What The Sky Taught Me Yesterday

Yesterday, I decided to just stay at home and rest. Without knowing exactly why, on this particular day, I firmly made the choice to postpone plans to meet some friends.

Then this…

After hours of rain showers and thunderstorms (weather forecaster wannabe), and thinking that the bad weather would persist until the evening, I was surprised by the sudden change of the weather outside. Looking through our window, I saw how the unique hues of the sky created a lovely backdrop for everything that my eyes could capture that time. I really had to go up to the open air part of our 3rd floor (what my brothers fondly call our “Fitness Third” gym) to have a better view of the sky.

I saw one of the most marvelous sights that I thought could only be seen through Google images when I type in “beautiful sky.” It was truly a beautiful sight to behold, and what’s amazing about it is that this came right after a really gloomy, violent weather.

People would normally hope to see a rainbow after the rain, but in this case, God surprised me with with an even more wonderful treat. I could not see any rainbow from where I was. Instead, I saw above me a beautiful, beautiful blue-pink sky, made even more lovely by the puffy clouds that blended so well with it.

I think this is a lot like how God answers our prayers. You may be expecting a rainbow but what is in His heart is to give you something so much better. Like a sky full of all that brings so much delight and inspiration to you.

He knows what is best for you. Get to know Him more. Trust that what is in His heart for you is truly what is best for you. It’s going to be worth the wait.

My Mom Deserves More Than A Blog Post

Original article from Good News Pilipinas (May 22, 2011): http://goodnewspilipinas.com/2011/05/22/my-mom-deserves-more-than-a-blog-post/

Earlier this week, I wrote a note on my planner as a reminder for me to compose a blog post for my mom. Obviously that did not happen a few days before because I am here, glued to our computer’s monitor, still in the process of completing one for her. It’s 1:15 am and I’m still not sleepy. Well, this is a good thing. Thanks to the milk tea I drank at 2:00 pm yesterday. It was successful in keeping me awake

A few years ago, I decided to honor my mom through my first blog site. It brought tears to my eyes since she was still working in the US, and it was her 4th year away from us. That blog entry I wrote back in 2008 was founded on missing my mom so much. All we could do was to e-mail her, talk to her on facebook or have chat fests with her through Magic Jack. Even if Skype was around, we only got to see her a few times because her laptop’s camera did not work most of the time. This went on for 6 years. There was even a time when she surprised us with a picture she edited through MS Paintbrush. What she did was to crop her picture, cut it and paste it on another cropped photo. She pieced it together with the picture I had with my 3 siblings. That was one of the most beautiful gifts I’ve ever received. She couldn’t hand it over to us personally for all she could do that time was to save it on her computer, attach it to her e-mail for us and click send, hoping that Yahoo will deliver it on time.

Today is different. God knew when the right time was for her return to Manila, so she could finally be with us. God knows all things. It was March of 2010. We celebrated Mother’s Day with her last year, and this time, we were even a day earlier. This afternoon, my mom and our lola decided to watch Thor with us because they did not want to keep the aircon on the whole day (note: it’s summer). Out of the blue, my mom told me that it would be a better idea for us to celebrate Mother’s day on the 7th, and not the 8th. After watching the movie, I asked them to choose which restaurant they wanted to go to for dinner. They picked one of our family’s all-time favorites. After enjoying a lovely meal, I watched my mom and grandmother happily strolling around their food-tasting haven, together with my siblings. Oh happy day.

Yes, today is different because we’ve been celebrating mother’s day every day since my mom arrived from the US. Today is different from how things were during the 6 long years my mom was not with us. My heart is just full of gratitude for how He has been faithful to His promises. I still have tears in my eyes, but now it’s from sheer joy. Everyday, God reminds me of how blessed I am to have this wonderful family. The thread of love, laughter, kindness, compassion and joy runs through each day of our lives. It’s all because of Him.

Mama, you are a great inspiration to us. Even if Papa is no longer with us, you have raised us bravely as a single mom. You are a woman who effortlessly embraces us, your children, with unconditional love, kindness, encouragement, sacrifices (working in the US is just one of them), generosity and quality time. You’re someone who just never gets tired of taking care of us. Maybe you have felt exhausted many times, but you never showed it to us. You have always taken care of us with a beautiful smile on your face. You’re the best cheerleader, our biggest fan. Your love has touched our hearts in many ways and has moved us to dream big and go after the great plan that God has for us. Both you and Lola are the best moms ever. We love you so much!

God should be our first priority. We have our work and friends to color our calendars but let us not forget to spend quality time with our families. They do not deserve scraps of our time. Honor them and celebrate how God has gloriously blessed you through how much they love you.
It’s now 3:25 am, time for me to sleep. Happy mother’s day to all the moms out there. A big love-filled thank you from us!

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” – Deuteronomy 5:16

The Man We Miss Very Much

This is the 2nd time I’m writing about my dad. The first one was back in college…x number of years ago. It was an article that got published in school and sent a number of friends into tears because of the love-hate relationship I had with my dad and how painful it was for me to see him suffer in an ICU over 10 years ago. Love was consistently his part of the 2 polars of our father-daughter relationship and I was the one switching from one side to the other.

While inside the ICU, we saw how he tried so hard to stay alive. The nurses had to tie his ankles and wrists to the bed for fear that he would fall off from wanting to fight for his life. Though he was too weak to speak and open his eyes, everything about that scene screamed that he wanted to stay alive for us, the family he dearly loves.

In my life, I could recall about 5 instances that really served as a real heart-opener, not from reading a book, but by receiving love-filled words of encouragement from people who believed in me and what I was capable of doing if I would only dare to start embarking on the path that leads to my dream’s field. Back to the ICU again, on his 2nd day of being confined, I was “hanging out” inside his room together with my dear mom and siblings, hoping that anytime soon, we would witness a miracle. Though it was not something I expected to happen, it became a love-filled catalyst for me to change how I viewed myself.

He called me.

“Rica, Rica.”

In the 4 days that my father was in the hospital, my name was the clearest word he uttered. It was a response to a question I sweetly directed to him:

“Papa, do you know who I am? Papa do you know me?”

And yes, he was able to answer it in the best way he knew how and this changed my life forever. I knew God was behind this and it was his way for me to start getting on the right track with Him. Though he only mentioned my name, for some reason, I felt like it was a call for me to live a life fueled by purpose in such a way that I’d drop the “grave clothes” of a mediocre past and be awakened to the life Jesus was beckoning me to live. God used my dad in bringing about this wonderful turning point…

I know that my dad is very happy in Heaven with God and his army of angels, but there was something that made me shed some. tears this afternoon.

It was his birthday last night and for some amazing reason, it was on the same day that God answered one of my mom’s biggest prayers. To shorten the long story, only a God-sized miracle can answer that prayer and He did it! God answered her prayer on the birthday of her dear late husband. I believe in my heart of hearts that it was not a coincidence. It was delightfully orchestrated by God. It was like seeing an important piece of my mom’s life puzzle fit right into where she needed it to be. I know with certainty that it was a reminder as well from God that we should commemorate how my dad blessed us with the love he so effortlessly showered us with.

This is getting long but I just want the whole world to know that right here right now, no matter what you have gone through with your parents, you can start honoring them and showing how much you love them. Do not procrastinate something that you know must be done immediately.

My dad was able to display God’s forgiveness and unconditional love through how he responded with love to me even if I would return his sweet fatherly gestures with an “air time” filled with childish anger. He was loving us in the best way he knew how but not through something we could comprehend with our childish nature that time. Most of the time, that deep love was too profound for us to understand and appreciate. People say that the best gift any father can give his children is for him to love their mother, his wife. My mom really loved my dad so much and my dad loved my mom so much as well. It was not perfect but I could say we were really blessed in that way.

He was not a perfect father to us but he spent time with us, took care of us and never failed to show us through words and actions, how much he loved us. If he only knew the Lord a lot earlier in his life, he would have risen to be the best dad, but using the simple life he lived, he was able to change my heart and move me to write about him even if he’s no longer with us. Love was his legacy, ladies and gentlemen. He was not the typical father but he was the earthly father God blessed us with.

Unconditional love. He was a lot like how He loved us and it was only now that It dawned on me.

We love you Papa and your legacy of love and forgiveness will live on forever. Happy birthday:-)

Trust, Obey & Direction

Get UP!:-)

The Best ROI for 2013

In preparation for the new year, I ended 2011 by listing down all my “faith goals” for every major area of my life. Though I do not have the list with me now, I remember some entries to the extent that I know that God has answered a lot of them. He even threw in a bunch of other surprises! This is not to say that the personal time I spent on planning my faith goals was the ultimate reason behind the answered prayers, but over and beyond this, it is because we have a God who is faithful to His promises, and loving, merciful and generous to His children.

God taught me a lot about prayer this year. It’s not just some routine you do when you wake up in the morning and before you go to sleep. Prayer is more than that. It’s a way of life that should be lived out, influencing every aspect of our lives, no matter how gigantic or minuscule each would seem to be.

Mining from personal experience, I would say prayer happens whenever we communicate with God through our thoughts and words, and it is also what we do when we honor Him and bless others with our love-filled and faith-inspired actions. Prayer blossoms whenever we choose to let faith drown out our fears. Prayer gleams when one opts to give generously without letting selfish motives tarnish this. Prayer is when we use our time in ways that lead us to thank God and enjoy the season we are in.

In sum, having prayer as a lifestyle would mean that one always remembers and acknowledges God for how amazing, glorious, generous, loving and faithful He is. This is the best inspiration for one to have a well-lived life bursting with kindness and compassion. Obedience to Him, coupled with the ever-growing understanding about His heart and character would forever be the launch pad for a meaningful and favor-full life that pleases Him.

Get to know Him more beginning today. Pause to pray and give thanks. Read the Bible. Perhaps you can also start by downloading the YOUVERSION Bible app after reading this.

The direction He has for your life will always be heavenward. The secret is out. The time you invest in your relationship with God is the only way to have authentic joy, heartwarming success and peace that transcends all understanding.

Happy New Year! Start this well by thanking God for how He has blessed you through the years

Driving Lessons

Rica+driving, as a topic, has always been controversial for people who are close to me. My brother and sister both learned how to drive when they were in high school because they were really determined about it, whereas I dilly dallied and procrastinated, thinking that I would have time for it – someday. I tried to make that partially baked commitment appear SMART (specific,measurable,attainable,relevant,time-bound) by announcing to my friends that on this particular month of a certain year, I would get myself enrolled in a driving school. I even offered to pick them up SOMEDAY.

Guess what, every year, since 2006, I have been running that same old script, but to date, my loved ones have not yet seen any sign of progress. This may just be driving but I’m learning a lot from this self-analysis.

Don’t let a great idea die as just an idea. Your fantastic plans and good intentions, without execution, will just remain in your imagination forever. To take it to a higher level, take action on the dream that God has planted in your heart. Don’t let the vision just rest in your journal or heart. Do something about it. Invest in your dreams. Use each day as a building block for that special dream.

I decided to revive my need for accountability in the area of driving. Last night, over dinner, I decided to put myself in a situation which would require me to be really accountable for this spot in my life. In return, I told my friend/accountability partner that I will check on her from time to time regarding her dream linked to being a bonafide graphic design artist.

I’m very blessed because I’m surrounded by people whom I consider as mentors and accountability partners. I allow them to speak into my life because I know God uses various ways to get His message delivered to me.

Do you have a dream that you’ve written in your journal but until now, it has not yet been activated in your life? Use God’s word as your compass and ask Him to bless you with great mentors you can trust and who can lead you to the great destiny uHe has for you.

Thankful for this early long weekend. Have to end this now so I can start putting these words into action:-)

Ps. Praying that i will be able to learn how to drive before the end of this year. Prayers please…

Joy: It’s Not Complicated

We often think that the path to joy is very hard to decode, difficult to attain but the truth is, it’s not. Don’t hide the “light” the Lord has shown you through how He had blessed you.

“Don’t be afraid to let the glory of the Lord shine through your life.” – Darlene Zschech

Spend time with Him, bless others and by His strength and grace, pursue the dreams He  placed in your heart. Keep joy shining as you live for Him!!:)

Faith, Fear & Comfort Zones

During my headhunter days, there was a line I often shared with candidates which always gave them something to really ponder on.

“Your comfort zone isn’t the best place for you.”

I’m referring to the type of comfort zone that keeps you in a stagnant state and disables you to unleash the great potential God has imbued in you. This is usually driven by fear. We choose to stay trapped in a treadmill of doing of what we have always known to do but not love to do for reasons that are invalid. We go through the daily grind of our work without having a great purpose to fuel our hearts and minds. We need this, you know, to produce brilliant masterpieces. Without a love-filled sense of mission, you will never be able to produce that, which will put a joyful song in your heart, even if you get to receive praises from the people around you. You would bless people and bring glory to God when you have the right motivation for doing things.

When it comes to comfort zones, there are usually two types of people:

I am not in my comfort zone. I need to leave.

This is the group that would tell you they feel led to take on a new route in life that would push them to make a lot of changes. These are people who incessantly think that where they are planted now is not the place they should be in. I’ve felt this many times in my life. It could be caused by the discomfort, annoyance or sting that your commitment to something brings. It could be that people you looked up to have to turned out to be the individuals hurting you. Honor the honorable commitments in your life. Only be dislodged from those that are pushing you to dishonor God. Choosing to stay even in the midst of challenges can be the pruning that you need for your growth, spiritually and emotionally. It will make you tougher. If you have the right heart in this season and prayerfully go through this rough time, you will come out of it wiser, stronger and more mature. What to do when you’re experiencing this? Ask yourself if it is the voice of faith or fear speaking to you. If fear is driving it, dispel it immediately. If faith is the one fueling the need for change, take it up in prayer with God and consult people whom you know will guide you to take the path God wants for you. Don’t be a quitter. Get out only if you have done what God has called you to do in that phase of your life. You will be missing out on the blessing God has for you in the finish line when you quit in the middle of the race.

I am in my comfort zone. I don’t want to leave this place.

If the first group of people is afraid of how things will turn out if they stay where they are, this cluster is all about staying because of their fear of the unknown. They are fond of just settling for something because it’s already in front of them. They stick to something because it’s familiar and not because of a compelling reason to commit to it. They know very well that they are okay where they are but without knowing that they’re no longer flourishing and growing as a person. A person in this group may just decide to stay because of money, reputation or the comfort this place brings. This is dangerous because they can just choose to be blinded by the amount of comfort that they have already received by just merely staying there. For a time, yes, you would feel comfortable but it’s about dangerously being comfortable with a withering state in your life.

What’s common in both groups? Faith is missing and they’re both in their “frozen by fear” zones. The first group requires people to have the persevering type of faith and the other needs individuals who have the launching out type of faith.

What must you do then? Put your Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. When you rationalize a lot, you may just be trying to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing even if you’re not. Read God’s word, pray it out, get wise counsel from people who can help you paint a clear picture of where you are and the next steps you need to take. It would also be good for you to be guided by the following questions highlighted by Andy Stanley in one of his highly acclaimed books (The Best Question Ever):

“In light of your past experience, what is the wise thing to do?”

“In light of my current circumstances, what is the wise thing to do?”

“In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?”

I do not claim to be an expert in this, but I have learned a few gems of wisdom and encouragement through experiencing tough times.

Don’t trust yourself when, clearly, your thoughts are being driven by fears. Being truthful in answering these questions, coupled with prayers, Godly counsel and faith, can bring you to the turning point that will refresh you and put you back on faith’s tracks. There is wisdom in being humble enough to admit that in truth, you do not know all the answers. Only God has this omniscience. If God brought you to your season now, remember that He knew exactly why you should be there. Trust God’s heart.

Definitely Not An Ordinary Weekend

I was not expecting much from a particular “summery” Saturday last month. When I woke up that day, I thought it would just be one of those ordinary days. Little did I know it had the capacity to unfold as one of the most memorable weekends I’ve ever had.

The organizing team of our Division was given about a month to have all the details ironed out for a special outreach party at Jollibee Pioneer for the Kids of Kythe Foundation. I’ve been blessed with a good number of volunteering opportunities in the past years and they were also aimed at helping kids from various communities and NGOs. Each made a touching impact on my life, but the most recent one with the cancer patient kids did not only touch my heart, but it opened my eyes as well to how all of us should face life and the challenges it brings.

Through the help of Kythe’s Child Life Program, we were able to gather 25 outpatient kids from V. Luna General Hospital on April 28, 2012 for an afternoon of fun, laughter and surprises. We only had 1pm to 3pm for this event, but it was supercharged with activities that brought so much joy to the kids and adults who were present that day.

I was privileged to sit beside “Ate Aida,” V.Luna’s Program Coordinator, because she was very generous in sharing stories that warmed my heart and sent me into tears after the event. There was one very energetic 3 year old child whom they fondly called Shan. By looking at him, no one would think that 2 weeks prior to the event, he was battling with so much pain due to a serious illness. That day, we all saw how happy he was to play with us, without any trace of the suffering he endured earlier that month.

There was this particular child that I became easily attached to. Meet Jan Jan, a three year old little boy. Ate Aida kept on telling me that he’s the nicest among the children who participated in the event. She said that the only time you’d hear him cry or sob is when he’s in pain and wants to buy/eat something that his parents cannot give him due to lack of funds. If I recall it correctly, he is enduring a serious case of leukemia, and I was so happy that day because though he seemed frail, I saw him wearing a warm and angelic smile the whole time.

This picture really hit me. If these kids can smile and radiate joy even in the midst of poverty and sickness, who are we to complain and whine about petty things and situations that bring us a certain level of discomfort?

Jan Jan’s child-like faith taught me a great lesson. He moved me to praise and thank God for all that He has given me. Even if we’re going through great challenges in life, we should remember that God’s grace will provide us with everything we need to transcend them. Like the other kids, Jan Jan is a testimony of how gratefulness, hope and unconditional joy all have the power to transform us and serve as our platform to touch lives. Jan Jan will always have a special place in my heart. This kid has no idea how much he has touched my life.