Daily Digest #25

I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. —Isaiah 46:4

I remember the story about the footprints in the sand. When the person looked at the traces of steps, he noticed that the 1st half of the journey had 2 pairs of feet walking side by side... Then the next half, there was only 1 pair. "Lord, why did You leave me in the troubled times of life?" he asked the Lord... "My precious child, I'd never leave you. I have carved you on the hollow of My hand. It's then I carried you in My arms, when you see one set of footprints in the sand."

The Lord's response strikes me every time I hear or remember this story. Sometimes we feel we're all alone in this world, especially when we're dealing with problems in our lives. And when we get past them, we sometimes believe we did it all on our own. We even blame God for everything that's happening to us, curse Him for not making us understand why things happen, and begin to control everything by ourselves. The woes of impatience and distrust. I'm sure we have all experienced this at one point or another.

At times of trouble, may we learn to call upon Him. May we never let go of Him, even when it feels like we're only clinging onto the edge of His robe... May we be humbled by our trials, and learn to praise and thank Him for carrying us in His strong arms. May we remember that God is always there and will never let go. May we trust in the Lord at all times. Pray always.

Daily Digest #24

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power. —2 Timothy 1:7

We are afraid of judgment, that others may condemn or abandon us for making choices contrary to the standards of society or cultures of our religion. We are afraid to take the initiative to reconcile with people we're not in good terms with. We are afraid of rejection.... of attachment and detachment. We fear facing this world alone. We fear making mistakes. We fear many, many things.

But wise men say, face your fear. Take a leap of faith. Step forward into the unknown, blindfolded. Making that one step is scary enough because we love our comfort zone so much that we refuse to leave it. But who knows what's next anyway? We tend to control everything around us that we forget we're only human.

I once tried to face one of my greatest fears, rejection. I prepared myself for the worst and followed my heart's desires. In the end, I lost some, but I gained something more. It was something I never imagined coming. God has ways only He can comprehend, which He later on reveals to us in unexpected ways, all in His time.

Let us commend those who have been brave to face life, eager to learn, live and love. They serve as inspiration to us. They demonstrate God's grace and love, making us realize that God really exists. They show us how trusting Him completely truly works. And so, may we learn to take that leap of faith. May we bear in mind that He is always in control. May we never forget to thank and pray for those who help and pray for us, especially in times of need. May we trust and hope in the Lord. Pray always.

Daily Digest #23

Keep His statutes and His commandments . . . that it may go well with you and with your children after you. —Deuteronomy 4:40

May we praise and worship God for the love He's been pouring out to us in spite of all our sins and shortcomings. His love is above any other human loving that has ever existed. May we be inspired by and learn from His love -- a love that is patient and kind; does not envy or boast; not proud; not rude; not self-seeking; not easily angered; keeps no record of wrongs; does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth; always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. A life with God never fails.

Daily Digest #22

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. —Psalm 89:1

Most of us, because of our traditions and culture, have neglected our faith. We go to church because the priests tell us to do so. We only pray when we need something badly in our lives. We often forget the praise and worship we owe our Lord in every day of our lives for the blessings, forgiveness and love He has been pouring out to us....

Some of us might ask how exactly do we do these things? I guess we could praise and worship Him, not only through prayers, but through every activity that we do with enthusiasm, with all our hearts... from getting up in the morning, to brushing our teeth, walking to the office, greeting our friends and officemates, talking on the phone, or even just doing usual work on our desks.... This may sound absurd, but we glorify God's name in every thing we do. We could even get out of the "routine" we've been dying to get rid of by simply changing our perspective on matters that seem like a roundabout. Our lives are a reflection of our trust in and love for God.

May we sing praises in our hearts. May we be a mirror of Christ to our brothers and sisters. May we pray always.

How To Stay Young

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop" And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Daily Digest #21

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. —Psalm 119:71

May we praise and thank Him for comforting us at times of grief. May we remember that we are always being taught a valuable lesson in life every time. May we not waste our time on grudge, revenge, pride, self-pity and selfishness. That might be our only opportunity to touch the other, or any other, person's life, so it is always better to make use of time in love and kindness. We are interconnected in ways unimaginable to men that we are left in awe, leaving the odds to a Greater Power. May we realize that there is a reason for everything. And so, may God bless us and all our words, actions and thoughts today.

Daily Digest #20

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! —1 John 3:1

The best place to find love is not in another person but in a book, the Bible. The Bible tells of God's great love for us. This is expressed in what my friend called the best love note she had ever received. It's found in John 3:16.

For God so loVed the world,
That He gAve
His onLy
BegottEn
SoN
That whoever
Believes In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life.

I guess that says it all. I used to believe that Valentine's Day is an occasion invented by people to make others feel like crap hehehe. But hey, here's the good news! A life with God makes everyday a Heart's Day!

May we experience the full presence of the Lord in our lives, so that we may reciprocate His grace, love and kindness to our brothers and sisters.

Daily Digest #19

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. —Psalm 51:12

I don't know why, but the passage today reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3....

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.

I guess it's trying to tell me that it is ok not to be ok sometimes... We are often disheartened by trials that all we see is pain, loneliness, heartache and injustice. It really doesn't matter which of these happen to settle in our hearts. What matters most is how we react to these emotions. We sometimes lose faith because our wishes were not granted, a loved one abandoned us, or other people were cruel to us. We blame others, or even God for bearing such a heavy load. But what comfort it is to feel His presence during these trying times! The more hardships we experience, the more we need to get ourselves closer to God. It is God's way of reminding us that He is always in control, that we need to remain faithful to Him. The wise say hardship is a state of mind, and I agree. Because hardship with God is never hard at all... for he carries the load for us once we lift it up to Him. He knows our wishes and pains even when we don't say. He is always trying to teach us something. It is not about learning to calm the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

May we pray for patience and a clean heart so that our faith is renewed. May we learn to pray "Thy will be done" for He knows everything and will never lead us elsewhere but towards Him. May we be reminded of His love and grace at all times.

Daily Digest #18

Husbands . . . dwell with [your wives] with understanding . . . that your prayers may not be hindered. —1 Peter 3:7

We know that marriage is the most intimate relationship God has blessed us with. But the virtues are almost the same in every other relationship we can possibly have -- with our real friends and our siblings.

No friendship can work without understanding or without going through any challenge to know the other person more. No sisterhood or brotherhood can survive without patience, love and support for one another. Not just because the same blood runs in our veins should we be responsible for each other. We were made family for a reason, no matter how hard it is to accept sometimes hehe. We all have our differences, and I guess the first step to build a stronger relationship is to completely accept the other for what he or she is. I've learned this firsthand from my favorite "patience" practice buddy... my sister. I have failed my tests with her numerous times... I once asked God the moment she left, have i passed the test on patience? I got my answer 3 months later when she came back.... I got a big NO (with echoes). I laughed at myself for having realized this. I even thought she was the one with issues, but I did. I realized that I have not really accepted her completely, as what I've claimed before. I guess we can only hope and pray for the other person to change, but never insist on it. God made us exactly who we are for His purpose. That's my daily mantra nowadays...

May God bless all our relationships. May He always act as a mediator to strengthen the ties that bind us. With His help, may we pass all the tests so we could appreciate and honor each other more, thus serve Him righteously.

Daily Digest #17

Faithful are the wounds of a friend. —Proverbs 27:6

Oftentimes, we perceive comments and corrections to our behavior as personal attacks. There are moments when we're so negative, that everything we see or hear is bad, and we tend to talk or fight back, even just inside our heads.... We have to give some things the benefit of the doubt. There's a big and obvious difference between constructive criticism and plain self-righteousness and sarcasm. With humility and prayer, may we learn to sort out the ones that could improve us from the ones that put us down. It's all a matter of perspective. This also stands as a test not only to us, but to our friends as well, thus telling us who among them are true....

May we thank and pray for those who have courage to correct us -- not to provoke, but to help us realize our faults and suggest ways to improve ourselves. May we pray for patience and understanding to those who simply attack us to feel good about themselves. May we pray that God strengthens our faith so we would not be overcome by bitterness, insecurity, vengeance or hatred. May we seek peace inside and around us.

3900 Saturday Mornings

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job.. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every sing le marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."

"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.

And so, as one smart bear once said..."If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh

God bless, everyone! Happy weekend!


Forwarded by Mama. Thanks! Mwah!

Your Love Is Extravagant

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel like moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place
Your love is extravagant

Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is the love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again....

Words and music by Casting Crowns

A Valentine Message

*** To My Friends Who Are ***
SINGLE

Love is like a butterfly.
The more you chase it, the more it eludes you.
But if you just let it fly, it will come to you when you least expect it.
Love can make you happy but often it hurts,
but love's only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it.
So take your time and choose the best.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
NOT SO SINGLE

Love isn't about becoming somebody else's "perfect person."
It's about finding someone who helps you
become the best person you can be.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
PLAYBOYS/PLAYGIRLS

Never sa y "I love you" if you don't care.
Never talk about feelings if they aren't there.
Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart.
Never look in the eye when all you do is lie.
The cruelest thing a guy can do to a girl is to let her fall in love
when he doesn't intend to catch her fall and it works both ways...


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
MARRIED

Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry".
Not "where are you", but "I'm right here."
Not "how could you", but "I understand."
Not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are."


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
ENGAGED

The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together
but how good you are for each other.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
HEARTBROKEN

Heartbreaks last as long as you want and
cut as deep as you allow them to go.
The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks but to learn from them.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
NAIVE

How to be in love: Fall but don't stumble, be consistent but not too persistent, share and never be unfair, understand and try not to demand, and get hurt but never keep the pain.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
POSSESSIVE

It breaks your heart to see the one you love is happy with someone else but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
AFRAID TO CONFESS

Love hurts when you break up with someone.
It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you.
But love hurts the most when the person you love has no idea how you feel.


*** To My Friends Who Are ***
STILL HOLDING ON

A sad thing about life is when you meet someone and fall in love,
only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be
and that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it.
If he isn't worth it now he's not going to be worth it
a year or 10 years from now.
Let go.....

TO ALL MY FRIENDS

My wish for you is a man/woman whose love is honest, strong,
mature, never-changing, uplifting, protective,
encouraging, rewarding and unselfish.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

What is your definition of love?

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. ~John 14:2 NLT

A healthy definition of love is crucial to understanding the central message of the Bible. According to the Bible, love is not confined to sexuality, not is it primarily a feeling at all. The Bible teaches that love is a commitment. As a commitment, love is not dependent of good feelings, but rather on a consistent and courageous decision to extend oneself for the well-being of another. That commitment then produces good feelings, not the other way around. Jesus became the perfect demonstration of God's unconditional love for us by laying down his life for our benefit.

adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1227

The love we give away is the only love we keep. ~ELBERT HUBBARD

Love is not something you feel. It's something you do. ~DAVID WILKERSON

Daily Digest #16

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. —Proverbs 4:23

When I started grumbling and cursing at the tiniest matters around me -- a speeding motorcycle driver who almost hit me, after which I started greeting others with a frown -- I knew something was wrong. This was exactly what happened to me early this morning, and I carry a feeling of piercing guilt and shame just typing this now. Much more when I asked myself today’s question, “am I really tending the garden of my heart?” I see weeds and gravel!!! I've always been the type of person who speaks her heart out. Sometimes I get irritable and lose control of myself that I fail to think about the consequences of my aloofness and impatience. I do not wish to go back to my old self, who cared for no one but herself. I guess it's really important to assess one's self from time to time...

And so, may we pray to God that we learn to tend the garden of our hearts. That we may not be carried away by our mood swings so that we would not hurt somebody else's feelings. We might say we didn't intend for those things to happen, but still. They may forget what we’ve said or done, but they will never forget how we made them feel. Ouch.... May we truly repent for our sins. May we learn to make up for our mistakes and shortcomings. May we look up to Him at all times and never forget to pray.

Daily Digest #15

Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. —Psalm 26:1

Prayer requests and pleas are all too common for us that we forget the real purpose of prayer. May God shower us with patience, so we may truly hear His answers to our prayers. May we remember that God always sees and hears -- that He is the One who will judge those who have wronged us, and the One who will judge us when we have wronged others. May we seek His wisdom so we may think and act according to His will. We all know that the more we strive to follow Him, the more obstacles we seem to meet along the way. I, for instance, often encounter situations and people that really test my patience, and I admit I do not have much. That's why we need His constant guidance, so that we may not be carried away by our emotions or be driven by human standards, and thus, see things in His perspective and not ours.

Daily Digest #14

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for [Jesus] to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. —Luke 9:51

We are often shaken by the simplest things moving around us. The fact that these things (people, nature, or just about anything other than ourselves) are moving on their own keeps them out of our hands. And we always try to control things as we want. At these times, we forget who is truly in charge.

May we learn to pray to God "Thy will be done" at all times, completely trusting Him and not turning back to our "what ifs" and "should've-could've-would've beens". May we learn to humble ourselves by admitting that we are incapable of so many things, much more than what we think. May we trust in His ways, no matter how senseless they seem now. May we keep looking up to Him and let His glory rule our lives.

Daily Digest #13

The master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. —Matthew 18:27

I hope we all get to reflect on the passage today, especially now that the world is so much driven by money and power. May we learn to pray for detachment from worldly things. Should we be blessed by these riches, may we use them unselfishly. I know it seems absurd to say because temptation is always there, and we always tell ourselves "it's only human" or “I deserve it” to make an excuse for our actions or decisions. It's very hard not be selfish even for a moment, no matter how noble our intensions are. But we've witnessed so many who have turned away from God because of power and wealth, and it's pretty scary. With prayer, may we always remind ourselves what His grace and mercy mean to our lives. May we forgive others as He has forgiven us in spite of our sinfulness. May we learn to store up riches in heaven instead of riches on earth.

Who Am I

Over time You’ve healed so much in me
And I am living proof
That although my darkest hour had come
Your light could still shine through
And though at times it’s just enough to cast
A shadow on the wall
Well, I am grateful that You shine your light on me at all

Well, amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind, but now I see
And the more I sing that sweet old song the more I understand
That I do not comprehend this love that’s coming from Your hand

Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that is greater than all our sin

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
Amazing love, now flowing down
From hands and feet that were nailed to the tree
His grace flows down and covers me.

Who am I that You would love me so gently?
Who am I that You would recognize my name?
Lord, who am I that You would speak to me so softly
Conversation with the love most high
Who am I?
Lord, who am I?

Words and Music by Watermark

Learning From Flowers

Why go on fighting

Reader Gerson Luiz tells the story of a rose that longed for the company of the bees, but none would come to her.

Even so, the flower was still capable of dreaming. When she felt all alone, she would imagi­ne a garden filled with bees that came to kiss her. And so she managed to resist until the next day, when she opened her petals again.

“Aren’t you tired?” someone must have asked her.

“No. I have to go on fighting,” answered the flower.

“Why?”

“Because if I don’t open up, I wither.”

Learning to see

Buddha gathered his disciples and showed them a lotus flower.

“I want you to tell me something about what I hold in my hand.”

The first gave a whole treaty on the importance of flowers. The second composed a lovely poem about its petals. The third invented a parable using the flower as an example.

Now it was Mahakashyap’s turn. He came up to Buddha, smelt the flower, and caressed his face with one of the petals.

“This is a lotus flower,” said Mahakashyap. “Simple, like everything that comes from God. And beautiful, like everything that comes from God.”

“You were the only one who saw what I hold in my hand,” was Buddha’s comment.

In search of a wise man

For days the couple traveled almost without speaking. Finally they arrived in the middle of the forest, and found the wise man.

“My companion said almost nothing to me during the whole journey,” said the young man.

“A love without silence is a love without depth,” answered the wise man.

“But she didn’t even say that she loved me!”

“Some people always claim that. And we end up wondering if their words are true.”

The three of them sat down on a rock. The wise man pointed to the field of flowers all around them.

“Nature isn’t always repeating that God loves us. But we realize that through His flowers.”

In the flower shop

The woman was strolling through a shopping mall when she noticed a poster announcing a new flower shop. When she went in, she got a shock; she saw no vases, no arrangements, and it was God in person who stood behind the counter.

“You can ask for whatever you want,” said God.

“I want to be happy. I want peace, money, the capacity to be understood. I want to go to heaven when I die. And I want all this to be granted to my friends too.”

God opened a few pots that were on the shelf behind him, removed some grains from inside, and handed them to the woman.

“Here you have the seeds,” He said. “Begin to plant them, because here we don’t sell the fruits.”

From Paulo Coelho's Warrior of the Light subscription, dated 8 February 2008.

Daily Digest #12

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. —2 Corinthians 5:20

Sometimes it's more of a struggle for Christians following Jesus' steps because of fear of judgment. We are worried about what others might think or say about us. We are restless that we are being watched by others, searching for our tiniest flaws so they could criticize us... And this we do to others also, I'm sure. But why aren’t we more concerned about the God who sees and hears everything? Why do we even bother ourselves with others’ opinions, and sometimes even confusing theirs with who we truly are, when He is the One with the last say come judgement day?

Judging others is so human in nature that we forget to judge ourselves first.... We are like hypocrites talking and "showing" everybody how godly our deeds and words are, but we know that pride, greed, judgment, envy and other evil thoughts still linger inside us.... We know we are not perfect... but we will be made perfect in God's will and time.... That is why we are reminded always to pray, to give thanks for all our blessings, to repent for all our sins, to forgive, and above all, to love.... Only then can we truly start following Christ.

Daily Digest #11

Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. —Exodus 18:24

Sabi nga, "laging makinig sa nakakatanda"... Some of us might even start a debate on this, especially those who believe that older people are not always right. Thing is, sometimes they are. And if we set our minds to the prior statement, that they're not always right, we'll miss the moments when they are telling us the right ones at the right moment... I think the advantage of older people is the weight of the advice they give... There's "experience" already attached to it, which makes them more credible sometimes.

I believe God sends His messages through other people... He speaks to us through others -- some old, some young, some our own age -- and sometimes even from our own mouths/hearts. Let's pray to the Lord that He may bless us with perception, that we may see or hear His message, no matter what form they arrive.

Daily Digest #10

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes . . . . There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. —Revelation 21:4

I praise Him for getting me through weeks of menopause-like stage (i really don't know what to call it, there's too many changes and mixed emotions involved)... Out of nowhere, anxieties and doubts started to cloud my mind. I had several sleepless nights, leaving me short-tempered and tired the next day. But the experience taught me a number of things... about myself, my choices, my plans, people around me who have been angels in this time of despair. Many times in those few weeks did i ask for help or a sign that God was listening to me, and every time, He sent something or someone... and I'm grateful that He has blessed me with the perception I prayed for.... Thank you for those who have continuously prayed for me... I, too, am praying for you. The power of prayer has proven itself infinitely that it would be hard not to practice it.

There's too much to learn about oneself. I doubt that I've surpassed even a quarter of the journey yet. But somehow, I realize how great God has worked in each of our lives... much more if we let Him in with open arms. Right now, I'm filled with awe, remembering how I felt a few days back, and how I'm feeling now which I did not even imagine happening so soon. He truly listens.

I write this testimony to glorify His name, and to remind me should I fall down again. I'm just so happy that I am back and full of thirst for life again. I hope I have imparted the lessons I've learned especially to those who are going through the same stage. I'm glad to be able to smile once again, and really smile. True happiness does come from deep inside.