Showing posts with label reflections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflections. Show all posts

Thursday, April 5, 2012

In God's Own Time



This should be the mantra of those who say they trust in God---a measure of FAITH.  Do what needs to be done and God will do the rest.

The need for more is man's self made predicament.  Man is an INSATIABLE being.  Whenever we have something in excess we change our lifestyles and spend until we find ourselves under again.  It's a vicious cycle really.  Oh, I have had my own downs and have fallen in this trap a couple of times already and what I learned is that when you're already in it you just have to suck it up and try to crawl out of the rubble of debt.  Come to think of it, many of us are not far off from the woes of a sampaguita vendor---just different levels of need---but NEEDS just the same.  

"God will provide," that's what I always say.  However, Divine Providence does not come when you expect it.  Ironically, more problems usually come your way.  Well, we can't complain to God, right?  We complain at the "injustice" of whatever situation we're in.  The workplace is where many injustices happen so let's focus there.

From my time as a service crew, to being part of the store management team, up to my time at the corporate office, financial growth has always been an issue.  We were unionized when I was a service crew and the yearly increase was a consistent argument at the CBA bargaining.   Naturally, the union always wanted more.  When I became a manager the merit increase was based on performance but that too had its own controversy.  Then there's the matter of promotion.

Promotion is based on performance and competence.  It also depends on the company budget.  But as they say some people have all the luck.  These are those who get promoted minus the exemplary performance and the competence to do the job.  Personally, I pity them since they would eventually look silly sitting on a position they are not cut out for.  This is an HR problem that really boggles the mind.  But that's a discussion for another topic.  Conversely, it is also disturbing to hear of people asking for a promotion.  It is not something you ask for.  It is given as a recognition for good work.  The one who should recognize this is the superior.  When a subordinate seeks for a promotion it is a major turn-off to the superior.  But I guess that's what happens when family finances can no longer be satisfied by the yearly merit increase.

In my opinion, it's either you wait your turn to go up the corporate ladder or seek another job that will give you this opportunity.  You can do this internally or get out of the company and find another that wil provide your corporate aspirations and the financial gain it entails.  Otherwise, just do your job well and God will do the rest---in His own good time.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

A Lenten Reflection: The Parable of the Talents



Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until we we've lost them.  Let us not be like the lazy servant who did nothing with what we had and squandered the opportunity to gain more.

God gave us our own opportunities (big and small) in life but what to do with them is something that only WE can decide on.  The chance to go to school is one such opportunity.  


Making good in school IS A CHOICE.

As a parent there is nothing more rewarding that seeing your children do well in school.  A good report card and an   exemplary test result definitely makes all the toiling more meaningful.  I have had my share of proud moments with my own children.  Any good news from school is definitely added fuel to my inspiration to provide for my family and negates all the frustrations and hardships that go with work. I'm sure this is how my brother and sister-in-law felt when they heard of their son's academic accomplishment.

I'm very proud of my nephew, Reujen, who chose the high road and received a scholarship grant for his academic excellence.  Other than that he was also hailed as a model student in terms of deportment.  

Let us not liken ourselves with the servant who buried his talent.  God is an entrepreneur and expects a return of his investment.  In the end what we want Him to tell us is---
"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

Saturday, August 21, 2010

God's Counsel

I firmly believe that I am where I am today because God guided me there.

All the major decisions in my life I have asked God's counsel and as far as I'm concerned He has led me to a path that gave me the opportunity to grow and provide for my family's basic needs (a man's got to eat, right?).

I say opportunity because God did not give it to me on a silver platter. I had gone through a lot of hardships to get to where I am now. "Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa." Well, God found merit in my hard work and it did not come overnight. I'm talking about blood, sweat and tears hear brotha! It was a test of faith and persistence.

Anyway, I have come to realize that God does not answer immediately. He bids His time and, well, He's actually got the whole time in the world, right? So I learned to be patient---VERY PATIENT. After all, I am not God's only child. So, I take my place in a very long queue and wait my turn.

As I've mentioned in my previous blog that you need to be attuned to God's signs. I'm sure I'm not one of the favored ones to whom He speaks to directly and He can't be burning bushes in this day and age. Me, I just pray and pray and pray and pray some more until He manifests His wisdom in some form or another.

This morning I had a dream. It's kind of incomprehensible at best. Maybe God realized that I'm really not that intelligent so when I took to the john and reading my book, a quotation struck me. Really? Well, let's see how this pans out...

Friday, August 13, 2010

Burning Bush No More

In this day and age, God no longer has the luxury of burning bushes to talk to his people---lest He wanted to get someone locked up for arson.

God is omnipresent. He is in everyone and everything. He has is Divine Hand in every situation and every event. Hence, when we speak to God during our prayers His answer can be as subtle as the falling of a leaf. The thing is we need to be a believer of His presence for us to be able to catch on to what He is telling us.

I do believe that there is no such thing as consequences. Consequences are God's anonymous interventions in our lives. He can answer our prayers through your friends, family members, co-workers, and even your scheming enemy. The thing is, God does not provide solutions to our problems. He gives us options. In the end---everything will be in our hands. Free will, remember?

However, our relationship with God should not be forged only during times of crisis. He should not just play the helpdesk to our troubles but more importantly He should be the guide in our lives.

Life is not meant to be perfect but everyday is a gift which is why it is called the present. Have faith that God is always watching over us. In each of our burden He walks with us and lifts us up every time we falter. Little that we know---He carries us most of the time.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Message of Christ's Sacrifice


Love. That is the meaning behind Christ's sacrifice on the cross. God loved us so much that He sacrificed His own Son to cleanse us from our sins and give us another chance to be under His glorious shadow.

It is therefore our purpose as Christians to share the same love to our fellow men---not necessarily having ourselves nailed to the cross---but to give the same unquestioning love to those in need of it.

The cliche "love your enemies" is easier said than done. However, we must always remember that love does come with some degree of sacrifice. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the love. Let us also admit that, enemies not withstanding, they do have their share in making us who we are. The very purpose of their existence in our lives mold our character and make us, hopefully, better individuals.

John Lennon's political slogan "make love not war" should be our state of mind everytime we go about our daily business. Conflict is the anti-thesis of love and should be avoided as much as possible. Getting in conflict with other people will make loving a lot more harder to do. As my boss would say, "why make your life miserable?" Again, easier said than done.

No one is perfect. This is the reason why entertaining the thought of marriage needs to be a real soul searching and mind exhausting activity. Why? Well, binding your self to another person UNTIL DEATH DO YOU PART is a real serious contract stipulation!

Saying YES to the invitation of marriage would mean forever loving that person and all the imperfections that go with him/her. A person may be beautiful or handsome now but time does have its ways of turning things around. Sexy now, fat later. Macho now, pot bellied later. Which is why there is another clause in the marriage contract saying FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE. Man! God's attorney was a real stickler for details!

With LOVE there is HAPPINESS. When there's HAPPINESS there is PEACE.

A Lenten Thought

I have always thought that lent is the most boring holiday ever! During my earlier years, it was four days of doing nothing. There were only five channels during that time and all of them sign off during this time of the year. My mother was a strict Catholic and we were not allowed to play either. Well, we'd pray the rosary and go to church but you can only do so much of that when you're young and adrenaline filled. Those were the days...

Now, there's cable, PSP, Nintendo, DVD and internet. I still pray yes, but now there's more things to while the time with. Now I wonder---did it really become better? Before, you had no choice but to think about God; now God seemed to have been put in the backseat for other hedonistic enterprise.

I will not point fingers for I am a prey to these pagan rituals myselt---guilty beyond reasonable doubt! Heck, I was in a "Spartacus" marathon just a while ago!

So let me call on all of you reading this blog to just pause for a while and think of everything that we have done so far to deserve this precious gift called LIFE. Well, I did it a while ago and was hard fought in capturing only a handful. What about you?

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Christmas Reflection


During the birth of Jesus, God chose some shepherds to first receive the Good News of our Salvation. Why did God choose the poor to be the first to bear witness to the coming of the Messiah? Then I realized that people only remember to call on God during times of difficulty and tend to forget Him when times are good! God chose the poor shepherds because the birth of the Messiah will give them HOPE.

It is only a couple of hours before Christmas and as we busy ourselves with all the last minute preparations, let us pause for a moment and think of what the meaning of Christmas in our lives sans the noche buena feast and the gifts...

From my family to yours---MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Life

Life by Carlos Macarayan(1996)

Life is but a phase
A state of being
In Love...
In Pain...
In Trepidation...
The ephemeral circumstance
Of feeling...
Struggling...
Striving...
To make a difference
In this abstract existence...