God Beside Me

"I am not who I am today without the God who has been with me in happiness and in the midst of adversity."

            Whenever I pray to God every night, I seek to never forget to thank God for being here for me and helping me all my life. I take to heart the countless times that I survived challenges because of Him, and the times that  when I thought I couldn't anymore handle the situation, I simply found that I've just been relieved of that situation.

             We all have our own prayers of praise, forgiveness, favors, thanks and well-being for other people. But my strongest prayer will always be that of thanksgiving.

"The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings."               -- Henry Ward Beecher

             I recognize that the Lord has done so much for me, much more than I, a sinner, could ever deserve. It is human nature to err, as God did not make us perfect, but only in His image and likeness. Therefore, it is important to always be humble, to fall down in our knees in front of God, to ask His forgiveness. It is in our humility that God lets us learn from our mistakes and eventually mold us to be the best persons we can be.

              I make sure to remember that God is always beside me, be it in happiness or sadness. He is always watching us and calling out to us, helping us when we need it. He is most present at the heaviest burdens and trials of our lives. Learn to recognize Him in everything that is happening in your life, because God is, and always will be, there for you, just walking beside you. He is very happy when you confide in Him all your problems, as well as things that give you joy. He is always listening to you.

              We know that we become stronger as we go through our individual challenges and trials, and the same thing could be said of our faith. Our faith is always being tested, and God wants us to be strong and hold on to our  faith because it can bring us closer to Him.

               I cannot imagine my life without having God by my side, or living my life without praying and calling out to Him. I know with all my heart that He hears me and has done a lot for me.

              Accept His presence always, pray and keep the faith alive, and you'll see the wonders He brought into your life. Even the littlest things will matter if you have God in your life.

               He is beside us always. Always with you and always with me. Say Hi. :)

God the Father as revealed to Mother Eugenia Ravasio

This is one of my favorite spiritual revelations that I've read.


This is an excerpt of God's Message to the world as revealed to Mother Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio. It is a message to a world so in need of the love and grace of God the Father.

"I know your needs, your desires and everything in your hearts. But how happy and grateful I would be if I saw you coming to Me and confiding in Me your needs... how could I refuse you the smallest or biggest thing if you asked Me? I am a very good Father, not a fearsome one, as you believe."

At Moments of Weakness

Psalm 34:18

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."

        This specific verse in the bible tells us that whenever we feel sad, depressed, frustrated, angry, worried and all other things that render our hearts vulnerable, that is when the Lord is very much close to us.

         More than anything, God wants to show His infinite love for us in so many ways. And perhaps there is no better way to let us feel that than to save us. His greatest act of love for us was to save the sins of humanity through the sacrifice of His Beloved Son. And He continues to love us infinitely even until now. In the midst of our sins, unbelief, doubts and fears, He is always ready to answer our cries for help. He is also always ready to forgive us.

        When life gets you down, and you encounter problems, do not give in to too much despair. Don't ever feel that you are alone. God is with you always, and He will be ready to help you when call on Him. Even if problems and trials don't seem to end, do not stop calling out to Him. Keep on praying. Because whether or not you see it, and whether or not it is answered today or later, your constant prayers are working. He hears you, He knows your desires and your needs. He knows your weaknesses and fears.

Keep this in mind:

How will you ever know God without problems? If this world was as perfect as we wanted it to be, and everything happened the way we wanted it to, then we would never know God. We would not know a Saving God, a Helper God and ultimately a God whose love is the only love that will never leave us. We would not come to know the magnificence of miracles and the joy of answered prayers.

He shows His undying love for us when He assures that He will always be with us, no matter what. If you allow God to enter your life, what a wondrous life that indeed would be. God wishes to comfort us in our sadness, He wants to give us the best of what He can for us, He wants to make us happy under his Grace and Love.

It is in problems that you see God, that you talk to Him, to plead for His intervention in your life. He is more than willing to do so much for you. Give Him your absolute faith and trust. He will answer your prayers in many ways that you cannot conceive. God is an arm that will hold you at your weakest, the same arm that will help you get back on your feet.

Implore Him in your sadness, just as much as you Glorify Him in your happiness.

Quote for the Day

We usually want things to be done our way. But trusting in God means to accept that things may not happen the way we want them to. God knows what is best for us, and He wants the best for all of us.

Through Another's Prayers

            This night, I realized that where we are today are most often not only because of what we were able to do.
             It is also because of other's prayers.

            When my dad passed by my room to go to the balcony upstairs, I stalled him him a bit. I asked him to pray for me to be a Dean's Lister this semester. My grades for the second semester was looking really good(though i did not expect to get those kind of grades) and I was thinking that I could possibly become a Dean's Lister this semester.

             So, I told my dad to hope and pray for me.
             He said to me, "I've been praying for your success all my life."

           And then I realized it all. My dad had been praying for me all along.
          My successes had not only been through my effort, time, work and God's help. But it was also my dad's prayers that got me where I am today. Now I'm pretty sure my mom prays for me too.

          It really hit me.
          We pray a lot for other people, for God to intercede in their life and bless them. But somehow, I just really realized other people's prayers for you can alter your life and somehow make it better.

          I should do that more often too.
          Thank you to my mother and my father. :)

#AQuote 'God throughout our Life'

In reading the bible today, I saw this in the reflection part. I hope it serves as a remembrance on how God should be present in every single moment of our life.

"For happy moments, praise God;
In difficult moments, seek God;
In quiet moments, worship God;
During painful moments, trust God;
And at every moment, thank God."

A Letter from God to the Broken-Hearted

Dear Child, 

You desperately want love. You think that if you could be loved, that horrible pain in your heart would go away. But you've got to remember that love is an action, not a gushy feeling. The love you really dream about is the love of movies--the kind that you only live with for two hours. But when you truly love someone, you give them the power to hurt you really badly. And more than likely they will use that power. But that doesn't mean you won't ever love again. It doesn't mean you were mistaken in your love or that love is a bad thing. It just means you now know the agony of love.

Love is the stuff that takes you to the cross. It's the stuff that cuts open your side, rips open your back, and nails you to a tree. Love isn't always the wonderful dream you imagine it is, but it is the fulfillment of my will. It is the greatest command: to love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is why you crave it so much. And the movies are why when you have it, you doubt it-- because it's not all about feeling good.

When you desperately want love, when you want real love that will ease your heart, then the only place you can go to is me. The only arms that are big enough to wrap around you and heal you are mine. My love is the only love that won't ever hurt you. It is the only love that will never leave you, never forsake you. I never have anywhere else I have to go and I never have anything else I have to do. I am always with you and want nothing more than to share my love with you and take away the ache from your heart. Will you accept my love?

Love,

God

~ Taken from the book, 'The Dirt of Breaking Up' by Hayley DiMarco and Justin Lookadoo

To The God Who Keeps My Feet On The Ground

         

               It's the last few weeks of school, and its been really hectic.
              Yesterday, I had so much stuff to do in school and I was rushing everything, it almost drove me insane. But I'm not really a loud person, so only my inner self was feeling that near insanity. In the afternoon, I almost just wanted to lie on the floor and cry with all the pressure. It's just that some of my groupmates weren't exactly helpful with the activities we were supposed to pass as a group. I just really hate being a leader most of the time. And sometimes, I have the misfortune to be in the company of people who don't really care about deadlines. -.-
              But despite all these, I don't let the thought of God out of my head. I kept on asking Him to help me stay sane, and to work my through all these. I was so stressed, and I asked Him to strengthen me. 
               And most importantly, I didn't forget to thank Him for His goodness and blessings in my life despite my hectic day. And it did really help a lot. I just swallowed everything(even though I wanted to cry already) and did what I had to do. 
               When I left school, I agreed to meet with my good friend, James. He sent a group message that he was going to the mall, and right then and there I decided to go too, so I could just somehow unwind from everything. My trip to the mall helped me calm myself, and having snacks with James at McDo just really helped me.
                I was okay when I got home, where I made Maja Blanca with my mom.

"For better or for worse, God never leaves us. Remember the story of 'Footprints in the Sand'. He carries us in the most difficult times of our life. His love is the only love that remains constant, the love that will never leave us. "

Pray to Him. Thank Him. Don't ever forget to do those two things everyday.

To Love and Forgive your enemies. And Pray for them.

Mt 5:43-48 LOVE OF ENEMIES

“Jesus asks us to love our enemies, do good to them, avoid revenge, and not to think of retaliation. We open our hearts to understanding and forgiveness. We create all possibilities to foster friendship. Jesus also asks us to pray for our persecutors, to wish them good, to see goodness in them, and to think of their well-being.”

This is what the Gospel has taught me today.

                This lesson is one of the toughest things to learn. And to do! Forgiving enemies is difficult, but forgiving those who hurt you is even harder. Both of them make you angry and hurt, and those two feelings are really hard to remove. Bitterness starts with hurt, then will be transformed into anger, and somehow a desire for revenge will eventually emerge. With these people come fights, tears and a lot of hurt.

                Enemies meant in the gospel do not only refer to those people whom you fight with, but also to those people you really dislike and hate, and to those who have simply caused you pain. What they have done to you will pierce your heart, and you won’t forget it. When this happens, it almost seems impossible to think of forgiveness when you are deeply hurt.

                I’ve definitely been there. I’ve had my major experiences of being so hurt, I could drown in those feelings and I just wanted to escape everything. It took months and years for me to heal, and perhaps developed a tiny tiny bit of trauma, because I never want it to happen again.

                Since then, I try to so hard not to make enemies. But don’t get the wrong idea; I am not living to please people. I’ve always been quiet, trying to avoid being judgmental and I try to use positive criticism as much as possible. But I have to admit, I have really improved my life since my experience of having a really big fight with my friends. It taught me a lot.

                Another major experience I had of being so hurt was because of love. I was with this guy for a time, but we never had a relationship. It was just having something really special with him. And just so you know, I don’t have a boyfriend yet, since I don’t plan to have one until after college. But who can tell when love enters your life? One way or another, I have to experience it too, and perhaps be tested. Moving on, we were both really close, and I had fallen in love with him. But unfortunately, about the time I realized this, we were already drifting. Specifically, he was growing distant towards me. Since he was my first love, it was truly tough on me. I spent so many nights of wondering, confusion, sadness and tears over the entire situation. I mean, what’s a girl to do in dealing with these things when she’s so new to them? Well, eventually I knew that there was another girl in the picture. And it hurt, like my heart broke into a thousand pieces.

                In the long run, I just wanted honesty from him to tell me what happened. I could eventually accept that we could not be together, but I just wanted a formal ending to this, so I didn’t have to keep on guessing and assuming all the time. But he didn’t tell me anything, even until now. So I had no choice but to break away from it all. And modern times would see it as deleting him from my Facebook friends list, so I will not have any further contact with him.

                But again, today’s Gospel asks me to face him, who hurt me, and forgive him. Now, my feelings for that part of past has already faded. I have quite moved on. And miraculously, after reading today’s Gospel, I could already say to myself that I can completely forgive him! It made me feel so humble that I wanted to tell him right away what I was feeling. But of course, we had no communication for months, so oh well. Still, I was caught up in that feeling of forgiveness. All at once I wanted to tell him that I was sorry, somehow, for not trying to understand, and for all the things I have done wrong in my part. I also wanted to tell him that I forgive him, and that I am sincerely happy for him. I wanted to tell him that I hoped we could be friends again. I want to tell all that I realized.

                Once again, I have freed myself. By forgiving, my heart is somehow whole again. And I know in my heart, that God has also forgiven me.

                The Gospel teaches us to forgive. Because just as the Father has forgiven us all, no matter how sinful they have been, so we should also forgive each other.

                Reality check. Forgiving is really difficult. The pain does not allow you to forgive as long as it’s there. The more you hurt, the your anger and desire for revenge will grow. But take hope! In these times, cling to God and ask Him to be with you and to heal you. He will not refuse a humble heart who asks him. I do know that it will take a lot of time to heal, but as much as possible do not fuel your anger and revenge. Allow the pain to flow, as it is natural. Cry it out, because it is a way of cleansing the pain. Do not lose contact with God. He will be with you through it all.

                Remember that once you forgive, a part of you will be set free.

                This lesson is really valuable, and must be learned all over again because it is really one hard thing to do!

                 I myself am still trying to get over another guy I like. We established a friendship over a period of time. But when he asked me out on Valentines Day and he kept on cancelling several times, I sort of got enough of it and did not reply to his text. Ever since that, he never made contact with me again. And my friends have been telling he seems to be courting another girl all along. Okay. Ouch.

                But I am still praying despite all these. Because He will always be there for me.

                I’m quite over it now, but with some like and hurt feelings still there.

                Next tough lesson: Pray for those who persecute you. Pray for their good and well-being.

                And I’m doing that myself.