New Year is the most common time to share memories and visions. Most people post on social media pictures of self or family and vows to become better versions or to leave the past behind. The pattern? We usually share good stuff or victories amidst the difficulties, but we don’t expose the hard stuff: our own pains, defeats, brokenness, heartaches, unresolved issues, name it. I always wonder, why can’t we just show the hard stuff the way we project the…
Lord, please take the pain away. It’s too deep. Is it more painful to know the cause or just know nothing at all? Wounds weren’t in my language because people taught me to forgive, forget, and let go. Did I really forgive, or just buried the sorrow beneath the deep wells of my heart? I never knew its existence. I was that strong person, the conqueror. Where is the fighter who wins battles? Where is the mind that understands? I…
New year’s resolution. This term already evolved into other words such as plans and goals, but nothing’s really new, right? No matter how we name it, it still has something to do with changes from last year. Interestingly, we get more and more creative in making plans and goals every year. We categorize them into fitness, financial, career, fashion, travel, personal development and a lot more. We even do retreats to have a fresh perspective on what we really want…
As we shift our calendars to another year, we also have listed the things we want to leave behind. Some of us even want to forget everything and move on. Forget your worst nightmares, mistakes, and regrets. Try to forget your offenders and the face of your worst enemy. Remove the thorns of the hurtful words and offensive actions from your heart. Bury the guilt when you slapped someone unintentionally or raised your tone. Forgive others and yourself when you…
Last week, I felt really disappointed with God. I questioned Him a lot because my life seems pointless. Bakit walang nangyayari sa buhay ko? (Why does my life remain stagnant?) Bakit kailangan ko pa pagdaanan ang depression, na humadlang sa akin para umasenso? (Why do I need to go through depression, which forced me to leave my job and prevented me to have a good career?) To borrow the words of Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, I suddenly felt my…
This year, I started feeling that Christmas will be another ordinary day. As someone who experiences feelings of depression at certain times, I usually wonder why I’m losing excitement over parties, gift-giving, and other traditional gatherings. In one of my reflections, I realized that I grew tired in keeping all these practices. I might sound like a killjoy, but these things don’t appeal that much to me anymore and led me to think that Christmas is not about us. Reasons…
For the past weeks, we’ve been going through healing, starting with acknowledging that we need a healer, knowing the importance of rest, and seeing the importance of forgiveness. I slowly realized that to see change in your life, you need to have a continuous healing process. But before seeing the change, we need to merely change these things: Changing our Lenses Since two weeks ago, I experienced tension headaches or stiffness starting from my upper back crawling to my head….
Last week, my friend wrote about forgiveness. After reading it twice, or thrice, I found myself asking this question: why is it hard to forgive? During the Living Waters Leadership Training, one of the speakers discussed forgiveness, a topic I thought I am very much familiar with. As much as possible, I try not to hold grudges against people who hurt me, and I know I already forgave them. Growing up knowing that forgiveness is a command and even part…
After I came back from the Living Waters Leadership Training 2018, I really appreciated the importance of rest as I felt refreshed, recharged, and raring to go back to the normal things I do. I thought one week of rest was enough and already extravagant. After all, I needed to catch up with deadlines. The following Monday, I’ve set my mind to work but I was having a hard time. The struggle continued throughout the week and I never seemed…
October 28 to November 3, 2018 became a major turning point of my life. I joined the Living Waters Leadership Training 2018 (LWLT 2018) because I wanted to learn how to share and start the healing process in our church and community. I decided that for the month of November, I’ll be writing about my experiences and reflections during that week. I’ll borrow the term “No Shame November” from my friend (hi, Kuya Jo!). Start the Healing Process From the…