it never ceases to amaze me. never.
every year, when i attend junior-senior proms, i always find myself surprised to see my students so elegantly.. transfigured! and always, there would be a handful of them that i’d fail to recognize, simply because their transformation is so completely wonderful, it’s hard to match them up to their usual “uniformed” look :)
last saturday (feb 23 - the date of this year’s prom) was no exception. the boys looked dashing in their suits. and the girls.. well, they were all so.. stunning :p they were elegantly dressed; they walked with poise (in high, high heels!!); and not a single strand of hair was out of place. obviously, they spent *a lot* of time preparing for this special occasion.
philippians 3:20-21 says, “but our citizenship is in heaven. and we eagerly await a savior from there, the lord jesus christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” as i sat there observing the juniors and seniors at their best garbs (and mostly, on their best behavior, hehe), i realized that all of us, too, will undergo a similar transformation - albeit in a much grander scale :)
“..he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of christ jesus.” philippians 1:6 we will not always be the way we are - with our frail bodies and our numerous imperfections. someday, the lord who called us in his love will make us truly glorious. he will transform, not just our bodies, but our character.. so that we will be just as he is: perfect.
brothers and sisters, we are all beautiful in his eyes. because he sees not only what we are right now.. but *what we will be* when we are finally with him :) nevertheless, let’s all do our share and prepare for that special moment, ok? :) because he deserves the best that we can offer.. the best of ourselves :)
so this lenten season, let’s take the time to prepare our bodies and our hearts.. for the love of our lives - our god :)
as for me.. i want to be beautiful - outside and, of course, inside :) because nothing would make me happier than to have him look at me and say, “you are *exactly* the way i want you to be - beautiful and perfect - just like me” :)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
irreplaceable
last sunday, mom and i were looking at some clothes at a shop in megamall. mom, wallet in hand, browsed through the different racks while i debated whether i should buy a blouse that caught my eye. next thing i knew, mom was coming over to me in a panic. her wallet was missing.
we were fussing over her missing purse at the store. mom was anxious to find it since, aside from the cash, it also contained her IDs, cards, prayers and some sentimental stuff. after several agonizing minutes, we still couldn’t find it anywhere in the store. we decided to just go home. mom felt really, really down.
then at around 8pm, someone called our house. the caller identified herself as an sm employee. she informed us that my mom’s wallet has been found - without the cash inside, but with all the IDs intact. we all breathed a sigh of relief and whispered a prayer of thanks.
so what did we learn from all this?
* money is, by far, not the most important thing in the world. the money we lose can always be replaced. but the good times, happy memories, and little tokens of love that we keep.. those are truly are more precious than money.
* sometimes, god allows us to go through some not-so-good experiences - whether to teach us a lesson or to manifest his glory. we all learned to be more careful with our things that sunday. and we also recognized his hand working to give back what we thought lost forever.
what would you consider irreplaceable in your life? what counts as your most treasured possession? is it wealth? health? career? reputation? a loved one, perhaps? what if, one day, you were to lose this “irreplaceable” thing? would you still be able to see god’s goodness?
may we always find it in our hearts to trust in the lord and to thank him - regardless of circumstances.
we were fussing over her missing purse at the store. mom was anxious to find it since, aside from the cash, it also contained her IDs, cards, prayers and some sentimental stuff. after several agonizing minutes, we still couldn’t find it anywhere in the store. we decided to just go home. mom felt really, really down.
then at around 8pm, someone called our house. the caller identified herself as an sm employee. she informed us that my mom’s wallet has been found - without the cash inside, but with all the IDs intact. we all breathed a sigh of relief and whispered a prayer of thanks.
so what did we learn from all this?
* money is, by far, not the most important thing in the world. the money we lose can always be replaced. but the good times, happy memories, and little tokens of love that we keep.. those are truly are more precious than money.
* sometimes, god allows us to go through some not-so-good experiences - whether to teach us a lesson or to manifest his glory. we all learned to be more careful with our things that sunday. and we also recognized his hand working to give back what we thought lost forever.
what would you consider irreplaceable in your life? what counts as your most treasured possession? is it wealth? health? career? reputation? a loved one, perhaps? what if, one day, you were to lose this “irreplaceable” thing? would you still be able to see god’s goodness?
may we always find it in our hearts to trust in the lord and to thank him - regardless of circumstances.
Monday, February 11, 2008
someone to love
“heaven please send to all mankind, understanding and peace of mind. but, if it's not asking too much, please send me someone to love” - sade
it’s *that* time of the year again - when everything seems to be painted in shades of red and pink. when flowers (roses, in particular) are bought even at exorbitant prices. when hundreds of couples h-h-w-w, whispering sweet nothings to each other. yep. it’s *that* crazy day in february - the day of hearts - valentine’s day.
don’t get me wrong. i don’t *hate* this holiday. and though i sometimes get a bit uncomfortable seeing so many couples displaying love & affection, i don’t get all worked up about it. what bugs me about feb14 is the fact that it’s mainly celebrated as a “couples’ day”; and, as a single (read: unattached) person, i can’t help but feel left out.
to be loved - i guess this is something that every one of us wants. after all, it is wonderful to be showered with attention.. to receive tokens of affection.. especially during this day of hearts.
but more than that, i believe we also want to be given the chance to *express* our love. sure, it feels nice to receive flowers.. or chocolates.. or those mushy love notes. but it feels even better (for me, at least) when you have that special someone whom you think about 24/7. that someone you shop presents for. someone you write cheesy lines to. someone you can send sappy text messages to.. or call before you sleep, just to say goodnight.
well, brothers and sisters, i believe that if we feel the need to express our love, the lord has an even greater desire to show us his love and affection :) he certainly thinks of us day and night. he provides us with all our needs and showers us with his blessings. he gives us his holy word - filled with promises of love and mercy. he patiently waits to talk to us before the day ends.. and he is there to eagerly greet us as we awake each morning :)
looking for someone to love? why not spend this day with him “who first loved us” (1 john 4:19)? you can be sure that with him, you will never feel left out :) happy valentine’s day, everyone! :)
it’s *that* time of the year again - when everything seems to be painted in shades of red and pink. when flowers (roses, in particular) are bought even at exorbitant prices. when hundreds of couples h-h-w-w, whispering sweet nothings to each other. yep. it’s *that* crazy day in february - the day of hearts - valentine’s day.
don’t get me wrong. i don’t *hate* this holiday. and though i sometimes get a bit uncomfortable seeing so many couples displaying love & affection, i don’t get all worked up about it. what bugs me about feb14 is the fact that it’s mainly celebrated as a “couples’ day”; and, as a single (read: unattached) person, i can’t help but feel left out.
to be loved - i guess this is something that every one of us wants. after all, it is wonderful to be showered with attention.. to receive tokens of affection.. especially during this day of hearts.
but more than that, i believe we also want to be given the chance to *express* our love. sure, it feels nice to receive flowers.. or chocolates.. or those mushy love notes. but it feels even better (for me, at least) when you have that special someone whom you think about 24/7. that someone you shop presents for. someone you write cheesy lines to. someone you can send sappy text messages to.. or call before you sleep, just to say goodnight.
well, brothers and sisters, i believe that if we feel the need to express our love, the lord has an even greater desire to show us his love and affection :) he certainly thinks of us day and night. he provides us with all our needs and showers us with his blessings. he gives us his holy word - filled with promises of love and mercy. he patiently waits to talk to us before the day ends.. and he is there to eagerly greet us as we awake each morning :)
looking for someone to love? why not spend this day with him “who first loved us” (1 john 4:19)? you can be sure that with him, you will never feel left out :) happy valentine’s day, everyone! :)
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