Wednesday, January 29, 2020
HELLO 2020
Ahhh! It's now 2020 and I still go back to blogging. 2019 has been really great for me (thank God!!) that I'm still not prepared to go on to 2020 (even if January is ending already, I feel like January is 2019 extension). While last year, there are so many plans laid out and I kinda know what's in store for me and been looking forward to achieving things, this year is the opposite. It is so uncertain it creeps me out.
But one thing I know is that I have so many plans for this blog! I have a list of topics to write about and most of these are about my experiences last year that I really want to share. I have also changed my blog name from Stringed Pages to Always Be Capturing. I realized that I should just stick with my tagline to be uniform. I'll be making a new logo/header, too, soon. I'm so happy I have time to blog now. I have to cherish this chance before I'll start getting busy again with my job soon. It's also a way for me to get back to my writing skills (if there is such) and improve my grammar. I am also getting rusty in my editing skills on Photoshop and Lightroom. I am also planning to take some lessons on HTML/CSS/Javascript coding so that I'll know how to edit my blogger template to my liking.
2019 was a year of growth because of my circumstances, of the challenges thrown at me. This year 2020, I am going to be intentional in my personal, mental, social and spiritual growth. I'll practice making decisions for myself, making projects for my self-growth, entering and taking risks and embracing the future and for whatever lies ahead.
More posts coming soon!
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
YOUR LITTLE HELP COULD GO A LONG WAY
August 5, 2019. It’s Monday. It’s The Feast day. As we waited for a jeepney to take us to SM City, a little boy came to us and begged some money or food. Here in Cebu, there are a lot of people who are like this boy– hungry, impoverished, homeless. Lots had settled in their state of life in the streets. As we were accustomed already to seeing these people, our default response also was to reject them and shoo them away.
Little did we know, the Gospel from the mass that time was from Matthew 14:13 and it shares the story of Jesus Christ and how He fed 5000 people– a popular miracle done by Jesus. When Jesus instructed His disciples to feed the people before sending them away, Andrew responded, “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.” But Jesus answered, “Bring them here to me.” And then He performed the miracle. Not only did He provided everybody enough to be full, but lavished them so much that there are still basket fulls of left over.
Not only the scripture is reminding us the power of Lord Jesus Christ and His miraculous works, but it is also reminding us the compassion of Jesus Christ to His people and it is also telling us how important it is to trust in God because He is powerful, and He fulfills what He says. The Scripture also tells us to be like Christ, to be loving and giving, to have compassion to the people who are in need. The priest said that the usual reason why we hesitate in giving something is because we think we can only give so little, that what we give can’t help and move the status of those people.
But Jesus Christ is urging us to give even we have little to give, because in Him, everything ordinary will become extraordinary, everything that is little will be magnified, because little is much when God is in it. Christ is telling you that your little help, your 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, could go a long way as He did in feeding 5000 people, if you just entrust this help to Him. The resources may be little but our God is a powerful God and He promises bountiful blessings.
“Christians must never believe their resources are too little to serve God.”
This experience was really transforming and humbling. I am really rebuked by my behavior towards the needy. I need to remind myself that nothing is costly in giving when it is done out of love and compassion for others, a Christ-driven action.
Let us become more like Christ! May God be glorified.
Monday, March 25, 2019
MY GOD IS UNSTOPPABLE
For the past days, I had a constant struggle of being positive and to still trust God even in hard times. My heart was filled with doubts and worries about our thesis and not graduating on time. This was because even our thesis adviser do not encourage or comfort us regarding our status in thesis. He was so negative about us and he wasn’t even helping us finishing it, and even threatened us that we will not graduate this June. Last week was really hard for us, for me that I cried every night. I did even ask the Lord if he was angry with me because I feel like it has been us against the world always.
Our minds were filled with questions like, “Why are we given with an adviser like him?”, “Why are the other groups doing okay with their topics and their adviser?”. Why am I always put in this place? Why does it always need for us to experience the hard way?
Indeed, it was hard to be patient while suffering. It’s hard to still find joy amidst the pain. I was really trying my best to stop my negative thoughts and to have certainty and peace in my heart. While other groups could claim that they will be graduating this June, my heart aches saying that it’s hard to claim it when nothing is even working for us.
But you know, I did not stop looking for hope in Him. I still did my best hoping that things will eventually turn around. I am so thankful for Gorl, for even cheering me up when in fact we are in the same situation.
But I know God is there. Here. It’s just it’s so hard to look at him. Mura ko ug nanluod bitaw? I am like a child that is having tantrums just because I wasn’t given what I wanted. But still God is showing some signs to deliver me His message, that He is still the Father that wants the best for me.
“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” ~Romans 5:5
God is still assuring me that His promises for me cannot fail because He is faithful to me, always. I have to believe that He can do the impossible for me, that no matter how little time is left for us to finish all of this, I just still have to trust Him. I think that’s why we have been losing in this fight before because it’s been “us” against the world. God was left out of the equation. It should be God and us against the world for God will fight with us against all the doubts, disappointments and fears.
I was really blessed during the Sunday service yesterday because the Gospel was entitled “Persevere. God is Unstoppable.” I was really touched and moved because MY GOD, AFTER ALL, IS NOT SILENT AMIDST ALL MY TROUBLES. MY GOD IS LISTENING. HE IS MY COMFORTER. MY REDEEMER. MY SAVIOR. Indeed, He still caresses me with His love and mercy. I am forever grateful. He made me feel valuable and worthy even though I’ve been doubtful and had questioned Him.
Huhu the worship song goes,
“And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know You here on the earth.
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me.”
Now, our thesis is still thriving and I am positive that it will eventually work out. Thank you so much Lord for delivering the people that would help us conquer this challenge. I know there will be an end to these troubles. I just have to believe in You. No more doubts Lord. No more. I claim victory in Your Name. 😭❤️👆🏻
Monday, February 11, 2019
Getting Over Me
I had said in my last blogpost/devotional that I have been looking for a church that will help my spirit grow and I can be a part of with. Last last week, I attended a service from Rivers of Life Fellowship (ROLF) at Mcdo. And this Sunday I was invited by Cha, a friend of mine, to a ministry she usually attends to. It's Christ's Commission Fellowship or CCF. I really longed to experience the service in CCF since I've heard it from many people and I've been invited to it many times, I just can't find the right time. So when Cha invited me, I did not hesitate.
Little did I know, it was a great blessing to go to CCF since the message of the Gospel is so timely for my situation. The sermon started with the verse 2 Timothy 3:1-2.
"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy."
It is said in the scripture that difficult times will come in the last days, especially by the time men will be lovers of, first of all, self. We are all guilty of this, right? Pastor wanted us to imagine a situation where selfie never existed, like when you and your friends had seen a waterfall and the first thing you do is to take a selfie instead of be amazed first of the majestic creation in front of them.
The point is we are so invested in finding what makes us happy and what makes us comfortable that we tend to forget to appreciate the things we are given, that are in front of us. I know this may sound revolting since I might be '"romanticizing" pain or mediocrity, but no, I am not trying to because I am referring to certain situations where this message could actually apply.
I'm referring to situations like we are worrying about things that needed no worrying about and more on our selfish expectations about the church and the people e.g. I might not be able to relate the songs being played at church; People might not like what I wear; what if I would still not learn and grow in this church; the church is quite ineffective, etc.
These situations happen because our focus in our lives is wrong. My focus IS wrong. While we were on our way to CCF, Cha and I talked about our expectations in finding a church, she talked about why she ended up in CCF and what she liked about it and I also talked about my story of wanting to find a Church, etc. We did not know that the solution for our questions and for our longing and soul-searching is not finding the right church, but finding Jesus Christ. The Gospel is trying to tell us that our minds should be more Jesus-focused. We need to stare at Jesus Christ.
I was really slapped with the truth during the sermon since all this time, I was looking for a church that could fill me up, thinking it would be a remedy for my starving soul when in fact I could fill myself up with Jesus Christ and His promises. I could not and would never find the perfect church for me if my focus was not on Jesus's. Below are the words written on the leaflet that was given to everyone at CCF:
If you have been coming and attending church for so long, you should be a teacher by now, and yet, a majority of churchgoers "suck" because we depend on milk being fed to us by our pastors, disciplers, partners,... We blame them for our lack of growth or productivity in the Christian life, "you didn't feed me enough".
It was a dagger through the heart but a good one. I was again humbled. We complain for the things need not changing. What's putting us between this relationship with God is this selfishness we have. For putting our self first and our wants. (But it's not bad to put ourselves first, though, in some situations. I'll explain this some time in another blogpost.) It is time to get over me.
This is now a reminder, self, that we go to church for Christ and ONLY FOR CHRIST. It doesn't matter if I will be hearing the Gospel from ROLF, from CCF, or from the Catholic Church and from other churches. The point is the growth we are longing for relies on our hands, not for asking for input from others but instead offering them to Jesus and having a personal and consistent relationship with Him.
The truth is that we experience the greatest love of all not by loving ourselves, but by getting filled with God's overflowing love so that we can love Him back and love others unselfishly.
Let Jesus Christ our Shepherd fill our dry and broken containers with overflowing life-giving spring of waters. ❤
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