MRT at ang byahe ng buhay

Ang buhay ng tao parang pagbyahe gamit ang MRT.
Ang mga taong hindi nananampalataya, palaging nagmamadali. Gusto laging mauna, nakikipag-gitgitan para makasakay. Minsan nga nananakit pa para lang mauna.

Ganyan ang buhay ng taong walang Hesus sa kanyang buhay. Aapakan ang lahat ng taong nakahambalang sa kanyang daan tungo sa kanyang ninanais na pangarap.

Ang isang Kristiyano, hindi nagmamadali. Marunong magpa-ubaya, marunong magparaya. Kahit na mali-late siya sa pupuntahan niya, hindi yan naiinis at pasensya'y patuloy na pinahahaba.

Dahil alam niya na kahit ano pang gawin niya, ang Diyos lamang ang maaaring magdesisyon ng tagumpay niya. Kaya hindi siya sa sarili niyang lakas umaasa, kundi sa tinig ng Panginoon na kanyang naririnig sa pamamagitan ng Biblia. :)

Life as an Amazing Race; A Personal Devotion

Read: James 1:1-8

"Kerlyn, maging maligaya ka kapag nakakaranas ka ng mga pagsubok. Parte yan nang proseso upang mahubog kita kung sino ka ayon sa aking anak na si Jesus." - God

Ang buhay ng Kristyano ay parang Amazing Race; maraming kang challenges na dapat mapagtagumpayan. Pagtapos mo sa isa, meron agad kasunod, para bang hindi natatapos at nauubos lahat ng pagsubok. Parang ang layo-layo mo palagi sa pinapangarap mong finish line.

Just like a race, life is a series of tests. Test of strength, endurance, courage, patience, discipline, strategy and perseverance. Pero there is one thing that we should never loose when facing life's challenges: our FAITH IN GOD. You might be the strongest player in the race, you might be 1005 physically prepared for the challenges but when your spirit is weak, you cannot conquer life's challenges. Our earthly body is weak, it gets tired but God's love for us endures forever, all we need to do is have faith.

When you have faith in God, you build a relationship with Him.
When you have relationship with him, you discover your life's purpose.
When you have a purpose for living, you have direction.
And if you have direction, you'll always be on the right track to your finish line --- SALVATION.

Ang kaibahan lang ng buhay Kristyano sa Amazing race ay yung prizes. Kapag dun ka nanalo magkaka-iba nang prize, pag mahina ka baka wala ka pa ngang consolation prize. Sa buhay nating mga Kristyano, iisa lang ang presyo -- BUHAY NA WALANG HANGGAN.

Pagdating sa finish line, it is not about just winning...It is all about "how" you've win.

Perfectly Imperfect

“Accept each other as Christ accepted you; then God will be glorified.” Romans 5:17

In your journey of discovering your purpose in life, you will meet different kinds of people. There will be people who will remain true to you and there will be people who are good to you when they want something from you. People will love you, people will hurt you. People will value you and some will just use you. For sure, those people who do good things for you will be easily put on your "Beloved list". How about those who have hurt you? Will you hate them forever?

I want to share to you a story on how I tried to discover what God was trying to teach me on one of the most difficult people I have encountered in my life so far. ("So far" because I know after this, He'll give me more difficult people to be with, well its part of the test) 

I consider this person difficult because he knows me when he needs me. Yes, a user-friendly kind of person. Even though he was mad at me, he has the guts to ask me to help him do some of his stuffs. Of course in the beginning I don't know that he hates me to the bones. So I have no idea what he has in mind while I am being the good-helping-girl who does my best just to help him out. To cut the story short, God allowed some things to happen to let me know what kind of person this man was. 

This man hates me because he feels jealous about me ( I won't elaborate why, for some personal reasons and because I really don't know enough reason why he should hate me). As a human, I felt betrayed, I felt used and abused. I underwent a series of depression. At church, I was told to forgive those who sinned against me so that God will also forgive me (Mat 6:14-15). So I tried to forgive him and pretended I wasn't hurt. Actually, he has no idea what was happening to me that I already discovered his true feelings towards me. 

The story didn't stopped there. It happened not just once, twice, it happened a lot of times. I got depressed again, felt bitterness and resentments towards him. During the hardest part of depression, I realized that I have been trying my best to forgive him. Why can't I? I kept on trying my best to be the best person that I can be towards him but he kept on disregarding all my efforts. I felt I wasn't appreciated after all those things that I have done for him. 

I kept on praying to God to help me forgive him. That may he reveal to me what was it that He was trying to teach me. I realized that if I will not succeed in this test (test of love towards others) I will not succeed in my journey to live like Christ.

It is today that I was reading Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life that I found what was God trying to teach me for almost three years now. I was in the 7th day of the forty days devotional book, and the topic was about how we believers can bring glory to God. I was struck on the second reason, it says "We bring glory by loving other believers. When you were born again, you became a part of God's family. Following Christ is not just a matter of believing; it also includes belonging and learning to love the family of God...It is your responsibility to learn how to love as God does, because God is love, and it honors Him."

I just felt an overwhelming feeling as I read the paragraph about loving others. For me, I took it not for believers only but also for the pre-believers (I don't want to use the term "Unbelievers" because I am hoping that God will let them be believers as well, credit goes to Bishop Manny Carlos of VCF). I realized that God has been loving me for who I am. He accepted me without even making me feel guilty of my past life (Heb 10:17). 

What I lacked in my heart is God's graciousness towards me. I am a sinner, but still he chose to love me and even I continuously sin he still loves me (Eph 2:4-5). It is because of God's grace that I am saved. I forgot that I was once a drunkard, a smoker, and all the bad things you can call me, but God chose to love me. God made me realized that in order for me to forgive that person, I should think first on how God forgave me and love me, so that I may know what His grace is all about. 

There are always difficult people that we will encounter in our life. Difficult people are those who love to push your button of anger. They can be your parent, a sibling, a friend, an in-law, a neighbor or even a random people that you meet at school, workplace or even at church.

God allows us to sin, so we may know how it is to be forgiven;

God allows us to get hurt so we may know how it is to forgive.

I am not perfect, so was that person who have hurt me. I am God's child, so was he. So what is the reason I cannot love him? :) I just realized that life is a series of tests. And this encounter with this man is one of God's test for me. Today, I choose to forgive him not partially, but fully! I choose to love him as God loves me. Not because I need to, but because God wants me to and by loving him, God is glorified (Rom 15:7). I am not doing this for myself, but I am doing this for God. :)

Photo from: http://www.zazzle.com

God created us as perfectly imperfect people so we may know that by His grace alone, we are saved (Eph 2:8-9). 

A Celebration of Life

"Your people will rise to life! Tell them to leave their graves and celebrate with shouts. You refresh the earth like morning dew; you give life to the dead." - Isaiah 26:19


When my mother died on June 21, 2011 our hearts died with her. Our relatives gathered in our home to weep and to mourn with us. It was never easy to lose a faithful wife, a loving mother, an understanding sister and a helpful friend.

Jocelyn L. Rufino (June 4, 1955 - June 21, 2011)

If I were to choose people who is suffering from the pain of losing my mom the most, it was my father. They have been married for 27 years, had six children and fulfilled their dreams together. My father is a marine engineer and he is working in different cargo vessels that travels around the world. You get it right, they have spent the most of their years apart. My father on board and my mom a housewife.

It's very hard to manage a long distance relationship but with God's grace my parents did it well, but it was all for our sake. I once heard my dad telling this to my brother, "Tumanda na lang ako sa barko kakatrabaho para sa inyo, hindi ko man lang naalagaan yung nanay niyo". ("I wasn't able to take care of your mom because I have been working all this time for your sake".) He was crying while saying those words angrily.

I know how much my father loved our mother. If only he can be with mama now, he would. My father did his best to give my mom the best life she could ever have. A good and comfortable home, some properties, enough amount of money to sustain our needs and her medication, and some properties. I have seen in my father's eyes how painful it is to accept the loss of her "Partner" and "Sweetheart".The most painful is, my mother wasn't able to tell papa the words "I love you" even before she died. Yes, she never said those words on the 27 years of their marriage. But she never failed to show how much he loved papa.

My papa, me, my siblings, all our relatives and friends' hearts died when she passed away.

Here in the Philippines, we have a belief that when a person died, he still have 40 days to stay here on earth before he goes up to heaven. On that 40th day, the relatives of the one who passed away will gather to celebrate his last day on earth and his ascending to heaven.

I was 8 months pregnant when mama died and I am expecting to give birth last week of July. On my 38th week prenatal check up, my OB said that I might overdue because of my small cervical opening and high baby bump. Every day I walked long distances so my baby will go down and prepare his way out of this world.

A week before my mom's 40th day, we are planning what foods to prepare and the program to do. I even joined my titas to do some errands and to buy the groceries and supplies that we will be needing for the celebration.

I am not too worried of my pregnancy since I can still give birth first week of August since it is my 41st week. July 29, 2011, my mom's 39th day on earth, my water sack leaked. I texted my OB and told her that few liquids are flowing in my vagina. She told me to go to the clinic immediately.

Calmly, I packed all my things my baby and I will need. I told the people in our house that I am still unsure if I will give birth that day. But God has His plans for us, unexpectedly, I gave birth to a bouncing beautiful baby girl on that day at 1:37 in the afternoon.

Frances Josielaine R. Bobadilla

Some people said "Sayang hindi na siya nakita ng lola niya" "Too bad, her grandmother wasn't able to see her". But I said to myself, "She did see my baby, I gave birth a day before she finally goes up to heaven".

God has plans for all of us. He may not brought my mom back from her grave, but He sent an angel to be born on earth. He refreshed our hearts and lives for giving us a precious blessing during the time that we are mourning. Indeed, God gave life to our hearts that died when we lost our mom.

My mother died and became our angel, and an angel was brought to life! My baby is my father's angel. I can see in his eyes how happy he is when he first held my baby in his hands. My baby is his source of joy and his new found source of hope and inspiration.

On my mom's 40th day, we are all celebrating. Celebrating for the loss of a loved one that will go up to heaven, and for a blessing that came down from heaven.                                                             

Our Lord moves in our lives in the most unexpected moments, and for this Lord I give you all my praises and thanks!

Our loss is God's gain.


God bless you all! :)

Letter

 LETTER FROM SATAN (DARK LETTER)

…PAY ATTENTION TO THE P.S. at the end.

Letter from the Devil

This can really make you think. It actually made me really mad while I was reading it, but it made me realize some things.

Plus, I had to send it because of the P.S.

This is deep… and I wasn’t going to forward or share it, but that last line… you’ll see.

A LETTER TO YOU FROM SATAN

I saw you yesterday as you began your daily chores.

You awoke without kneeling to pray. As a matter of fact, you didn’t even bless your meals, or pray before going to bed last night.

You are so unthankful, I like that about you.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have not changed your way of living, Fool, you are mine.

Remember, you and I have been going steady for years, and I still don’t love you yet.

As a matter of fact, I hate you, because I hate God.

He kicked me out of heaven, and I’m going to use you as long as possible to pay him back.

You see, Fool, GOD LOVES YOU and HE has great plans in store for you.

But you have yielded your life to me, and I’m going to make your life a living hell.

That way, we’ll be together twice. This will really hurt God.

Thanks to you, I’m really showing Him who’s boss in your life with all of the good times we’ve had.

We have been…

watching dirty movies, cursing people out, loving worldly things, having bad influences, stealing, lying, being hypocritical, fornicating, overeating, telling dirty jokes, gossiping, being judgmental, back stabbing people, disrespecting adults, and those in leadership positions, no respect for the Church, bad attitudes.

SURELY you don’t want to give all this up.

Come on, Fool, let’s burn together forever. I’ve got some hot plans for us. This is just a letter of appreciation from me to you.

I’d like to say ‘THANKS’ for letting me use you for most of your foolish life.

You are so gullible, I laugh at you. When you are tempted to sin, you give in.

HA HA HA, you make me sick.

Sin is beginning to take its toll on your life. You look 20 years older, and now, I need new blood.

So go ahead and teach some children how to sin.

All you have to do is smoke, get drunk or drink while under-aged, cheat, gamble, gossip, fornicate, and live being as selfish as possible.

Do all of this in the presence of children and they will do it too. Kids are like that.

Well, Fool, I have to let you go for now. I’ll be back in a couple of seconds to tempt you again. If you were smart, you would run somewhere, confess your sins, and live for God with what little bit of life that you have left.

It’s not my nature to warn anyone, but to be your age and still sinning, it’s becoming a bit ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I still hate you.

IT’S JUST THAT YOU’D MAKE A BETTER FOOL FOR CHRIST.

P.S. If you love me, you won’t share this


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I saw this on Facebook, and it scared me so. But there's something within me that tells me not to be afraid. For God is always with me and He will not give up to win my soul! :) As well as the souls of millions of people who doesn't know Him yet.

Brothers and Sisters, Jesus loves you and He will never be tired of loving you. For God is FOR YOU! :)


It is not too late to know Him better and to accept Him as your god and your personal savior. 


REMEMBER, GOD IS FOR YOU! 



Click this if your heart says, "I WANT TO BE SAVED" :)

Open your heart, and let God show you the way.

A friend of mine recommended this online comic series to me and I found it really interesting. A true story of a former Jesuit priest turned to a Christian Pastor named, Alberto Rivera.

As a Jesuit, Alberto helped destroy churches and ministries. But as he read the Scriptures, he saw that Catholicism couldn't save.

You can read more about the story by clicking here or here.

Spend some of your time to read the 12 series of his story and it is worth the time.

Open your heart and let God show you the way.

God bless everyone! :)