Have you ever joined a contest wherein you were handed a task you know you were never good at in the first place? Since you have no choice, you gave the best that you can to do it. But during the elimination, you learned that your best is still not enough to pass on to the next level. You felt sorry for yourself when the winners were announced because you know that they gave their all to win the competition.

We all know that we can never turn back the time, what’s done cannot be undone. In this life, there is always a race and a fight that we need to win. In Spiritual Dimension, the Lord gave us unique talents and gifts through the Holy Spirit which we can use to improve and to grow. That special gift and talent is not just meant for this world’s use. We also need it to perform the mission GOD gave to us as our part in his Heavenly Kingdom.

But if we are listening to this world’s noise which the enemy uses to compete for the attention we should be giving instead to our mission, we will not win the spiritual fight. We need to say no to a lot of earthly things, to become loser in the eyes of this world for us to become a champion in the race GOD prepared for us. Imperfect in this material sphere yet Perfect in our Heavenly Father’s eyes because we choose the best – Him.

“To see is to believe”; “Begin with the end in mind”; “All things are created twice”; “What you conceive you can achieve”. These are just some of the quotes we often hear to encourage us to create a plan for our goals. When you are young and full of dreams, it’s quite easy to do so.

But somehow, when you experience a lot of disappointments and rejections, you will conclude that no matter how hard you try, if it’s not meant for us, we will never achieve that very thing we’re hoping for. If we have not yet been cynical by that time, chances are, we have been a realistic type of person who would calculate risks first before taking any actions towards any endeavor.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Only that, our imaginative side slowly fades and eventually the dreamer in us cease to exist. Faith however works in the opposite. It believes in goodness and always hopes for the best. It remains steadfast amidst trials and difficulties because it stays loyal to a cause. It is committed to do what’s right no matter how hard things are.

It is one of the greatest gifts we received from the Lord. Without faith, there is no hope. And without hope, there is darkness. If there’s darkness, there’s chaos. Thank GOD that he gave us Faith, Hope and Love. With these gifts he gave us it’s easy to manifest good things into reality with the help of the Holy Spirit.

There was a time when fighting for what you believe is worth it, but there are also times wherein you must choose your own battles. When you are nearing your golden age, you are expected to become wiser. You let petty things slide and become more considerate and forgiving. You no longer spent your precious energy on trivial matters.

There are stories in the Bible that narrates events wherein GOD seems to dismiss the sins of his chosen people (in the eyes of the unlearned person, it may look that way). But what if, he had big reasons why he seemed to disregard their sins? Have you ever been in a situation wherein you made a very big mistake, and you were thinking that you no longer deserved pardoning but instead a punishment? You wallowed in shame and thought you don’t deserve a second chance?

Our Parents, Siblings, a few trusted people including friends might understand us and accept us. But the Lord is the only Eternal Being who knows our dark sides, forgave our sins and endured with us while we’re paying the consequences of our past mistakes and still hoped that we will be transformed into his glory in the future. Only GOD deserves the best that we can offer. After all, he gave the very best we can receive – salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing more, nothing less.

Weeks ago, I heard one of our Preachers in our spiritual community mentioning variety of fruits fitted for each season – how citrus and watery fruits abounds during summer so our bodies will replenish and how apples, pears, peaches and plums is best during rainy days. He mentioned that it’s the same with our lives – we have seasons of working and waiting. My mind wandered off while listening to his preaching. I remembered a verse in the Bible about a tree that bears different fruits year-round.

As I reflect in what’s happening in my life, I can’t help but compare myself on that tree. Each of us goes through childhood, next teenage years, then adolescence, a life of vocation (whatever we choose), until we reached a ripe old age which by then we are fully matured. On each stage of our lives we are expected to be productive by being faithful – an obedient child, a discerning teenager, a steadfast adult, a person devoted to his/her calling and a wise senior citizen. We cannot do this on our own.

Just like a tree planted in a good soil near the river, we always need GOD to sustain us. With him, we will surely grow into maturity and will bear good fruit in every season of our lives.

Greed and Gluttony are two of the seven deadly sins. It doesn’t recognize the word “satisfy”, these deadly sins have no concept of “enough”. For as long as they can, both will go over boundaries just to get what they want. We recently have our internet plan downgraded to save some money which we then use to acquire a postpaid plan for our cellphones. While on the process of downgrading, we learned that the new plan includes free access to streaming app, a free internet-based cable plan and a free mobile data internet access we can use for our cellphones.

We were so elated, now, here comes the catch – whenever somebody watches the cable channels in our television, the internet access slows down to the point of being intermittent. Also, we later learned that we’ve been once more locked in with our Telecommunications / Internet Provider for three years because of the new plan we have availed. Tsk, if only we knew back then. Lesson learned. We must deal with the consequences of the decision we’ve made. Sometimes, the best way for us to upgrade involves downgrading. There are sacrifices involved in doing so – we must let go of lower value objects to grab hold of a much greater thing.

In our Spiritual life, it’s also the same. For maturity to take place, we need to suffer – to endure so that our resilient character will be forged. Once we do so, we become malleable to God’s will, we persevere amidst difficulties and hope for better outcomes. Because we know that in the end there is an eternal blessing waiting for us that far outweighs what we’ve been through. If only we can learn to downgrade on this life to be upgraded to the Lord’s heavenly reward.

She thought she was still the same, so she approached her the way she was used to – like an old friend or acquaintance, she bares out her soul, hoping she would still warmly accept and hear her out, only to be disappointed and hurt with her reply. Maybe she was too trusting or too naive or maybe she was still stuck in the past – a distant memory that reminds her of how welcoming and understanding each of them was once before.

Right now, as she reflects, it slowly dawned on her that a lot has changed – the friend that she used to be and her thoughts of how she was once her friend before. It hurts but she understands that while everyone was moving on, she stayed inside her own shell and refused to follow GOD’s leading to get out of her comfort zone.

She got so comfortable with her old shell – restricting but familiar, that she did not noticed life was slowly passing her by, somehow, she expected everyone to be the same. Now, she felt left out. Hard as it may seem, but she feels that moving forward is the only way to go, it’s frightening, but we all must entrust an unknown future to a known GOD.  He is the Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and the End, he is part of our past, he is present in the current events, and he has already traveled in the future. He always has us in his shelter.

There are things that you can do which much as I wanted to, I won’t be able to do so. A certain uniqueness imprinted in our DNA, a special skill or talent that solely defines us.  However, due to the circumstances that happened in our lives, we made choices which cause us to deviate from that gift. Then, before we know it, we forget who we were before any distractions came in.

The Lord has a specific calling for each of us. Unless we fulfill our part in his grand plan, we will always feel unsatisfied and eventually neglect our mission. But if we become intentional on how we spend our time and prioritize GOD above everything, he will lead us through the Holy Spirit towards the specific assignment he had for us.

And as we obey, we’ll experience success and received confirmation that indeed we were made for this.

There was such a time when hardships were glorified. Why? Because during that era, hard days forged an individual’s character. As years go by, life became much easier. And with that, talks about resilience and hard work became infrequent. Conversations about fame and popularity was the hot topic.

As life Fastly progressed, subjects about values formation, diligence and perseverance turned boring. There were a lot who prefer short cuts to success. But if there was no struggle, there won’t be joy. Sometimes, the very thing that we refuse turns out to be essential for our growth and development.

The pain and difficulties we are experiencing are never wasted. GOD uses them to draw us closer to him. Once we learn to obey, we are slowly being molded in his ways and persona. He has a purpose for everything. Behind every problem, there is a hidden blessing waiting to be unfolded.

Rainy season is synonymous with a gloomy weather. We can’t go outside so we have no choice but to stay indoors. There are a lot of things we can do while remaining inside the house, but nothing beats breathing fresh air outdoors and being greeted by the bright sun.

A person who remained melancholic for a long period of time will have difficulty dealing with a cheerful individual. Since they are on the opposite ends, there is always conflict. However, there is still hope for an optimist.

We never have to go through it alone. Sadness does not have to be the end. It is only a phase in life we must go through. Being surrounded with patient and caring people helps a lot to get out of that pit of sorrow. God is near to the broken hearted, he consoles them by sending spiritual and “human angels” so we can cope up with whatever is causing our agony.

It hurts if you are overlooked, undervalued and rejected. There are people who would just give up whenever they experienced any of that unfavorable treatment. Lucky are those who look elsewhere and found the right place where they are welcome and accepted.

But what if you mistakenly joined the wrong crowd and instead of becoming better you ended up being the worst version of yourself? What if rather than seeking approval from others, we approach our Heavenly Father and asked for his affirmation? It’s more fulfilling and beneficial.

We never have to compete. There’s always a place reserved for us. In the Lord’s presence we are treated well and never taken for granted. Our Thoughts are properly expressed and our feelings are considered. Our value does not diminish over time. GOD created us and he knows how to treat us well.