Neither are your ways my ways

Things do not always turn out as we would have wanted them to. Often times, way too many times in fact, we ask, "why?" (and cover our ears for the answers). Would take time for us to "recover" (as if we had gone through a state worse than normal). Admittedly, for me, I face the difficulty of trusting. But ALWAYS, there comes a time when we begin to understand His purposes...far different from ours and far better. In fact, the best. - When nothing else pounds on your heart to speak but the words, "Thank You." He loved me first. He always has and always will! Now He asks me to lay all the mad, bad and anxious moments I have before Him. Yes, He will take them, and they'll be a goner! Thank You for loving me. ♥

What we're looking for

Women. Created in God's image to desire beauty, adventure, and to be romanced. Sadly, many are led to think these can be found, experienced in its original sense, in the world. That is, through conformation to some media-driven image, contest to climb up the career ladder, and quest for a relationship that would fill the void inside their hearts.

Come to think of it, what we long for in this world usually isn't the one that brings peace and joy, happiness without trouble. It always has the ability to tug on the something-ain't-right doorbell in our hearts and minds.

Only in Him, in our relationship with God, can we find what we were created for. Only in Him is there no failure in finding when we start seeking (Him).

Confessions

I must confess...

Unless I confess, and admit that my life is not right, I would go on living a life without transformation...

"That I can be a hypocrite..." I wish I could be like Jesus, utterly perfect and totally faithful to his word, but I am not. I believe in many things and do share them to people but it is not always that I live by them. It takes a single decision that is outside the will of God to prove oneself a hypocrite. "Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?." (Luke 6:46)

Most of the time we know what God is saying. Quite as often as we do, we play deaf, and even ask, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Simple actually, what He says is "Glorify my name". A life lived by faith. A life in complete surrender.

An enthusiast on her first job

Its been a while since I last blogged. Probably coz I enjoyed my private journals and that mostly I felt only I could relate to them. That is, I felt. There are many reasons for blogging that I don't want to associate myself with, usually because its true. But now I just want to go back and share what's up with my life.

It is a new season. I just graduated and I started working last June 1. A newbie, i fit the enthusiast stereo-type at the moment. I look forward to each endeavor I am tasked with. I encourage myself to give nothing but my best as much as I can, and I aspire for going beyond what's expected. The environment is peaceful yet challenging. I feel like I enjoy each moment.

But of course, I don't. There would be times when I would get discouraged. Times when I question whether I have what it takes. Those times I am afterwards surprisingly encouraged because I know that that is far from what God is telling me. In fact, I believe them to be lies from the enemy. I love (as much I would not want to write it-for lack of a better term) my job. Being in Corporate Planning is in itself a blessing and an opportunity. I thank God for this gift he has prepared in advance for me. He has worked out everything even before I knew it. Much too long a story to write. It wasn't exactly my dream but He knew better. He knows better. In fact, He knows best!

Immersion: Remembrance to Inspiration

Overwhelmed with the immersion experience, i was compelled to write in the midst of our processing session... I am grateful for every experience, every encounter which He prepared in advance for me. There are no accidents.

Its funny how young people like to remember things. Pictures, autographs, letters, remembrances (I was once a fan of such)...makes me think about how I myself would want to remember. I came to a few moments in my life when I thought that such which remind me of the past were but add-ons to my already crammed drawers. Although I do have those times when I am just happy remembering times from the past, I am not the type who would intentionally want to remember. Life goes on right? But it struck me that it is good to remember and be inspired, that it is good to not forget, and make every intention to do so. To what it is that I ought to remember, God's wisdom guides me. It is good to remember.

Let it be

So far, i have been successful in keeping the habit. Yey. Here's a short post from my journal. I wrote it early this morning :-) Here goes:

Let not my reason be anything other than God. Let it not be wealth, nor reputation, nor vindication, nor power, nor vengeance. Let it not be a product of my circumstances, but a product what I have experienced in God. Let it not be to impress anybody but God. Let it be God. If it is not, then I rebuke myself out of love. God is the only reason, and He is enough. He is worth living for. To honor Him in every way would be the best for my life. I will remember :)

Choice/Will/Right

I wasn't able to keep my promise to myself to update my blog at least once a month... Anyway, I am to start over and continue to blog as often as I could. A New Year's Post...I actually wrote this the past month I think...

Choice. Every person has some extent of freedom. While it can be very limited for others because of socio-economic, political and cultural factors, we are able acknowledge a huge part in which we are able to make our own choices and decisions.

For a person like me who claims to be a Christian (surrendered my life to Jesus, made Him Lord and Savior of my life), it ought to be limited to His will. That is, if I really did submit my life to Him, then it is no longer I who lives but Christ in me (Galatians 2:20). Is it like "I do not make my own decisions, Jesus does"?

Yes, in that what Jesus would do - what is according to the will of My Father -

IS my decision i.e. what I would do, exceedingly so that there is no other possible

outcome but to have done it.

No, in that I do have what is commonly referred to as human free will. I do have the

capability to make my own decisions.

It is just that ever since I submitted my life to Him, I no longer want to acknowledge my will, but always look to His will (which is not necessarily contrary to my will or passions). Insisting on my will simply gives more room, which is mistaken as freedom, for sin to enter in my life. I do have the capability to make my own decisions, but now my decisions are not my own because I have surrendered them when I gave my life to Him. Another way to put it: At Calvary, I lost my right to devise my own plans and pursue my own agendas.

Choose Christ

Sometimes, circumstances seem to get us, and we feel we have no control. During these times, it is easier to succumb to do what we feel rather than otherwise. It feels better to choose oneself over what ought to be, but that relief is temporary. Choosing the better good [His will] will always bring true peace. It is when we say, we would not have it any other way.

Everyday we are faced with decisions, and we [have been given the freedom] to choose, to decide, the direction of our lives. Circumstances and culture do affect us in a great way, but they do not have to be the sole influence of our lives. It is time to [allow Christ to be the sole driver and influence of our lives.]

not the practical but the supernatural

God didn't call us to do what is practical, but what is supernatural.

Each day is a challenge for us to live to the fullest. We try do our best in every area because we serve an Almighty God... and that includes making not only the right decisions but the best ones.

We strive to please Him... always seeking to do what He wants. But sometimes we are unsure. Unsure of which path to take, which career to pursue, what cause to give our lives to, and what not. What is the most important thing? What matters most? We ask but we do not really mind.

What we give ourselves into are the worries of today. We do what is PRACTICAL - that is, what perfectly fits our schedule, what fits our budget, what fits our intellect, our skills, what fits our age. We do what the world tells us is just right, what's FIT. But God didn't call us to do the practical. He called us to do the supernatural... to go beyond what fits our schedules, to give beyond what fits our budget, to do beyond what's fit for our talents, to grow beyond what fits our age. He called us to be in FAITH, to be so certain that He would be the one to move.

We do not live on our own. God has a plan for our lives and he had it even before we were conceived. Practicality and conformity to what is natural and fit is not the way to live out God's plan. The way to live it out is to seek Him and know him well to know what He wants for our lives, always believing and in faith. He reigns.

When you forgive...

(from Lewis Smedes)

When you forgive someone, you slice away the wrong from the person who did it. You disengage that person from his hurtful act. You recreate him. At one moment you identify him ineradicably as the person who did you wrong. The next moment you change that identity. He is remade in your memory.

You think of him now not as a person who hurt you, but a person who needs you. You feel him now not as the person who alienated you, but the person who belongs to you. Once you branded him as a person powerful in act, but now you see him as a person weak in his needs. You recreated your past by recreating the person whose wrong made your past painful.