Reflections of a biker

And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. - Hebrews 12.1

Life is so much like biking. Sometimes you pedal with a breeze. Sometimes you struggle a little. When the road is uphill, you need to exert more, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. Yet sometimes, you just have to be still and let go of the wheel.

Biking always refreshes me. It has become my refuge of sorts. It gives me time to be alone with God, to listen to Him, to pour out my heart to Him.

Today as I biked, my uphill route became more noticeable than in the past months. At one point, I wanted to get off my bike and just walk. Ironically, I've been taking the same route for years now and yet not once have I actually gotten off and walked. So I had to remind myself that a few more pedals and I would be fine.

In life, there are times of highs and lows, of struggles, of triumphs, and of letting go. We like it when we don't have to struggle much -- like biking and the path we're taking is easy. We like it even more when we are showered with blessings though we know we don't deserve it -- like biking on a downhill path and all we have to do is let go. But when life becomes a struggle, it is sometimes more convenient to give up than go on and face the uphill battle. Thankfully, we have a God who fights the battles for us. We just need to surrender all our struggles to Him. And just like in biking, all we have to do is keep on pushing the pedal of perseverance.

Let me share another favorite Words of Wisdom from the wisest man who ever lived.

A Time for Everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV)

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Haunted by a ghost

I've never been afraid of ghosts. Until very recently. This one is of the proverbial kind. Not your ordinary ghost. A very strong kind that has shaken the wits out of me -- the ghost of my past.


This encounter with the proverbial ghost has really been so humbling. I am human after all. Weak. Vulnerable. But I am also a spiritual being. A child of God. With Jesus in my heart, I only need to look at His face. And with Jesus on my side, who can be against me? On my own, it is very difficult to win the battle. In fact, I don't know how I will be able to survive it apart from God's grace. It is when we rely on our own strengths that we lose. But with Jesus fighting for us, we can rest assured that even before it has started, He has already finished it. And so I cast my cares to Him, the Giver of Life.

We will all encounter ghosts at some points in our lives -- of different kinds and forms. Ghosts that we thought have long been burried. Or ghosts that we never even thought existed. It will definitely not be easy. But if we fix our eyes on Jesus, the perfector of our faith, we can carry it on. After all, it is not our battle anymore. It is His.

In times like this, I find strength in God's assurance that He is our Light and our Salvation. He is our refuge, our Strong Tower. If you are faced with the same struggle, fear not. For He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is our Mighty Warrior.

Let me share one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. May it speak to your hearts as it did to me.



Psalm 27 (English Standard Version)
The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation


1The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

2When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!

8 You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you,
"Your face, LORD, do I seek."

9 Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!

10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the LORD will take me in.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.

12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.

13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

This thing called LOVE

What is this thing called LOVE? Some say it makes the world go round. Others say, it makes one blind. Oftentimes, we associate it with what is pleasing, "loveable." In this month of love, it is just apt to reflect on the true meaning of this four-letter-word. Here's an insightful reflection from Pastor Joey Bonifacio. Read on and spread the gospel of LOVE.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

Here's are the 4 things that constitute love:

Love is being patient and kind. Whether we are dealing with a spouse, child, friend, associate or neighbor, to love someone is simply to be patient and kind to them.  

How do we know when we are not being patient or kind? When we envy. That's probably because we are impatient that God has blessed others more. When we boast. That's probably because we are impatient and unkind and wanting to prove ourselves better than others. You can figure the rest of this one out. It is impatience and unkindness that make us rude, self-seeking, angry and delighting in the shortcomings and failures of others.

For patience and kindness to be love it has to be done with rejoicing. A waiter, a boss, a lawyer, insurance agent, realtor, friend or spouse can all be patient and kind but the question is are they rejoicing as they do it or are they tolerating you because of what they can get in return.  

True love rejoices with the truth of anyone's limitations while continuing to be patient and kind. It rejoices in the midst of shortcomings, it rejoices where there are failures, disappointments and frustrations. It is able to smile and laugh as it faces the truth and insists on finding joy. This is who Jesus is.
 
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 2

Jesus died on the cross with patience and kindness. His patience and kindness is the same reason why He came. But the more important point is that He did it for the joy set before Him. The joy of seeing us enter in to eternal fellowship with Him and the Father. Patience and kindness done with joy is love.

Finally, it says it always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. To love is to live in always. That simply means to be faithful no matter what.  

Love is patience, kindness, joy and faithfulness.  

Fact is it is not easy to love. While we were created to love, it can be challenge to love the unlovable always. The power to love comes from knowing God's love. Only when we realize and understand how patient, kind, joyful and faithful God has been toward us will we be able to love others the same way.

The good news is when we love we find fulfillment and completeness because love never fails.

Our worst days may be our best

I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10)

If only Job had known, as he sat in the ashes, troubling his heart over the thought of God's providence, that millions down through history would look back on his trials. He might have taken courage in the fact that his experience would be a help to others throughout the world.

No one lives to himself, and Job's story is like yours and mine, only his was written for all to see. The afflictions Job faced and the trials he wrestled with are the very things for which he is remembered, and without them we would probably never have read of him in God's Word.

We never know the trials that await us in the days ahead. We may not be able to see the light through our struggles, but we can believe that those days, as in the life of Job, will be the most significant we are called upon to live. Robert Collyer

This is an excerpt from Streams in the Desert. God has an amazing way of stilling us when times are difficult by reminding us of His faithfulness throughout the ages. Reading the life of Job makes the worst affliction in our lives so trivial. Job endured all unimaginable trials yet he never cursed God.

In the end, Job became immortalized through one whole book in the Holy Bible.

Since Star was diagnosed with a rare bleeding disorder, I have kept on going back to the Book of Job to seek encouragement. As we are encouraged, so are we able to encourage others. The Bible tells us that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.

Indeed, it is in our most difficult times that we see God's greatest miracles. In our needs, His provisions. In our weaknesses, His strength. In our illness, His healing.

Praises and glory be to God!

Easter Sunday Reflections

My 11-year-old daughter Sofia blogged about her reflections on Easter Sunday. Growing up in an evangelical church, she and her siblings missed traditions that my side of the family always looked forward to during the Holy Week. But even without those traditions, she now understands why Easter is an all-important and happy occasion for us Christians.

Though written in a very simple, childlike prose, it is a good reminder of the sacrifice Jesus has made to give us life.
Reposting here Pia's unedited blog:

Well, I don't really know much about Easter Sunday all I know about it is that it was the day Jesus was resurrected and stuff like that, but I just want to remind you all about this wonderful day. This day is well known for being the day in which God was resurrected. This was the story we were supposed to perform in Tree-atro right? The resurrection and those stuff. Although, I don't really read the bible that much (I admit), but this day is very holy and it affected our lives very much. He died for us, for our sins and I really thank Him for that. We don't really thank Him for doing this wonderful things to us and I think that we should acknowledge Him for this. I wonder how the world will be like if he didn't do this to us. In church earlier, the pastor mentioned that there was this certain cartoon. There were two people( I kinda changed some parts coz i forgot):

Person 1(dunno the name): Did you know that Christ went to hell?(I was shocked by this one)

Person 2 : What?! Person 1 : Yeah, He did. He went there to cancel our reservations

I was surprised. I sat there, kinda frozen. I remembered how God really loved us and that He even died for us. If He didn't do that then we would live for nothing. All we do is : eat, sleep, do whatever we want and not care for others and what we do. We'd all do stuff that we think is "pleasurable", and we wouldn't care to think that what we are doing is wrong. We'd just do that our whole life and then when we die, we'd suffer in hell. I was really reminded that I should thank God for always being there and helping us all the way. He always did what was right. I would really appreciate if people would realize what I just realized.

Where, O death, is your sting?

Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life." -- Psalm 39:4

(photo grabbed from www.txprisonmuseum.org)

This is the time of the year when we put aside everything else and remember our dearly departed. During my growing up years in rural Negros, we would have "reunion" every Nov. 2. All Soul's Day is one of the top three most important days for our very traditional family. The first of course, is Christmas, which also happens to be our father's birthday. Next is the Holy Week, the time of the year where everybody in the family is busy dressing up our centuries' old Santo Entierro.

But Nov. 2 always gave me a different kind of excitement. It was like a big annual reunion not only for our family but for the whole town as well. We get to see our town's "Who's who" at the only cemetery. Everybody who mattered would troop with their families to pay respects to the dearly departed. (Sadly, my children, born and raised in Manila, missed this family tradition.)

As I grew older, All Soul's Day became a reminder of how short life is. My mother, for instance, left us when I was barely 17. She wasn't even sickly.

One of my cousins died of aneurism when she was just a little over 30. Two of my husband's close friends in college also died in their early 30s. Among my father's 11 siblings, only 5 of them are left. Most of my uncles died at 50ish or 60ish, except for their youngest, Uncle Benjamin, who died while he was a baby.

Talking about death is a little morbid. But then again, it is the surest destination for all of us.

Which makes me reflect: how have I lived my life? When I leave for the great beyond, what will people say of me? Of my life? Have I made other people's lives better? Have I lived it according to God's plan?

Everyday, I pray to God to help me live according to His plans. For apart from Him, there is no reason for me to live longer. If I don't consciously seek to please God, then my life is futile. Be far from it that I live according to my own will. Yet, I struggle with it everyday.

Thank God, we have Jesus. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer bound by our sinfulness. He shed His blood for us so that in His death, we will live.

Now, I am no longer afraid of passing on to eternity. It is no longer about me, no longer about my own efforts to be good. It is about how Jesus saved me. Because of His death and resurrection, we too, will be resurrected with Him.