Wednesday, April 5, 2006

Rainlover

“The story is told about a hunter who discovered that his new dog could walk on water. Overjoyed, he invited his neighbor to go with him the following day. Sure enough, the dog would walk on water to retrieve every duck they hit. Unable to contain his excitement, the hunter blurted out: ‘Did you notice anything unusual about my dog?’ After some thought, the neighbor replied: ‘Yeah, your dog can’t swim!’”

hahaha. ok, obviously that anecdote was meant to be a joke. still, i could not help but say “ouch” when i read it.

i am not known for my sunny personality. i’ve never been voted “ms. smile” nor called “ms. sunshine” in my entire life. and in spite of my name, nobody ever remarked that i had a “rosy” personality. on the contrary, i am almost always associated with rainy days and grey skies. haha. it’s true that i love it when it rains.. but i think most people view me as melancholy or even “mataray.” the “forever-pessimist” - that’s what a friend of mine used to call me. hmp. right.

“look at the bright side..” that’s what people would always tell me. oh, i do! believe me, i do! but somehow, my gaze always wanders to that black speck that mars the whole picture. and i find it hard to see anything else. it’s been a real struggle for me to counter this habit. after all, it’s no easy task for a pessimist to see silver linings in clouds.

so i brought this issue before the Lord during one of my quiet moments. i just felt that as His child, i should be a bit more joyful and less sulky. and i told Him, “Lord, sana naman pag nakita ako ng ibang tao, makita nila sa ngiti ko ang tuwa at kasiyahan na galing sa Iyo.”

and in answer to my prayer, God worked several mini-miracles in my life these past days. a lot of the things i’ve been worrying about for months (like my journal article, my career, etc.) simply sorted themselves out. for such a long time, i tried my best to work out a solution to my problems; but the moment i exhausted myself and just let the Lord work, everything fell into place! and i realized that all this while, He was telling me “hindi ka dapat nag-aalala. kailangan lang magtiwala ka sa akin.. at maaayos ang lahat. at makakangiti ka na.. dahil alam mong hinding-hindi kita papabayaan.”

hmmm. lesson learned, Lord. hopefully, hehe. i don’t know if i’ll ever earn the title “ms. smile” or “ms. sunshine” - but i guess it won’t hurt to try. after all, it is easier to smile now that i’ve realized just how much there is to be grateful for. oh, not just the blessings He gives me each day.. but also the occasional message He sends.. just to let me know that, yes, He still hears my prayers.. and He still works miracles in my life :-)

“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures” Gen 9:16

after the rain comes the rainbow! it’s nice to know that there’s always something to hope for in the Lord :-)

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