pagpasiplat

I just earned a badge! After so many rejections from all the job postings and submissions I have done these past couple of days, earning a certificate for completing a course gave me a sense of accomplishment and encouraged me to enroll in another course today.

I have to stop fretting and simply rely on the Lord to guide me in all things. I have to stop putting value on the things I do, but simply receive God's assurance that my worth is not based on my accomplishments - education, career, or even the things I do for other people. My worth is based on being a child of God. The Lord saved me. He died on the cross to set me free from the law of sin and death. I am set free from eternal damnation. When I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, Lord and King, I have been redeemed! The promise of Heaven awaits! Someday I will see my dad and mom in heaven too! The Lord promised that when we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God saves! He restores! He sets us free! "And whom the Son sets free is free indeed!"

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harder your heart. Let Him in. Allow Him to be Lord over your life, over your circumstance, over the troubles you have, over the hopelessness you feel. The Lord is near. He awaits your surrender. Allow Him in your heart. "If you confess your sins, He is faithful to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God's grace is sufficient, His power is made perfect in weakness. God's love is everlasting. He loves you! He died to save you! Nothing is too difficult for Him. And His hand is not too short to save. Receive His love, receive His salvation! 1) Accept Him as your Lord and Savior. 2) Believe that He died on the cross to save you. 3) Confess your sins and allow Him to replace your brokenness with His love, joy and peace.

The Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever!

There is order out of chaos. A friend once told me this was a mathematical truth. I did not have the skill to prove this, but I trusted it to be true. Now after reading more about chaos, I understand it to mean void - nothingness. Isn't it ironic that the thing that we think is out of order or chaotic is actually "nothingness." So, this simply means that we should simply look away from our chaotic environment and focus on the One that brings order to our chaos. Who in his right mind would want to live in a chaotic world? We expect order in our roads, order in our judicial system, order when choosing our meal at a fastfood restaurant, and even order in our classrooms. So, when you feel that life has threated to take your joy, and chaos is all around you, stop, close your eyes, take a deep breath, think clearly, and let the Lord take the chaos out of your mind by focusing on Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

Kalimitan, ang paghihintay ay nakakainip. At paminsan-minsan, pag talagang di ka na makapaghintay, umaalis ka na lamang at gagawin ang ibang bagay na maaaring di mo naman sana gagawin kung nangyari ang dapat mo sanang inaasahan. Nakakalungkot isipin na maraming pagkakataon na di natin nakamtan ang mga bagay, dahil nawalan tayo ng pasesysa na maghintay at taimtim na manalangin na lamang. Lingid sa kaalaman ng marami, and Dios ay maaasahan at Syang tunay nating sandigan sa anumang pagsubok sa buhay, sa anumang ating kinahaharap at sa mga pagkakataong tayo'y nawawalan na ng pag-asa, sya rin ang ating matatakbuhan and Tunay na maaasahan. Minsan ang lumbay ay nagdudulot ng kung anu-anong takot at pangamba sa kinabukasan. Kalimitan, ang mga ito ay kathang isip lamang. Mga paglalaro ng imahinasyon na nauuwi sa lalong pag-iisip ng malalim at pagkakaroon ng samo't saring pag-aalinlangan. Kung ating ibabaling ang ating pansin at buong pagkatao sa daang binubuksan ng ating Dakilang Dios, ang kapayapaang walang katumbas ay ating makakamtan. Kaya't huminahon, magbasa ng Salita ng Dios, manahan sa Kanyang piling at tanggapin ang Kanyang alok na "Manatili at nang iyong malaman na ako ang Dios na Buhay."

I have been teaching for 24 years now. I have been blessed to have online classes during the pandemic and was able to help provide for the needs of my father and mother before they passed on 12 October 2021 and 20 March 2022. It was difficult losing them and being far away when it happened, since I am now based in Dubai. God has been gracious. He held us together and comforted us in our grief. Though there may be times when the longing for them would ensue, and I take comfort in the fact that we will see them someday in heaven. I am have renewed my passion for writing and have started submitting my work for possible publication in 2024. God willing, these will be published and only minor revisions are needed. Having peers to review your work makes it credible and "publishable." I am hopeful to land another online project soon. It has been a few years since I edited anthologies for a website and wrote various articles for another. In this day and age of ICT, online work is very convenient and fulfilling too. The need to rush to work is replaced with a slower pace of taking your breakfast liesurely before working. I have more time to interact with family and friends, although virtually, I get to see them too. The pandemic was difficult for all of us. We have lost loved ones, friends, and colleagues, and some of them were doctors and nurses who, in spite of the dangers, served wholeheartedly to save lives. I praise and thank God my children are safe, and we still have an aunt who survives, despite losing another. It is all in God's hands. We continue to surrender all to Him and praise Him for all He has done and continue to do in our lives.