tough times

it`s holy week.... pinoys are doing their share of their so-called sacrifices believing they will be justified of their sins by doing so like walking barefoot, abstaining from eating all kinds of meat but others stood above the rest by doing what the Lord Jesus did, doing it again and again every year....nailing themselves on the cross. Nakakalungkot lang, kasi pagkatapos nilang gawin yan, ay babalik na naman sila sa dating gawi at buhay.......pamumuhay sa kasalanan!! For us christians, it`s a reminder once again of our rsponsibility of telling them they don`t have to go through all that because minsan lang dapat nagpapako si Jesus Christ sa krus and that act alone is enough to cleanse them from their sins kung tatanggapin lang sana nila ang regalong buhay na walang hanggan na binigay sa atin ng Panginoon..

This holiday, we are offering ourselves in a 3-day prayer and fasting. A privilege to give ourselves in humility before God and just giving our all to Him in total surrender. Guess what, jeff is joining us. I`m just so happy to see him trying his best to make a difference in his life for God.

I`ve been so sickly these past weeks. I`ve reach stage four hypertension. Sobrang taas palagi i could get a stroke anytime. Thank God, there`s hubby to constantly check on me and keeping track about how to keep my blood pressure down. Lord, i want to enjoy living a long time for my loveones!! My desire is to continue to be their caretaker, a mother, a soft blanket, a word of support and comfort. Be always present when they need my time. How should i give it gladly when i`m not well? Ano ba yan, nag-eemote na naman ako... i won`t blame it this time of my old age......yan yata ang issue sa pattsclan ngayon eh...

well, tough times. I don`t know why i wrote that as title to this entry. Maybe because that`s how i see about everyone`s condition here in pinas. You could just see and feel how people suffer...... not just financially, there`s more......more beyond that. There`s depression and loneliness in people`s eyes. Hunger for something beyond words. If only they knew what we got in Jesus. He`s the answer to all our longings. well, we christians have sufferings and struggles too. But it`s different when Jesus is leading the way, taking care of everything for us. If He sends us on a tough path He would supply tough shoes para hindi masusugatan ang mga paa natin sa mga matutulis na bato na ating dadaanan.

Here`s a story about potatoes. Says people are like potatoes. After potatoes have been harvested they have to be spread out and sorted in order to get maximum market dollar. They are divided according to size, big, medium and small. It is only after potatoes have been graded and bagged that they are loaded onto trucks. This is the method that all potato farmers use, all except this one.

One farmer never bothered to sort the potatoes at all. Yet he seemed to be making the most money. A puzzled neighbor asked him, " what is your secret?" He said "it`s simple". I just load up the wagon with potatoes and take the roughest road to town. During the eight mile trip, the little potatoes fall to the bottom. The medium potatoes land in the middle while the big ones rise to the top. That`s not only true of potatoes. It is a law of life. Big potatoes rise to the top on rough roads and tough people rise to the top in rough times. Tough times never last, but tough people do.

I shared this story to my sis. neth whose presently undergoing a most difficult and complex time of her life. A painful trial going on right now that she`s need to endure. I want to assure her that God is there and knows what He`s doing. I want to tell her......just hang on there and this crisis will pass in God`s time. Andito lang kaming lahat, loving her without measure and wanting to help in any way we can.... Pero, she would have to fight this struggle alone dahil sarili lang niya ang makakatulong sa kanya, with the help of God. This is a challenge that only she is participating. This is a test to show how much she have grown up basing her experiences in the past.. This is to test how good a problem solver she is and can now understand the benefit of taking the high road......well, well, well, pattsclan, i hope you know what i`m driving at. It`s just so complicated on her part that i`d rather not write her whole story here. I`d known about it this week and just so surprise like a bucket of water to my face, surprise of how she had suffered all these years. For a while, i was just so full of anger to that man who caused her pain......but that`s life, nasa atin kung paano natin tatanggapin at gawan ng paraan na makatakas, right.? Hello, this is for pattsclan only..... we have a sister here who needs our prayers!!

Lastly, i`m grateful that we are the big potatoes of this life.... We can laugh at all the trials and problems because Jesus is always there with us. Huge bills are nothing compared to His bountiful blessings. It`s so clear as crystal that everything is going up.......utilities and others, but we continue to enjoy airconditioned rooms and give us cool and comfort while we sleep, delicious food on our tables, and nice things so that the world will continue to see how rich our God is...

Before i close, i am considering this trip to Hongkong on June... It is surely a "break" for me especially that my sisters will be joining me. I refuse to doubt of what God can do. He will supply our needs. It`s just a matter of choice in our part. a yes and a no. In my part, "yes" is written in the stars. And my God is with me in this.........

i hope i`m not boring you with this topsy-turvy entry... (right spelling?) well, it`s been a while, not like my sis. jean whose updating us everyday... with her happenings.... ( i love all her entries....an encouragement for all of us. keep doing it sis..)

see you `round...

ate gie