Run Towards Intimacy with Him

                It has been 3 months and a couple of days now since I was declared a college graduate. It also has been more than 3 months now that I’m the official non-working, non-studying individual in our home. It only means that I have a lot of free time nowadays, even more abundant than the busy times that I had when I was a student (sounds like it has been a long time huh? XD). So in these ocean of free times, I made up my daily routine. Of course, first in my morning schedule is my devotion.

               

My mornings with the Lord are spent not inside a room but with nature. We have an unfinished roof top in the house wherein you could seemingly touch the floppy clouds, gaze at the blue or dark sky, and listen to the birds sing. There’s one covered hall we have there with a long, old, brown table inside it. I sit on top of it and there is where I sing out, cry out and write out my heart to God. That is my secret place where I could think of Him so deeply, stay so still and hear His voice so loudly and gaze at His beauty as reflected by His creation.

                Lately, there was something that was stopping me from going there--- a crow. The moment that I went up, a crow screeched so loud and attempted to dive down towards me. In my fear of being bitten by it, I hurriedly run downstairs and never went up again. I thought that it was God telling me to retreat and simply have my devotion on my bed.

                But the next day, the same crow was screeching and scaring me. The same scenario happened and there I was downstairs, near our front door, panting and thinking. God suddenly impressed on me that not even this should stop me from having my quality time with Him. So I made up my mind to run, run as fast as I could to get to my secret place and meet Him. So that was the very thing that I did. I ran through our roof top so fast to reach the spot for my devotion. I heard the crow screeching again but it didn’t get the chance to reach me.

               

When I reached my spot, I sat comfortably at the table and sighed. “How similar this is to our journey of pursuing intimacy with our God,” I thought. Many things (a zillion to number them in this generation) will hinder us from spending time with God. It could be the undefeated, most influential distractor such as the social media or it could be work, school or any particular sin or struggle. And whatever they are, in whatever form they may be, they have this one aim- to keep you away from spending time with God. And truth is, they more often succeed than not.

                The Lord showed me a simple principle from what I experienced this morning:

                Run… FROM the things that keep you away from God and run... TO Him to keep you away from these things.

                Remember: Running takes an extra effort. It’s having to sacrifice your usual comfortable walking for one that is more tiring and active. Running from these things that keep us away from God would mean a decision to change our actions and to sacrifice some things. Maybe it could mean having a social media fast, keeping your phone away from you, turning the tv off, waking up earlier or sleeping later than usual. The thing is, as John and Stasi Eldredge wrote in their book Captivating, “To pursue intimacy with Christ, you will have to fight for it.” As you run from these distractors, and run to Him daily to keep you away from these things, God’s grace and power will make it easier for you to abandon them.

                    What are the crows in your life stopping you from reaching your secret place?

                Whatever they are, remember to run FROM them, and run to God, towards intimacy with Him.

Not Because SHE asked

It’s not her birthday. But maybe it’s because her new profile picture is the first one I saw in my news feed. (:D) It’s not because SHE asked me to do this (SHE no longer wants me to) yet I chose to do this.

SHE said that SHE didn’t want promises made to be broken. And people said a gift that has been asked spoils the act of giving. However, I say, the promise (of making a blog about her) is not broken (just delayed for a while by the one who made it :D) and in a few minutes (or hours) it would be fulfilled. And I say, a gift that is chosen to be given when no longer asked is a splendid, heart-felt gift.

The SHE and her I’m talking about, I can define with the best 10 snippets that I have known about HER after almost 2 years of being her favorite sister. :DD (I don’t know the risk I’m taking as I tell the world this truth, but the truth, I believe, will set our other sisters free!)

10. FOR HER TO BE FEATURED IN A “WORST OUTFIT” ARTICLE IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY.

            SHE is the fashion guru in class, the best costume department head that any play production could ever have and the head-turner “fashionista” wherever she goes. I’m still waiting for her fashion blog and I think I’ll be one of her numerous readers in the future. J           

9. SHE COULD LOOK INTIMADATING BUT I’LL TELL YOU THE CONTRARY

            Truth be told, I was intimidated the first time I met her. Maybe it was my “fragile personality” that made me feel that way, or it’s really everyone’s first impression about her. But ladies and gentlemen readers, I tell you, SHE is far from intimidating. SHE doesn’t brag when SHE has millions of reasons to. SHE doesn’t make one feel inferior when SHE is really larger, grander than the usual down-to-earth, easy-to-be-with friend that we know SHE is.

8.  TALK ABOUT OUR SIMILARITIES:

            I am ecstatic that I suddenly realized we have a lot of things in common!

LEARNING STYLE: SHE is a visual learner and sometimes field-dependent (but not even half of my field dependency I think)

REFLECTIVE: We are battling for the MOST REFLECTIVE AWARD in class. One way SHE proves herself worthy of the award is when she finishes last in an exam, or when SHE internalizes her report.

RARELY RECITES IN CLASS: Of the 40 hands inside the classroom, ours are the two pairs that are rarely raised.

RESERVED TYPE: I can tell that SHE is the reserved-type whenever we’re outside or with people we don’t know. SHE would be quiet and be annoyed with our classmates if they’re making loud noise.  And I think SHE also reserves her most serious and intimate talks to people closest to her heart.

BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE: We are sisters, we look like each other because we’re both God’s beautiful masterpiece.

           

7. TALK ABOUT OUR DIFFERENCES:

MY EVERYDAY DIALOGUE IS “Ate bigyan/hawaan mo naman ako ng kasipagan mo!” Sometimes I think I am industrious and responsible but whenever I hear what SHE has accomplished, it makes me think again.

K-POP ENTHUSIAST: SHE loves Korean artists, movies, tv shows, songs, food and all other Korean stuff probably. I will not forget that instance SHE told me that it occurred once that SHE only had Korean songs in her phone.

KIND OF TECHY SAVVY: This is related to her being a K-POP fan. I can say that SHE is kind of techy savvy since SHE is the ultimate torrent download supplier of her co-K-POP enthusiast and believe it or not, my wife (it’s a long story), Debie, whose demand SHE could not outrun.

            CHOLERIC AND OUTSPOKEN: When it’s natural for me to follow, SHE’s a born leader. When it’s hard for me to express things, SHE has the strength and prowess to directly and clearly speak her mind.

6. CAPITAL S-H-E

            SHE is probably one of those who are unconsciously building the feminism beliefs in me. I used capital S-H-E to emphasize her strength and independence as a woman, a daughter, an Ate and a friend. SHE seldom cries, but then, I think those are the times that I would rather want to be seldom.

5. I LOVE IT WHEN SHE TALKS ABOUT HER FAMILY

            I really love hearing stories about her Mama and Papa and about her sisters who seem to be her BFFs. The beautiful family SHE has makes me think that fairy tale families are still possible even up to now.

4. AWAY FROM THE CAPITAL S-H-E

            Paulo Coehlo wrote in “The Alchemist”: “I’m a woman of the desert… But above all, I’m a woman.” And SHE too has a kryptonite. I think these are the people closest to her heart like friends, family or XY chromosomal creatures like… the code name in one of her status updates?! :DD

3. HER LOVE FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY, MG, and FRIENDSSSSSS

            I admire her so much for her generosity, care, thoughtfulness and LOOOVE for the people SHE treasures. SHE treats them like those with her own blood and it made me think that blood isn’t always thicker than water.

2. HER LOVE FOR GOD

            One of my cherished moments with her are those times when SHE talks to me about her conversations with and prayers to God. Usually SHE would have these lines: “sabi ko kay Lord..” or “sabi ko Looooooorrrrrdd” And I’m happy to hear and not only see about her love for Him. Happier even, for her new Bible, which was given to her by her sister last December as a birthday gift.

1. MY ATE LISA

            SHE doesn’t want me to call her Ate LISABEL or worse LISABEL alone. She is ATE LISA, my Ate Lisa. She’s my favorite Ate and I’m her favorite sister (though we told this to every other sister we have! Haha!) This MY ATE LISA from the perspective of her younger sister Abbie.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her :)

P.S.

I hope I killed you with the sweet words I wrote here. But wait, there’s more: I LOVE YOU ATE! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! *KISS* *HUG* :DDD

Proud to be the Fashion Queen's Sister :)

I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D? :)

“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?”

             Have you ever asked yourself this question? The wisest man that had ever lived on earth made mention the necessity of this question on the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 4 verse 8. For if not he said, toil or hard work is mere striving after the wind. And in our journey of studying, (or living even so) we’ll at one point or another get tired, or one day feel like never going to school again. For me, one effective way to drain these unhelpful thoughts is to redirect my focus on my inspirations. Have you found yours? Below are the ones that keep me I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D:

            The seat

            I once talked about taking the last seat on my entry about my first day last semester. Now, I’ll talk about a different kind of seat. In my greatest attempt to describe in words, this seat is a portable folding chair that is shaped like a box. Its top has a pink backdrop with blue, yellow, black, white and striped polka dots on it. It can both be a container and a chair. On top of it, I place a yellow cushion. This seat, a green table and my blue-colored lamp make up my newfound study place for this second semester. My father bought it for me. So whenever I sit on it, I’ll remember to study hard for my family. :)

           

            Alam mo, excited akong pumasok…

          Paano ba naman, ikaw teacher ko eh =))

          Talk about excitement to go to school and pick-up lines. These are the two things about my two great professors in Professional Education this 2^nd semester. I’d like to note these first two teachers of mine every M, T, Th, and F.

            First, our professor in Curriculum Development is not the type of teacher who’ll give you more than a hundred reasons to sleep or get bored in class. She is a conserver of time for not a minute is wasted during her discussions. She greets us “Good morning English Teachers!” with oozing energy and enthusiasm making it sink into me more what in the world I am studying for… yes, to be an English teacher! She has that very evident, flaming passion in teaching that I’m left in awe and inspired.

            The next is our very beautiful, intelligent ad young professor in Introduction to Special Education, Ms. Custodio. Aside from the fact that she looks our age, she also teaches well. Before our class begins, she would pick three to four class cards and those students that will be called will have to roll the die. The number that one will get will signify her designated task:

            1 - Tell the news for that day, be it foreign or local

            2 - Give one trivia         

            3 – Crack a joke

            4 –Give one knock-knock

            5 – Tell one pick-up line

            6 – Choose one from the five tasks

 

            What thrilled me is that I’ll be obliged to read the news everyday and even the preparation to crack a joke and a pick-up line. And the most nerve-racking for me is to give one knock-knock. Mind you, I already did! =D

            Kudos to these professors, they inspire me this much :).

 

            11-11-10 vs. 11-11-11

          If today was the November 10^th of last year, I’d be working on a project or assignment waiting for his text message. I’d be studying for a quiz or exam coupled with my dreams of finally spending time with him. He was in every thought of every little thing that I do, a thought I keep with me wherever I go. Back then, I wouldn’t be excited about going home as much that I was to see him. My motivation to continue to go to school and study was the notion of fulfilling my future plans… with him. This man had then seemed to be the world to me.

            This him was not Him that deserved a capital H. The Lord is the Him that unspeakably changed my world and thinking. He is the miraculous Lord who enabled me to let go of the very close attachment I had with that man. I have found the courage to write all these because of my amazement right now. How fast and unfathomable things changed!

            I’ll always be excited to go home every weekend in Cavite. I am even homesick more often than not. I made goals of studying for God, my family, future students and for a better self. I hardly use my cellphone or even wait for a text message. My thoughts will be drifting to God, to His word, then to Him again and the things that He seems to be telling me. I am looking forward every Sunday to go to church, teach the children, and worship Him. I am continuing to fall deeper in love with my family. I am seeing and realizing the deeper value of my friendships and relationships with people. My personal relationship with the Lord is my source of strength, the very reason I still continue to go to school and face each day. HE is now the world to me.

            Still searching for inspiration? You don’t have to go far and get them elsewhere… in your house, in your classrooms (hmmm baka ibang inspiration ang hanapin ah..Hahaha) and as you look up, you can find THEM.

            Then these inspirations will motivate you to go on in studying and in living. (Still by His grace and strength)

            Stay I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D! =)