A MOMENT OF PEACE

I got my Bible and reflected on the day’s Scriptures…Then, I went to our little garden, sat in our little bench…I listened prayerfully to some prayers on celphone...Then, to some church and worship songs…then, to the Gregorian chants I put there…

There was a moment I opened my eyes. Suddenly, I was so overwhelmed by God’s Presence…When the plants caught my sight, I so sensed God is present in each of them, even in the air and space, that I don’t want to close my eyes and miss the moment…Our little garden welled up with God’s love…Suddenly, the world was shut out, it’s just God and me…It was such a joy…

This was just this morning. I got a very busy day today, I set the alarm by 3:00 a.m. to start early, but I woke up 2:00 a.m and couldn't sleep anymore, so I started my day…It’s 4:57 a.m. when I composed this. By this time I was still in our garden…

Busy day??? Ah, the more I need these special moments with God…Oh, by the way, this is not supposed to be my sharing today, but I couldn’t help sharing with you the gift of God’s Presence…

Above everything else, it’s a must to put God first…             

Have Moments of Peace!

-luisadelacruz

PLANTING AND HARVESTING IN THE GARDEN OF YOUR LIFE....

Inspiration:   Matthew 6:24-34

I have a little garden right beside my room, around two by three meters in size. This used to be very barren until I started to put one single plant…

Then, my sister gave me two plants from her garden, then my best friend gave me four plants from her Mom’s garden…and so on…Right now, there are several plants in it. 

I take care of them together with God and my best friend. I even made a small bench where we could sit, experience and enjoy the garden. It’s where I meditate every morning. At times, I do my Scripture reflection there, listen to music, read, release my tension…

This garden was once barren. It grew from nothing to something in partnership with God…Now I don’t know what your situation is in your life…

May be you have frustrations and blocks with your dreams, or problems, and there seem to be nothing going on, your life is barren…but just plant one seed at a time, be patient, be hopeful and make God your partner…one day, your life will not be barren anymore, success will grow…Trust God and...

Just make sure you don’t leave God out of it…ever…   
Have an Abundant and Fruitful Future!

- luisadelacruz

MAKE ME COME TO YOU...WHENEVER I FORGET YOU...

Dearest Father,

make me come to You whenever I forget You…

Make me remember You whenever my focus is not on You…

May I eat, drink, bath, brush my teeth, wash my hands – 

nourish and take care of my body for You 

because it is the temple of Your Spirit…

May I work and do my tasks well for You 

because it is Your gift…

May I cook, water the plants, feed our pets, 

clean the house, wash the dishes for You…

May I serve, love, understand each of my family members for You…

May I look at people and help them for You…

May I breathe and live every second of my life 

loving and praising You…unceasingly…

May I always be aware of Your Presence 

in every being I see, hear and touch…

that a single moment which passes that I forget You…

a single moment I am apart from You…

a second I am not aware of You will seem to me…

a billion miles away from You 

of which my soul can never bear 

even just the thought of it…

Dearest Father, 

make me come to You 

whenever I forget You…Amen…

- luisadelacruz

YOUR BLOCKBUSTER LIFE

Lights! 

Camera! 

Action! 

Take one!...

In the movies and TV series, after everything had been prepared, there should be action, otherwise none would materialize. Those involved should give all they got, their very best, to have great results that people will like what they watch…

In real life, it’s the same thing, there should always be action. 

In the Luke 6:36-38, Jesus tells us: 

be merciful, 

don’t judge, 

don’t condemn, 

forgive,

give to others…

Whatever measure you use to others with these actions, God will use to you as well, so do your best that your life will be a blockbuster in God’s eyes…

Oh, by the way, in real life, you can not shoot the same scene twice, thrice or more…just once, so always give it you best performance.    

Have a Shimmering Soul!

- luisadelacruz

SHHUSHH!!! THE WINDING ROAD...

Inspiration:       Matthew 6:7-15

Winding roads, like those in Baguio, Quezon and Bicol, they make me dizzy and vomit when descending them. Haaay, it’s always an ordeal for me….after the fun of vacation is the tense moment of travel home for me…But hey, that’s part of it for me. I just adjust. I drink bonamine and eat less before travel, also, I pray much…

The last time I came across a winding road, I was tense even before riding the bus. But I needed to faced this ordeal again so I could get home. 

While travelling, I closed my eyes, meditated, repeatedly and wholeheartedly prayed a five word prayer to keep my focus: “My Father, I adore you…” Voila! I didn’t get dizzy nor vomit. I got through! Yeheeeey!...

When we pray, we don’t need a lot of meaningless words…

We need our heart upon every word to give meaning to it. God surely answers a sincere prayer that doesn’t go against His will.             

Have a Cool Heart!

- luisadelacruz

GOD'S 24/7 NEWS CAMERA

Inspiration:       Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26

When we watch the news, often times, we see around 90% or more bad news against the good news. At times, we even see brutal murders or things we couldn’t imagine a human being could do…

Sad how many people cling to this world as if there is no God who sees what we are doing and who doesn’t get hurt of what we do…

Just imagine, if you are in God’s shoes and you love people so much as your very own children and you watch the newsflash of what they are doing to each other, and they do not listen to you…What will you feel? …

If you would see your life and your heart on news through God’s eyes…are there things there you will be ashamed of for Him to see? 

Let’s take this journey through Lent as a chance to unveil our hearts before God and reconcile with Him and the people we offended…Let’s start with God, then to our families, then to others…

Let’s be aware that we are on God’s news camera 24/7. 

May He watch more good news in our lives than bad news…

Have a Dazzling Soul!

- luisadelacruz

WE MISS THE POINT...

In Matthew 7:7-12, this caught my attention: 

“Ask, and you will receive; 

seek, and you will find; 

knock, and the door will be opened to you…” 

Often we miss a point here. 

We are fond of doing just the asking and receiving. We don’t want to take much effort to seek opportunities and knock at their doors…We like things to happen in a snap and we expect them to just fall in front of us from heaven…the easy way….

Why else would lotto or game shows where thousands and millions of prizes click even if they offer slim chances of winning? They are the easy ways to material wealth…

We miss the point....

Jesus mentioned 3 things:       Ask…Seek…Knock…

We speak…We act…We take courage…

If we do all these, not just one…but all, together with faith that God is a loving Father who listens when we speak, sees our effort and good intention when we seek, and acknowledges our courage to knock at the door…imagine what will happen to your life…

Pagsasabi sa Diyos + Pagkilos + Pagsisikap + Pagtitiwala sa Diyos = Bukas, magkakabunga yan ng hitik na hitik….           

(Asking God + Action + Perseverance + Faith in God = Bountiful fruits to harvest tomorrow)

Fervent Heart!   

- luisadelacruz