This is my first step forward.: March 2017

The Voice

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The more you hate, the more you love

"Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37

Last night, I was talking with my uncle and he expressed his frustrations on why do some people do not listen. He was saying that for the longest time, all he wanted was for his nieces and nephews is to be successful and live a good life. He gave advice but he was shoved away. Eventually, he grew tired and irritated.

I was just listening to him and asked "What is it that really frustrates you?"

He said, "I just want to help them succeed and they won't listen,"

"Well, are you showing them that you really want to help them succeed by the way you are irritated and frustrated right now?"

He paused and shook his head. "No,"

"Then maybe that's why. If you really want to help them, keep on doing so, eventually the will listen to you,"

"But that's hard,"

"It is. But if it's something that you really want to do, to help them, you will accept and try again"

It is hard to forgive especially if you've been done wrong for a number of times. But here's the thing - why are we so frustrated and sad? Why are we so affected? Even if you deny it, here it goes: It is because we love these people. The saying "The more you hate, the more you love," is real. We want nothing but the best for them because we care for them so much. That is why if they do something that hurts, it stings big time.

I know it can be very difficult for us to show this love when we are in pain. But with these experiences, God is teaching us one huge thing - to love more. Wait what? To a person who hurt me?? Why?!!! We might say. Unbelievable! No! Never!

But it's the truth. God wants us to love more. He wants us to care more. He wants us to accept these people, forgive them and love again. Why? Because God loves us more than we can imagine. Because God can accept us even we are sinners and we are at our lowest. And He wants us to do the same for these people we care about. He wants us to spread the love to the world, from our family to our friends, officemates and everyone we encounter daily.

Like my uncle and me, or even you, we may find it very challenging and almost impossible to do. But if we let God and have love as our fuel to keep moving forward, we are unstoppable.

Father, continue to guide us to be more loving even to the most difficult people. Let us overcome our frustrations and anxiety with the power of love. I pray in Jesus name, Amen.

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Love, not hate

Daily Encounter 9:45 PM

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You are talented

Inspiration 10:24 PM

I have a question for you - what is your talent? Is it singing? Dancing? Writing? You might be asking yourself, is this a contest and there'll be a talent portion? I hope it is, but no it isn't.

When I was a child, I didn't know what I'm good at. I had no idea. That is why when I was in elementary and we were required to do something for our classroom Christmas party, I didn't know how to contribute. In the era when A1, Westlife, Mandy Moore, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child were cool, I thought presentations are either of these two - singing or dancing. I felt like I can't sing so when we were asked to perform for the party, I joined the dance group.

At first it was okay, I can keep up with the steps, but my body just felt stiff. I even asked my classmate to come over my house to teach me the steps. I remember her doing the "body wave" from morning until afternoon but I just couldn't get it. To cut the story short, the presentation went okay but with me setting that as my last attempt to dance.

It was when I was in high school that I realized what my talent really is - singing. Don't get me wrong. I was singing since I was five, to Voltes V and other anime songs. I even made an attempt to sing in public with "My Heart Will Go On" off-key. But I didn't know it was my talent. Why? Because there was always someone labeled better than me. And since there's a "better" person, that became the standard. I should be able to sing like that person in order to be called good in singing. That is why, even when I had fun in singing, I treated it like a past-time and not an actual talent, something that you can show to the world.

Fast forward to high school when I started to join a singing competition. Many were shocked, including my uncle, that I even made it to the finals. My mom told me what he said when he was watching, "Magaling pala kumanta si Pau" and my mom replied "Oo nga e". Even my relatives didn't know! I didn't know either! From then on, singing became my talent. Yes, there are still others who are better than me, but it didn't matter. What matters is I figured out that I can also sing like they do. That I may not be like them, but I can sing with the way I know. That I can sing from my heart. And that I have found something I can be good at.

Why am I sharing this?

Because friend, just like me, you might still not know what you're capable of doing. Right now, you might be thinking when I asked the question in the first paragraph, "Wala akong talent" I disagree. All of us are made to offer something to the world. We all have our own talents and abilities that we can be proud of and share to others. God created us to be awesome.

This message is to remind you of that. You are you. You have something in you that the whole world needs. You have something that only you can give. Like in my story, yes there's someone better. What matters is how you use your talent to spread love and happiness and share a piece of you to people.

You are created for a reason.

You are bestowed gifts that you may not know of.

As you uncover these blessings in your life, don't stop believing in yourself.

You are made for greatness.

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This is my first step forward.

The Voice

The more you hate, the more you love

Love, not hate

You are talented

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