the fight for the Lord. You see, we recently received a letter congratulating Christ's Youth in Action for being recognized as a club and receiving a really cooool grade - 92.33!
Indeed, God is an expert in dealing with the unlikely and the impossible!
To God be all glory! ♥
Kay Kristo Buong Buhay, Habambuhay!
i don't usually think of him. But now, i can't help but feel absolutely blessed and overwhelmed like him..
In the old testament, Gideon was used by God as an instrument to save the Israelites. But he wasn't supposed to do the job of a prophet or a preacher to proclaim the God's messages. Instead, he is to lead a battle against the Midianites, their oppressors. Gideon, was unbelieving that it was he who was chosen by the Lord. But after several signs shown by God, he finally accepted God's assignment.
i actually never planned it all. Upon entering college, all i dreamed and wanted was to be an honor student. So i have to keep my grades up, limit or exclude myself from participating in extracurricular activities, and always be focused with my studies and requirements. When i joined CYA, everything changed.
CYA is unlike most of the clubs in our school. It doesn't contain lots of members. It isn't very much recognized and popular. It doesn't even look or sound cool. But amazingly, lots of lives have been changed through it.
CYA is a nationwide movement of young Filipinos who wants to evangelize the youth and proclaim the Good News! In so doing, they themselves grow to become more mature Christians, more radical, wiser, stronger, and more faithful.
i joined CYA in the second semester of my first year in college. i was shy and unsociable. every time i joined an activity, i was always in an awkward situation because i really am not a very people-person and i am not very good at making friends. Somehow, i got hooked up. There were lots of games - fun games - and i looove games! i kept coming back joining their activities. it provided me with a new and different environment apart from my academic life. i actually found life there. i started singing and practicing songs. i met new friends. i was able to share a little of myself. i even invited my classmates because i found the club really life giving! i started reaching small yet new heights. With my co-CYAers, we did random evangelizations on parks, malls, in schools - we invited total strangers! Now, that is something for a shy girl like me!
On the third year, i had a hard time balancing my academic life and my nonacademic life. i actually almost flunked my subjects. Sometimes, i felt like, "why on Earth didn't i stick to plan A????" Perhaps there's no turning back now. Because we just had few club members in school, our club president kept asking help and support from us. These events coming and going were killing me every time i helped and was not able to help. When will things get better? At the end of the year, i was even disturbed and somehow honored when our Chapter head told me that it had been decided that i would be the next CYA club president. Well, honestly, i somehow saw that coming because there were very few of us left. However when the moment comes when it actually is handed on to you, it was really unbelievable. i mean, who am i? i don't even think i'm meant to lead. i don't even know what will happen in my fourth year in school. Will the subjects be more demanding and more challenging? How would my family react to my commitments? Yet, beyond all these doubts, it is as if something tells me i should accept it for it is the right thing.
i attended club presidents' meetings, received letters inviting our club to be involved in different activities. With my co-servants, we kept the club moving, we tried to hold the club together. there were really few members. They were so few that almost all of the active members were already our appointed officers. it was so draining and discouraging to see really few participants in our club activities. There are times when i really needed to sacrifice my studies just to meet a club requirement. i felt like i could really give no more. i'm tired and yet much is still asked of me. These are the times, the critical times, when surrendering everything to God's Will leads me to the manifestation of God's greatness. Whenever it seems like there is no hope left, something comes up and keeps all of us going. The year eventually came to an end with the club gaining a small but considerable number of committed members.
Now i'm on my final year in college. And by God's grace, i have not failed any of my subjects from the previous year. i am not anymore the club president because it is another person's time to assume the role. ☺
But this story will not end just like this. Like Gideon whom God had given only 300 men to help him defeat a whole lot of Midianite armies, i was also a leader who had been given few co-servants. And yet once again, like Gideon and the 300, we won the fight for the Lord. You see, we recently received a letter congratulating Christ's Youth in Action for being recognized as a club and receiving a really cooool grade - 92.33!
Indeed, God is an expert in dealing with the unlikely and the impossible!
To God be all glory! ♥
Kay Kristo Buong Buhay, Habambuhay!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
The CYA Bonding Clock! :D
guess what.. i made this using only Microsoft Powerpoint.. :) Pretty cool for me..
i hope i could do better though.. especially in inviting more people to CYA.. You know, i have never experienced anything like this, i've found so much meaning... and in knowing God, i found me (partially)..
if there's one thing i'd really wish for - it is for all people to see what i saw.. for all of them to realize how beautiful life can be with God in your life.
Join us, i pray.
P.S. We've already moved from F705 to C303! B)
About Giving :)
7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7
This is about a woman who is about to come home riding a bus. Let us call her Badet. But before going home, she went first to a shop near the bus station to buy Rosquillos for pasalubong. She bought two packs, one for herself to eat and the other for her siblings. While waiting for her trip, she sat on the waiting benches. She placed her bag on her left onto an empty seat. One Rosquillos was on her right. She noticed an old man, sitting next to her Rosquillos. She checked her bus tickets when suddenly the old man opened the Rosquillos. She unbelievingly watched the man as he got one piece of the biscuit and ate it. So she also got one piece to get even with the man and he saw the man smiling a mysterious smile, not showing his teeth, actually. The man got one again and she also did the same, and Badet could only tell herself, “What a thick-faced old man, huh”. Until finally, only one piece was left and the man smiled, got the last piece, broke it and gave the half to Badet. Badet, still not believing what just happened, went on her way, quite mad. She went into a bus, placed her bag into the placement above her seat. She got her phone inside her bag and guess what she saw – 2 packs of Rosquillos, unopened and definitely uneaten.
So what was the morale of the story? Many of us are like Badet. Generous but only to a certain point. We hold back in giving just to save some things for our self. The old man is like our God. Sometimes, we hear Him inviting us to help others, to be good to our friends, to be a neighbor to strangers. The Gospel says “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you”. We sometimes think that a lot of things are taken from us and that we still are asked for more – our money, time, service, love. We often forget that in giving, it is us who actually receives. To think, that what the old man asks is just her sweet “Thank you”.
Above all our seemingly heroic giving and generosity, we must remember the ultimate gift of God. That is, the gift of love. For God so loved the world, He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, His most precious One. This generosity can also be seen in Jesus' total surrender to His Father's will - to give His life as a ransom for many. He did not spend His time dreaming of His ambitions in life. He did not dream to be a scholar and be the wisest man on the planet. He did not dream any of the stuff we usually dream of today. Imagine yourself not dreaming to be a successful engineer. He let go of His human desires. In a way, He actually let go of His life. That, for me, is the greatest act of generosity - to give your life to somebody who isn't even worth it.
The Gospel reminds us that because our Father is generous, we should ask Him. We don’t own anything and we definitely do not know everything. We are so focused on the practical details of life, we are thinking, "oh, i'll just give money to this beggar, he could probably get through the day". But more than money, all we need is love. And when we think we don't have enough, let us remember that we have a generous Father who gives us good things when we ask Him of it. We think we ought to be generous, but most of the time, we have to be humble first and ask the Father for help and guidance. Because before we could truly give, we must first receive Him in our lives.
So, let us ask, and it will be given to us; seek, and we will find; knock, and it will be opened to us.
Monday, July 8, 2013
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