Philippians 4:19 (King James Version)
19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
We only have P1500 for the rest of the week, add to that the $20 that was sent to me by my aunt in the US. God blessed us over the weekend and provided us with P1000 for market money and P800 for groceries. The P1500 and the $20 were also blessings given to us over the weekend. Our budget got skewed big time because hubby lost his teeth jacket the time we went snorkeling. He tried to go deeper into the water and thus, sea water went into the mouth piece where he’s supposed to breathe. Thus, he took off the equipment and spew out the water and out came the denture. We had to go directly to the dentist the time we got back to Manila. Thus aside from expenses we had for the very short vacation that we had, we had to pay for that.
Prior to writing this entry, the devil was trying to make me decide not to write an entry altogether, making me think it’s shameful that we don’t have extra money, or making me think of posting my entry on my secret blog. Now I have to admit that I did think about that for a while. But then again what good would that do, when no one can read about how God saves us from our troubles and how God faithfully carries out His promises into our lives? Therefore, I’m thrashing my pride and sneering at the enemy for writing this entry. Above all I want to proclaim God’s faithfulness.
Given the circumstances I mentioned above, we are off to a difficult week if you look at it from the human stand point. With 5 days before pay day, expenses for the gas, my fare to and from the office, trip to the airport on Thursday to pick up my cousin and a lot of other things, how will one budget P1500? But I know my God will provide.
Our household helpers took a rest day today. Hubby and I could barely keep up with my son. Apparently, I no longer have the energy to cook dinner. I managed to cook rice though. But I forgot to thaw the meat in the fridge, besides, the meat we have was for tomorrow’s viand. I don’t want to open canned meat since those have lots of preservatives, besides I miss eating vegetables. So I asked hubby to walk with me and bring along our kid. We went to my aunt (dad’s half sister) who happens to live on the next street. We asked them if we could possibly get some camote tops (sweet potato leaves). Hubby who doesn’t eat veggies, was resigned to having canned meat for dinner. But the great thing about it was that my aunt aside from telling us we can go ahead and get some camote tops from their yard, gave us a large roll of chicken embutido (home made luncheon meat with raisins and quail eggs). It made me smile that God doesn’t want my hubby to have canned meat again. But other than that it made me praise Him for his miraculous provision for us. Yes, God still makes miracles.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Realizations during the Horrific Boat ride on the way to Puerto G
We were originally scheduled to leave Manila at around 2am. That way, we’d be on board the bus to Batangas Pier before 3am and some time before 4am we’d leave the Buendia Bus station. With that, we estimated that we’d arrive in Batangas Pier around 6am and then be on board the boat and sailing towards Galera by 7am. That was the plan. I’ve been to the place twice and I know that mornings are the best times to have a boat ride. Worst times would be late afternoon since the waves are really big already by that time.
Unfortunately, due to a meeting that hubby needed to attend at 4am that morning, add to that the fact that we had to wait for the broker to drop by our place and give her part of her commission for the sale of one of the properties of my uncle, we weren’t able to follow the schedule that we originally mapped out for the trip. Apparently we left the house at around 10am and finally arrived in Batangas Pier at 1:30ish. We were told at the ticketing booth that the next boat is supposed to leave by 2pm, only to be told by the pier guards that the boat we picked will leave by 3pm. But as fate would have it, we were even more annoyed that the boat didn’t leave as scheduled. They opted to wait for more passengers and so we were able to finally sail to Galera by 4pm. I knew right away it won’t be a smooth ride!
Hubby finally agreed that I was right in telling him all along that we need to make sure we get the earliest boat trip. There were so many times when the “captain” of the boat (75 seater boat) had to turn off the engine of the boat while we get face to face with big waves! I was clutching my husband’s arm real tight while praying for dear life. The waves becomes were bigger at the time when we had to pass by two islands fronting each other. And then finally it subsided when we were back at open sea. I asked hubby about it and he explained it to me. He said that if there’s no land at all, then the water will just be still. But since there’s land, the water splashes back after it reaches the shore, thus creating waves. Then he mentioned that the waves are much bigger and stronger at the time when we’re closer to land.
Thinking about it while praying earnestly during the ride, the Lord gave that to me as an analogy. During the situations in our lives wherein our faith is being tested, and at the time when we think it’s already the breaking point, that’s the time when we’re really close to deliverance. It’s the stage prior to a breakthrough, all we need to do is to hang in there and wait for the Lord to take us out of that situation. Looking back now, there were a lot of times when I chickened out when already faced with that kind of situation, and looking back now, I feel bad knowing that I could have received more blessings (in all aspects – primarily spiritually) had I opted to hold on and wait for the Lord. And now that I am writing this entry, I am reminded of a book of Joyce Meyer that I bought before. The title of the book is DO IT AFRAID! There are times when all that God is asking of us is to wait patiently for him.
Psalm 37:7a
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
I am writing this to remind myself that at times when it seems the toughest, I’m at the verge of being delivered from that trial, and that all I need to do is to wait on Him.
Unfortunately, due to a meeting that hubby needed to attend at 4am that morning, add to that the fact that we had to wait for the broker to drop by our place and give her part of her commission for the sale of one of the properties of my uncle, we weren’t able to follow the schedule that we originally mapped out for the trip. Apparently we left the house at around 10am and finally arrived in Batangas Pier at 1:30ish. We were told at the ticketing booth that the next boat is supposed to leave by 2pm, only to be told by the pier guards that the boat we picked will leave by 3pm. But as fate would have it, we were even more annoyed that the boat didn’t leave as scheduled. They opted to wait for more passengers and so we were able to finally sail to Galera by 4pm. I knew right away it won’t be a smooth ride!
Hubby finally agreed that I was right in telling him all along that we need to make sure we get the earliest boat trip. There were so many times when the “captain” of the boat (75 seater boat) had to turn off the engine of the boat while we get face to face with big waves! I was clutching my husband’s arm real tight while praying for dear life. The waves becomes were bigger at the time when we had to pass by two islands fronting each other. And then finally it subsided when we were back at open sea. I asked hubby about it and he explained it to me. He said that if there’s no land at all, then the water will just be still. But since there’s land, the water splashes back after it reaches the shore, thus creating waves. Then he mentioned that the waves are much bigger and stronger at the time when we’re closer to land.
Thinking about it while praying earnestly during the ride, the Lord gave that to me as an analogy. During the situations in our lives wherein our faith is being tested, and at the time when we think it’s already the breaking point, that’s the time when we’re really close to deliverance. It’s the stage prior to a breakthrough, all we need to do is to hang in there and wait for the Lord to take us out of that situation. Looking back now, there were a lot of times when I chickened out when already faced with that kind of situation, and looking back now, I feel bad knowing that I could have received more blessings (in all aspects – primarily spiritually) had I opted to hold on and wait for the Lord. And now that I am writing this entry, I am reminded of a book of Joyce Meyer that I bought before. The title of the book is DO IT AFRAID! There are times when all that God is asking of us is to wait patiently for him.
Psalm 37:7a
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
I am writing this to remind myself that at times when it seems the toughest, I’m at the verge of being delivered from that trial, and that all I need to do is to wait on Him.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
I will hope in the Lord
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines,
The produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food,
And the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold
And there be no herd in the stalls,
18
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19
God, the Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s;
He makes me tread on my high places.
A colleague, who recently renewed her commitment to the Lord, is receiving and outpouring of blessings. God used me as a vessel to witness to her and one thing led to another and she finally decided to draw near to God again. As we were talking earlier about the recent turn of events in her life, I remember what my dad told me that if you’re being used to bless a person, your blessing is higher and greater than the blessing of that person.
There goes the battle in my mind again. The enemy reminded me of our current situation and was gearing towards making me doubt the word that the Lord gave me. But the Holy Spirit led me into remembering that passage in the Bible. I am likewise reminded of a passage somewhere in either the Psalms or Proverbs that states that you have to be happy for your brother when God lifts him up, because when your time comes, they will be happy for you as well.
17
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines,
The produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food,
And the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold
And there be no herd in the stalls,
18
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19
God, the Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s;
He makes me tread on my high places.
A colleague, who recently renewed her commitment to the Lord, is receiving and outpouring of blessings. God used me as a vessel to witness to her and one thing led to another and she finally decided to draw near to God again. As we were talking earlier about the recent turn of events in her life, I remember what my dad told me that if you’re being used to bless a person, your blessing is higher and greater than the blessing of that person.
There goes the battle in my mind again. The enemy reminded me of our current situation and was gearing towards making me doubt the word that the Lord gave me. But the Holy Spirit led me into remembering that passage in the Bible. I am likewise reminded of a passage somewhere in either the Psalms or Proverbs that states that you have to be happy for your brother when God lifts him up, because when your time comes, they will be happy for you as well.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
on restlessness...
Over the last few days, I found myself clinging into the ever thin thread of happiness that life has dealt me with as the year draws to a close. As I find our finances dropping, in the same way, I felt slowly leaning towards depression.
But God will not let that happen. His Faithfulness lifted me back. Amidst all the worries, what-ifs and what-might-have-beens, God made a way to make me understand.
I was going over the book that my father gave me and this is what the Lord has to say to me when my heart is cluttered with earthly worries:
I have seen people who are so wrapped up in their own self-efforts that they never have peace. They remain frustrated. They are trying to work to please God. However, the thing about working to please God is that you never know when you have done enough or performed well enough to meet His requirements. The devil will tell you, “You could have prayed longer. You could have gone to one more church service. God is not pleased with you.” This will always leave you frustrated and without peace.
But when you understand His grace, when you understand that God has already done the work, then all you need to do is receive His gifts of grace. All the pressure is off, and peace is the result.
God spoke directly to me with what the author wrote. And I am reminded of a verse in Matthew that tells us to live one day at a time.
But God will not let that happen. His Faithfulness lifted me back. Amidst all the worries, what-ifs and what-might-have-beens, God made a way to make me understand.
I was going over the book that my father gave me and this is what the Lord has to say to me when my heart is cluttered with earthly worries:
I have seen people who are so wrapped up in their own self-efforts that they never have peace. They remain frustrated. They are trying to work to please God. However, the thing about working to please God is that you never know when you have done enough or performed well enough to meet His requirements. The devil will tell you, “You could have prayed longer. You could have gone to one more church service. God is not pleased with you.” This will always leave you frustrated and without peace.
But when you understand His grace, when you understand that God has already done the work, then all you need to do is receive His gifts of grace. All the pressure is off, and peace is the result.
God spoke directly to me with what the author wrote. And I am reminded of a verse in Matthew that tells us to live one day at a time.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
delighted =)
hubby downloaded the old tv series (i mean old, like i remember watching before reaching the age of 10!) that kuya randy and i used to watch before. if im not mistaken its in channel 4 that its being shown before. the series is titled - Beauty and the Beast, and the theme song of the said show is "The first time i loved forever", which i absolutely love.
anyway while we were watching the start of the series and i was telling hubby that that is the reason why i love the said song, he just blurted it out all of a sudden. he said why dont we get married next year, well in the vernacular of course. and all of a sudden i find myself out of words.
yeah im truly excited. and then he had a disclaimer saying that it's not the actual proposal. hehehe so i guess there's more to come.
anyway while we were watching the start of the series and i was telling hubby that that is the reason why i love the said song, he just blurted it out all of a sudden. he said why dont we get married next year, well in the vernacular of course. and all of a sudden i find myself out of words.
yeah im truly excited. and then he had a disclaimer saying that it's not the actual proposal. hehehe so i guess there's more to come.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Encouragement
yesterday i came to work and there seems to be a lot of things happening. a colleague of mine cant finish her load for the day and somehow i feel partly responsible. although in weighing things, i could say that i'm not even at fault. but then again, i feel bad that i couldn't help.
basically i was tasked to update the calendar that we have - training calendar that is. that includes the class roster and the officer's certification and re-certification dates if applicable. i am religiously updating that. on the other hand i dont go along well with MS Excel so i have difficulty updating the snapshot or the passing rate per class (i hope they can come up with a way to automate that in the future). now she is looking for the percentage rate and at the same time she needs the total number and percentage of officers who certified out of the old module and i dont have that data since i came on board only july of this year while she's been the trainer for 2yrs now. likewise, i was never told how to do it. although it seems sophomoric, i never really had a sit down session when i was told that this is what im suppose to do and how im suppose to do it. its not that im defensive (well it certainly sounds like, i know), its just that when i consider all those things i think that i really have no fault in that. she's not blaming me, in fact she remained nice. i guess im just guilty and paranoid.
when i got home yesterday, hubby felt my sadness. i was just too tired to tell him all about what happened that i said im just thinking of a lot of things. made me smile though that my husband is so attuned to my emotions that he could tell right away without me verbalizing it, which reminds me i need to post something else in regard to that.
this morning, when i came to the office i was given a little down time by God that the trainee i'm supposed to certify at 4am did not show up. i decided to open my personal email and this is what i found courtesy of my good friend Theyie.
Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing,
In everything give thanks, for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you
1 Thes. 5: 16
Dear God:
> The lady reading this is beautiful, classy and strong, and
> I love her.
> Help her live her life to the fullest. Please promote her
> and cause her
> to excel above her expectations. Help her shine in the
> darkest places
> where it is impossible to love. Protect her at all times,
> lift her up
> when she needs you the most, and let her know when she
> walks with you,
> she will always be safe.
> Love you Sis!!!!
God is indeed speaking, u just need to be attuned to what he has to say.
basically i was tasked to update the calendar that we have - training calendar that is. that includes the class roster and the officer's certification and re-certification dates if applicable. i am religiously updating that. on the other hand i dont go along well with MS Excel so i have difficulty updating the snapshot or the passing rate per class (i hope they can come up with a way to automate that in the future). now she is looking for the percentage rate and at the same time she needs the total number and percentage of officers who certified out of the old module and i dont have that data since i came on board only july of this year while she's been the trainer for 2yrs now. likewise, i was never told how to do it. although it seems sophomoric, i never really had a sit down session when i was told that this is what im suppose to do and how im suppose to do it. its not that im defensive (well it certainly sounds like, i know), its just that when i consider all those things i think that i really have no fault in that. she's not blaming me, in fact she remained nice. i guess im just guilty and paranoid.
when i got home yesterday, hubby felt my sadness. i was just too tired to tell him all about what happened that i said im just thinking of a lot of things. made me smile though that my husband is so attuned to my emotions that he could tell right away without me verbalizing it, which reminds me i need to post something else in regard to that.
this morning, when i came to the office i was given a little down time by God that the trainee i'm supposed to certify at 4am did not show up. i decided to open my personal email and this is what i found courtesy of my good friend Theyie.
Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing,
In everything give thanks, for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you
1 Thes. 5: 16
Dear God:
> The lady reading this is beautiful, classy and strong, and
> I love her.
> Help her live her life to the fullest. Please promote her
> and cause her
> to excel above her expectations. Help her shine in the
> darkest places
> where it is impossible to love. Protect her at all times,
> lift her up
> when she needs you the most, and let her know when she
> walks with you,
> she will always be safe.
> Love you Sis!!!!
God is indeed speaking, u just need to be attuned to what he has to say.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
restless
i know i prayed for this job a couple of months back. and here i am plagued with dreams of having another life, another job outside of the call center industry. will it ever end?
oh Lord please calm my restless soul and grant me contentment.
oh Lord please calm my restless soul and grant me contentment.
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