Bulaklak para sa iyo, isang tumpok, bili (ng nanay) ko

Nung naglakad ako pauwi kanina, nakakita ako ng binatang may dalang bulaklak at nagaantay sa harap ng skwelahan. Nakangiti lang siya habang yung ibang estudyante naman nakaabang na nagaantay sa gilid gilid at may nagvi-video pa. Ang sarap ng ngiti ng lalaki. Excited na excited siyang dumating na ung babae.

Naisip ko na kung siguro nasa ganung edad pa ako, ang sweet sweet niya. Nakuha niyang tipirin ung baon nya para may pambili ng bulaklak at ibigay sa GF/nililigawan. Pero ngayong medyo may edad at nag tra-trabaho na ako, naisip ko ang sakripisyo ng mga magulang para may pambaon ang kanilang mga anak.

Oo na, andun na tayo na “bigay naman ng magulang niya yun at siya ang bahala kung paano niya gagastusin yung pera niya.” Kaso ‘di ba mas masarap yung pakiramdam na pinaghihirapan mo yung pera mo at yun yung gagamitin mong pangligaw at pangdate?

Siguro matanda at “old-school” na nga lang siguro ako magisip. Ano ng aba naman ang alam ko sa version ng pagibig ng generation ngayon?

Pero, naniniwala kasi ako na alam ng Diyos ang tamang panahon kung kailan ka magkakagirlfriend/boyfriend. Yung tamang girlfriend at boyfriend na derecho kasalan na. Naniniwala kasi ako dun eh. Dun sa pwede naman na yung first girlfriend/boyfriend mo yung mapapangasawa mo.

So what’s my point? My point is, ang sarap ng mageffort sa isang tao na alam mong 100% na nanggagaling sayo yung resources na ginagamit mo. Mas masarap yung feeling na matured ka na magisip kasi naranasan mo na ang working environment, ang pagbabayad ng bills, ang pagkakaroon ng responsibilidad. Mas masarap yung feeling na kayang-kaya mo nang isipin kung ano ang magiging plano mo sa future mo, sa future ninyong dalawa. Mas masarap yung tipong inantay mong magmahal sa tamang panahon, kasi mayroong pagtiya-tiyaga.

Mas masarap manligaw gamit ang sarili mong budget. 😛

 

Of Losing and Blaming

It is almost natural (if not common) for us to judge, blame, and even berate those who make mistakes. But it takes effort to understand, support, and even encourage those people.

Our team (Gilas) need not our judgment nor our nagging. They already have themselves to do that.

It’s always easier for us to comment since we are not the ones playing. But if you just try to put yourself in their shoes, knowing that the country is watching them play. I’m sure at one point, your knees will buckle too.

I haven’t been an avid watcher of basketball, I can even say that I am one of those who jumped in the bandwagon. But I am not new in the blaming business. Needless to say, let us just support those who need it, and let not our judgmental impulse get ahead of us.

As Christians, let us make sure that whatever happens, may it be about basketball or little things in your home or church, we develop a positive and uplifting character towards other people. Always remember that not all people know Christ, so let our lives introduce Christ to them.

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” – Ephesians 4:29

Of Dreamers or Doers, Teachers and Followers

I recently had a quick chat with my friend and classmate on my way home and we came across a very peculiar topic.

Almost all of us dreamt of achieving something or becoming someone better at some point. That luxurious car we are eyeing, a profession that we wanted to practice, or a role that we wanted to be good at. But what really separates us from our dreams? This is our attitude. Attitude towards to goal you see in front of you.

I have been struggling about having a stagnant growth spiritually just recently. I was looking for the Ideal mentor, since one of my mentors went abroad as a missionary. There are many people around me who want to do it, but I have this standard that I have raised. Partly because I was thinking that my previous mentor was the “all in one package”. That there is a high possibility that others might not be at par with him. Another reason is because my interest is only piqued when I learn something I haven’t heard before. I need an out of the box discipler in short.

But that was where I made a mistake. I put up a fence so high that no one can get inside anymore. And since no one can get through the high fence, weeds grew up and covered the whole lawn. I felt bad that I am not learning that much anymore on church gatherings, I slowly and surely sank into something that only uses critical thinking, and not lean towards the Holy Spirit anymore.

Here’s a problem with dreamers: you dream so many things and end up having burdens on almost all of the things you think about. I am not saying that having dreams and aspirations are bad. But you see, burdens are born out of a need. And for burdens to become realities, we need to work hard for it/on it. My friend taught me that burdens become frustrations if not dealt with. These frustrations become the start of divisions and contempt. So what do we do now? Common sense. We do something about it.

I dreamt of a church wherein there were people who evangelized. A church with many workers that are trained well to take care of kids, so that I can focus intently on the preaching being delivered. I have so many wishes about the media team that I was handling. But I was rebuked hard, because the only thing I was doing was just dreaming. I never did try to connect with the people around me who wanted to train me, or those that wanted training. Instead, I sulked and sulked some more, hoping that one day I would see these people come my way. But God never really goes in terms with us, especially if we are on the wrong side. My friend told me this, “You have been trying to look for an ideal pastor, where you should have been submitting to your pastor. ”

This woke me up from my senses and got me thinking. What have I been doing all this time? Why haven’t I connected my dreams with the dreams of my pastors? Why have I been so proud of myself that I had looked down on others?

I was really humbled down by this message and started to think. Contemplating on the word submission. It is said that if you are not submitting, you are rebelling. If you are not for him, you are against him. I prayed to God intently about my shortcomings. I know I am far from perfect, nobody is. But that’s why we borrow God’s attributes and try to emulate what He wants. Because through him, we can achieve perfection. I am just thankful that I learned so many things, even if I learned it the hard way. And I learned that it’s not about how good or ideal the teacher is. What matters is the willingness of the follower to submit and be discipled.

Dreaming is one thing, but doing is another. Wanting something ideal is good. But it is always better to obey what God wants. One day, I know my dreams will come true, but to start doing it, I should start obeying God too.

Hiatus no more

It has been a long time since I was able to post a blog. This was partly because I don’t want to write anything on a whim, using spur of the moment ideas. Another thing was because of my wife’s delivery of our 2^nd baby. I have also been caught up in some needless matters which sucked up most of my precious time. I know this was my own fault and I’m sorry about it. But I am back here now. And hopefully I would be able to post more, as I find things more intriguing than before.

I was fortunate enough to be able to enroll again on Bible school this trimester. I missed a couple of friends and coworkers in Christ. So this was a great opportunity to build each other up again and learn about what happened in their vacation.

I wish I made better use of my vacation [or most of my time] but oh well. I just have to catch up with all my readings and plans. I just love getting back on track.

Thank you Lord for the never ending second chances.

A Divisoria-like Relationship

Looking for a future partner is like going through Divisoria.

1. Before you actually go there, you already plan on what to buy – A person who looks for a relationship should already know what he/she wants to have in a girl/guy.  If you go to Divisoria without a plan of buying something specifically, the tendency is you’ll just wander around looking on a lot of things, and maybe end up buying more than what you have budgeted for. Same goes for a relationship. You should make sure in your heart that you really know what you want to have.  If you plan to go in one without having a description of what you want, you’ll probably get someone who’ll get the most out of you and your feelings.
2. It’s better to look around, and look deep – You shouldn’t just look at what is available. You will need to search around and investigate. In Divisoria, the things you see outside in the streets maybe convenient for you, but as you go deeper, you’ll get to appreciate better items because (1) you’ve searched high and low for it, (2) you got a good buy, and (3) you’re confident that you got the best deal.
3. Asking for directions from people who are familiar will help a lot – If you know people who are well versed in the streets of Divisoria, you would get to know the places to look at, the people to buy from, and the usual amount it costs. This goes the same for relationships. The best thing to do before you actually commit into a relationship is to ask veteran people who have been in one for many years. Say for example, your parents or married friends with successful relationships. They would really know what to say in all situations because they have experienced it themselves. It will save you a lot of trouble from heartache and from wrong decisions.
4. Not everything is found in Divisoria – Unfortunately, Divisoria doesn’t have it all like SM. It may sell things cheap, but not everything you see there are authentic. There are many imitations there, much like in the world of relationships. There are many guys/girls who pretend to be someone they are not just to get involved with others. Also, there are better items sold at some other places like malls or outlet stores. So if you’re gonna look for a relationship, make sure that you are looking at other places. One good place to look for one is at Church.

The thing you buy in Divisoria reflects what you want you want to give to your recipient. In the end, what you get for a relationship is what you’ve bargained for yourself. There’s a quote from the book  ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ and it goes like this: “We all accept the love we think we deserve.”

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ~ Philippians 4:8

working title

It has been 5 years ever since I wanted to have my own blog site. I had so many thoughts on what to write. But I guess I was too caught up in other things that I was only able to start it now. Maybe I was still immature back then. I was never a writer even since. It was my frustration because there were times that I know what I wanted to say in my mind, but never found the right words to put into writing. I can also say that even now.

I am writing now not because I have found my confidence to do so. But because I want to find it as I go through the process of being one. There is a saying that goes ‘you can never tell if you didn’t try, so right now, I am experimenting.. Hoping to see if I could get the hang of it. Not for the readers’ benefit but for the writer in me that wanted to grow.

So here’s to writing, growing, and seeing life as I look at it.