Struggles of Forgiveness…

During my first 16 years on earth, my rule of thumb was: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” As a young, aggressive person, I thought the only way that justice would be served was to punish the guilty and inflict pain to those who have caused it so they would “learn their lesson.” I thought getting “even” with someone was just fair. In fact, I strongly believed that it was the most sensible thing to do.

Until one day, I was taught to turn the other cheek.

 

“WHAT?? TURN THE OTHER CHEEK???!!!” was my mind’s reaction. How could one human being ever do that??!! It violated all the principles and statutes that were ever instilled in my young mind and soul!!  

But there’s One whom I looked up to who showed a great example of turning the other cheek. He did it in such quiet dignity that when I’ve learned about His life and teachings, I wanted to follow His lead. He didn’t deserve any of the things that He suffered, yet He went through all of them in great humility and acquiescence.

How imperfect I am compared to Him. Yet in my limited capacity, I now strive hard to walk His ways. Although I oftentimes fumble and fall, and there are times when my humanity gets the better of me, I’ve learned that vengeance is not mine. That if I pray for strength to forgive those who have wronged me in the past, and abandon any feelings of bitterness or revenge, then life’s load becomes much lighter. J

Indeed, there is a soothing, healing power that comes from forgiveness. And I noticed that when I practice it often and well enough, turning the other cheek becomes a habit that isn’t too bad at all. J

Helping Hands…

 

Sweeping streets, washing cars, painting nails, cleaning schools—what do they have in common?
                                    

These are some of the service projects held by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the nation on Saturday, April 26, 2008, to kick off its jubilee celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the organization of the Church in the Philippines.   

 

Wearing their bright yellow “Mormon Helping Hands” vests, members of the Church offered their services with cheerful hearts and willing minds in different parts of the country.

 

For it is written: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).

  

Most Valuable Possession…

In this crazy world we live in, we get pulled in all different directions. We sometimes get caught up doing things that don’t really matter much in the end—things that we cannot really bring with us when our turn here on earth is over. But there’s one that’s worth all our precious time and greatest efforts. It’s our life’s most valuable possession—our families.

 

Being a mom is my most favorite job in the world! Not only do I get a fresh peek at life through my children’s eyes, but it’s amazing how wonderful it feels like to see them grow from being infants, to toddlers, to the young persons that they are now. I am thrilled at the thought that one day they would be mature adults and I would be a grandma!J

 

And while they are still under my care, I delight at every minute that I spend with them. I enjoy the family home evenings, the meals together, the kite flying, the beach days, the beaded jewelry making, the games, the songs, and even the arguments on who gets to take a shower first or who gets to eat the last piece of dessert!! J

 

I am grateful for the opportunity given me to watch over them, care for them, and love them—in behalf of Him whose sons and daughters we all are.

 

I believe that families are forever! I believe that “That same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy” (D&C 130:2).

 

Let’s celebrate what we have!!! Let’s focus our energies on building our relationships with our families, for they truly are the ones who could bring us our greatest joys!! J   

  

Simple Truths…

When I was a kid, I often wondered what would happen to me after this life was over. Would my body be lying down in a dark and cold casket while my mind was wide awake trying to get my body move?
          
Being the active child that I was, I thought death was probably the most boring thing that could ever happen to anybody. I couldn’t imagine myself being still and restricted for even a short period of time, let alone forever!! 
               
Then as a wild and confused teenager, I met people who knew the answers to my questions. I thought I was an intelligent person, so I laughed and was cynical at the things they were saying. I tried to prove they were wrong—or at least did not really know what they were talking about—but every single time I asked what I thought was a silly question, they always had an answer. Answers that made sense and sounded very familiar. Truths and teachings that I seemed to have heard from a distant past. 
               

My spirit was touched at the things I had learned and for the first time in many years, I had answers to my questions. I finally knew that my spirit lived with my Father in Heaven before I was born; that I am here on this earthly existence to try to reach my divine potential; and that someday when my time is up, my spirit will leave my body and will one day be resurrected to become an eternal, immortal being.  
           

 Such plain, simple, and yet liberating knowledge!!     

    

Now, a little over 23 years later, I am still amazed and grateful for how these simple truths have affected my perspective of life in general. Indeed, a pearl of great price that I will treasure forever.     

      

How ‘bout you? What are your questions still left unanswered?

 

 

 

 

Notebooks and pencils

Moroni, that great man who lived in the Americas a long time ago, was right when he said:

“Little children are alive in Christ.”

Little children have special corners in my heart, perhaps because my childhood, although blessed with a loving mother and sisters who rolled with life’s punches with me, had many traumatic moments.

That is why whenever I look at the earnest face of a child, whether the ones that I encounter by chance on the street or my children, I marvel at how alive Christ must be in them. I know this to be true from the depths of my heart!

He Is Risen!

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst His three days’ prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered, man is free.
Christ has won the victory.
(“He Is Risen,” Hymns no. 199) 

As the whole Christendom celebrates Easter, let us keep in mind the reason for the season! Let us remember with rejoicing and deep gratitude the Atoning sacrifice that the Savior of mankind has made for all of us. He, being spotless, has taken upon Him the sins and infirmities of the world—so that you and I will not suffer as He did if we would repent. He summons us to come unto Him and accept the selfless gift He has to offer.   
            
Indeed, I echo the words in the hymn: 
                             

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angel say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth reply, Alleluia!
(“Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” Hymns no. 200)                  

Walking Tall…

A few weeks ago, I caught a reflection on our tinted car window of what I thought was a little child in white shirt and tie walking down the Manila Philippines Temple grounds. I thought the body of that child was not proportionate to his height so I turned around to have a better view. I was moved by what I saw.  
                                
It was a young man walking on his knees.
 
I remember watching him in awe as he walked past everybody standing in the long aisle that connected the visitors’ center to the temple. He walked with his chin up, making no display of shame or excuse on how he physically appeared. His countenance shone and his spirit soared.
When I came to his town to interview him, I learned that he is a man highly esteemed by those around him. Being the Sunday School president and a counselor in the Young Men presidency, he exemplifies the true meaning of selfless service. He gives more than he receives, despite his physical handicap. He is grateful for the life given him and looks forward with faith to that day when his body would be restored to its perfect form and he would be able to enjoy “walking” the way most people do. 
                                  
Yet to me and to those who know him, he is already walking ten feet tall! His example of service and faith is something to emulate. I hope to be able to serve my fellowmen as he does—-selflessly—-with the complete faculties given me, in the period time that I am granted in this earthly life.

Riches of eternity…

Last weekend, I had the privilege of seeing some things that I’ve never seen before. I was sent, together with a colleague, to a sleepy town called Talisay to cover a story on 40 baptisms that will occur that Saturday. That baptismal number is huge, even for a country like the Philippines where baptisms in double digits are not unheard of.  
                                                    
I was astonished at the mere thought of it. I imagined how it would be like to see them get baptized and wondered what made them accept the gospel as they did.  
                                             
As we drove down the countryside, the one-way winding dirt road that had the ocean on the right hand-side and the lush mountains on the left-hand side made me and my colleague look forward to whatever else laid ahead. Little did I expect that I would be in for one of the greatest lessons of my life.
        
Having the ocean in their front yard and the mountains in the backyard, the people in Talisay live simply. It’s a common thing to see people walking, sometimes barefoot, for kilometers to get to where they are going. They are void of the modern technology that I thought I couldn’t live without back home. Some of them don’t even have electricity in their homes. They live in nipa huts and their main source of living comes from small-boat fishing and their little rice fields.  
                                                 
In my eyes and in the eyes of the world, these people might appear poor, but I’ve learned first hand that they have the riches of eternity. They are humble and teachable people. Free from the aspirations of the outside world that make some people forget who they really are. They are not puffed up or obsessed with worldly success and wealth. They acknowledge that their Maker provides for their needs and that they are nothing without Him. When they first heard of the message of the gospel, they acknowledged the sweet whisperings of the Spirit and like little children recognized that this message is something they’ve heard of before—only in a place beyond this earthly existence. Hence, it was easy for them to accept the gospel and decide to get baptized.  
                      
As we boarded the plane that would take us back home, our hearts were filled with gratitude for the experience that we’ve had. We had more appreciation of the blessings that were given to us, an increased desire to extend love and selfless service to our fellowmen, a keen realization that these things that we have in this world are just that—temporary—and that the more important things are those that we can bring with us beyond the veil.   
                      
It was a great learning experience. One that I am hoping not to ever forget in my entire life.

Free music download for Pres. Hinckley’s poem

If you want to have a music file of “What Is This Thing That Men Call Death?”, the poem written by President Gordon B. Hinckley that has been turned into song, PrimeRec has made it available for downloading for free.

Just go this link: LDSTunesNow.com

Isn’t it amazing how technology can be used to spread goodness? That’s my gratitude moment today. I know there’s a lot of filth in the Internet and too many people have been caught up in how the web can capture and ensnare precious souls. But we can neutralize that! We can make our voices heard in this medium and use it to declare our testimonies, share our joy in the gospel, let other people know it is so much fun to be clean, to be true and to be honest. That the real cool people are those who have meaning and joy in their lives.

Who is in-charge?

My favorite black jacket gets stolen a few feet from my bedroom window, my bruises are more painful, and i have a stiff neck (which makes nursing feel almost like torture). I know, I know, these things are very shallow stuff but being spiritual amid little irritations can seem so difficult to do.

And then, I read this portion of a book entitled “Being Enough” by one of my favorite authors Chieko Okazaki.

“When a team of Christians visited Savropol, Russia, in 1994 to hand out Bibles, a local citizen said he recalled seeing Bibles in an old warehouse. They had been confiscated in the 1930s when Stalin was sending believers to the gulags. Amazingly, the Bibles were still there.

Among those who showed up to load them into trucks was a young agnostic student just wanting to earn a day’s wage. But soon, he slipped away from the job…A team member went looking for him and found him sitting in a corner weeping. Out of the hundreds of Bibles, he had picked up one that bore the handwritten signature of his own grandmother.”