GOD IS STILL THERE....

Wednesday morning, after breakfast, I sat in the terrace of the third floor unit of a duplex house in Talisay, Batangas. My family rented a unit for an overnight stay. As I sat there, I just enjoyed the view of Taal Volcano, with a few birds flying, a boat passing and the cool wind gently touching me. Taal Volcano was beautiful against the lake and the blue sky surrounding it.

In a while, there were drizzles of raindrops, then, the rain poured hard a bit. As I looked again at Taal Volcano, oh, I didn’t see it anymore because the fog covered it fully, but I know it was there. Where else would it go?

When the rain stopped and the fog was gone, the beautiful volcano was visible again.

There are times, God and His hand in our lives seem so visible. When this is so, we feel confident enough that we are not alone and we see the beauty of life. We are optimistic about our future. But when problems come and God seems quiet and distant, when He seems to disappear in the scene of our lives, that’s the moment when our problems are the fogs and rain that cover God from our sight.

But one thing we have to believe in…Like the Taal Volcano, God is still there. God will not go anywhere, He will never abandon us. Behind the fogs of life, God is still very much present, not seen by our naked eye, but seen by the eyes of our hearts. We’ve got to always remember that we can be secured in God and we have nothing to be afraid of. We may not see Him nor sense Him for a while but He is still there taking care of us and helping us to get through our troubles, wiping each tear that falls from our eyes and healing each pain that pierces our hearts. A moment will come these fogs and rain will soon be gone and once more, God will again be visible in our sight.

And with grateful hearts, we enjoy the gift of life and thank Him for it.

This is truth: God will always be there for you...

God bless your homes! 

-luisadelacruz

FAITH….What Are You, Really?

Inspiration:   Acts 2:14, 22-33

Yesterday, the priest said, “Whatever elicits fear to you, it is not from God…” 

Fear is the opposite of faith. Ah…Faith….what are you, really? 

You are not just believing that a miracle will happen in my life. 

You are not just knowing that God will remove all my problems. 

You are not just trusting that God is my Knight in shining armor who will save me from all my difficulties and destroy my enemies. 

Faith…you are much, much more than these…

You are trusting that in spite of all my troubles in life, God will make me okay…

that He will heal the wound inflicted in me…

that God will catch me when I fall and never allow me to fall flat on the ground…

that He embraces me and gives me strength to endure everything…

Faith…you are trusting that God will not leave me in joy and in pain. 

Whatever may come to me, God will see me through. 

He is with me. 

Jesus’ resurrection is proof enough that He conquered all. 

He promised to take care of me. 

I should trust his word and try my best to fear nothing…

Faith, thank God for you…  

Celebrate Life!    

-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

MIRACLES WAITING TO BE SEEN....

Isn’t it amazing how we breath air and how it helps us to live? 

Isn’t it also amazing how our heart, liver, intestines, veins, internal organs, and body parts function to make us alive physically? 

Isn’t it awesome how our fingers can move, hold things, touch, write…How in the world can our fingers do those!?! 

Isn’t it wonderful, too, how plants, gigantic trees even, grow from a very tiny see? How beautiful flowers bloom from stems? 

Isn’t it amazing how animals like eagles or cats take care of their young without anybody teaching them?...

How come with all these,…we still search and ask God for miracles? Isn’t it there are enough miracles to behold, right before our very eyes?...

But come to think of it...true faith doesn’t need miracles anymore, because the heart knows that even without miracles…God will always be there embracing and seeing His child through every challenges that comes…    

Have a Vigorous Heart!

- luisadelacruz

MY LITTLE GARDEN - by my window

            Tuesday last week, I came back home from the province of my best friend. Her Mom gave me four kinds of plants. One of which was a flowering plant they called “alas quatro.” When I saw its flowers in her garden, I was attracted to them. I found them beautiful. She said that by 4:00 p.m., these flowers always fold. Cool! 

The next morning, I did some gardening in the ample space by my window. I cleaned it, tilled the soil and removed some potted plants. Then I planted the plants I brought back with me. I spread out the “alas quarto.” I envisioned this space later to be filled with them and with flowers as time would go along. I was so excited and looking forward to that day. But for now, I had to be patient and take care of my little garden by my window.

 

You know what I did? Morning and night I said good morning and good evening to my plants. I also told them that I loved them and God loved them more than I did. I always thanked God for the gift of them and I let them hear that. 

There is life in them. I believe they have sensitivity enough to feel that love.

 

Friday morning, I was so filled with joy! Why? Oh, I saw three buds. Wow! My heart really leaped with joy! A little while later, as I closely watched them, I saw the three opened up and bloomed into cute, tiny, beautiful flowers right before my very eyes! A double wow for me! Clap! Clap! Clap! I was truly joyful! I was bubbling with it when I told my best friend about it. Oh, how thankful was I to God! I always smiled and was filled with excitement every time my eyes laid on them and when I remember them.

Around past 3:00 p.m., the three flowers started to fold. By past 4:00 p.m., they were withering. The next day, I was still excited to see my flowers, but they were gone. Oh, I was expecting them to unfold and show their beauty again. Well, I thought, “Maybe the heavy rain brought by the storm “Falcon” we were having affected them. I was still hopeful though because as I looked closely, there were other buds still to bloom in the days to come.

Yesterday morning, just three days after this wonderful experience I had, I was watering my plants. Then I noticed two buds about to come out, just like little babies being born and waking up to the morning of this world. Wow! I immediately got the camera, took shots from time to time. Yes! Right before my very eyes again, I saw the two bloomed. Super wow! Clap! Clap! Clap! I took their pictures just like a proud mom lovingly taking pictures of her little children.

The flowers were awesome! By past 3:00 p.m., guess what happened….The two flowers folded. By past 4:00 p.m., they were withering. But I noticed something, There was a bud starting to bloom. Wow! Talk about the mystery of life, huh?!? 

This morning, as I checked on them, the two flowers were almost gone. So it was not the rain, but it was the cycle of their life. But I’m still thankful for the joy they brought me. I’m also excited because the other bud was starting to bloom. And guess what? I saw another bud about to bloom. That was really cool! Clap! Clap! Clap! 

As of now my garden is not that beautiful yet, but in it, if I will just look closely, there is beauty. There is life, and a future full of hope and captivating view.

Life is like my little garden by my window. At times, we see life as dull, so ordinary, nothing exciting going on. There were experiences we had from childhood until now that left scars of hurts and sufferings. Sometimes, we want a different life or we don’t like the people around us. Anger, disappointments, frustrations, and other negative emotions eat us up.

But like my little garden, if we look closely, our lives have beauty in them….Your life has so many wonderful things and people in there that can give you joy. Like the storm that my garden had, it may look like a bad weather destroying my flowers, but as I look back, the rain helped them lived, considering I had traveled for around five hours from the province with them and I just replanted them. Your troubles, your rains in your life add up to your inner strength. The lessons you have learned from them makes you wiser in facing your future. New hope is always born out of them.

Like the dying of my flowers and the coming of new buds, there will be something new in your life….always….guaranteed! Why do I say that with confidence? Because like what I did with my plants in my little garden, God is doing the same to you. He takes care of you. He never ceases to reach out to you and show you His love. He watches over you, talks to you, caress you. You are so precious to Him.

He said in Isaiah 46:3-4, “….I have cared for you from the time you were born. I Am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you.”

Surely, there will always be an experience of life and death that will happen to you. There will always be a storm that you will have to face in your life. This is a reality that will definitely be there to come and go in different faces. But what will keep you strong? Who will keep you going?

Jesus commanded the wind, “Be quiet!” and He said to the waves, “Be still!” The wind died down and there was great calm. This happened when He was on a boat with His disciples in the midst of the storm when they were so terribly afraid. Their boat was almost filled up with water and when that would happen, they would drown. But Jesus was so calm. His disciples were amazed that even the wind and the waves obeyed Him. (see Mark 4:35-41, TEV)

Jesus can keep you going. Your faith and trust in Him can keep you strong. As He calmed the storm in this situation, He can quiet down the storms in your life.

Like my little garden, your life right now may not seem beautiful for you, yet. But God is not finish with you and your life. As long as you are still breathing, there is new hope each morning for you, a new beginning to make your life beautiful, a future filled with joy. You just have to look closely and discover the beautiful flowers of blessings in it. I’m pretty sure you will find many. It’s just a matter of looking at your life in a different perspective and a positive way. 

 If you put your trust in Jesus, if you allow Him to take care with you ….the garden of your life….one day….yes, one day….you will see your life so wonderfully filled with beautiful flowers of experiences and blessings, yet to come….as one goes, one comes….You will have a blooming future because God is always lovingly taking care of you as He promised….as you believe….

Click video below to see more pictures and inspiration 
of "My Little Garden - by my window"

-luisadelacruz

POPE JOHN PAUL II - The Holy Man of God

It seems just like yesterday when I watched him in his Papal visit in the Philippines in 1995. I was so awed by him that in a span of four days, I had composed a dozen of poems. I was so inspired by his presence, the way people cheered for him and love him, the overwhelming love and kindness manifested by him….Aaaahhhh, that was a very wonderful sight to see.

   

Now, I saw in the news that he will be beatified on May 1, 2011. Wow! I am not surprised. His kind deserves that. He is a holy man of God. I am happy, such a man lived in my life time.

Let me share with you some of my poems in 1995. This was how he moved me:

THE CHOSEN ONE

Amidst the crowd you speak

With warmth, love and smile on your eyes,

Radiating peace and serenity

Upon your shining face.

How my heart leaps with great joy

As I see you, as I hear you

Address us, the youth.

I hear, I feel your sincerity and

Your love for us.

I thank the Lord for giving us

Such a wonderful father here on earth.

Yes, I thank the Lord for making you

The successor of St. Peter.

Indeed, our Lord knows best.

Indeed He has chosen well.

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SO DEAR TO OUR HEARTS

Like a father you guide us

With abundant love and understanding,

A gentle touch, a cheerful smile,

A caring whisper, and affectionate words.

The sincerity in your eyes reveals

The genuine feeling you have for us.

Yes, your very being speaks the deep love

You are giving us.

That is why, our beloved Pope,

You are so very dear

To our hearts.

luisadelacruz 011595

 

THE CELEBRATED MOMENT

The crowd go wild as you appear

Before them…. cheering, shouting,

Waving, clasping,

A sign of overflowing joy

They feel deep within,

For in you they see the glory of the Lord….

His grace, His love, His peace, His joy.

Through you the Lord reaches out

To the people.

You are His instrument,

His most humble servant.

As the roaring moment

Ascends to the heavens,

The echo of the people’s love

To the Lord God is heard everywhere.

With one voice, they proclaim their faith

And their praises to the Most High….

The crowd go wild as you appear….

The strong link between humanity

And Jesus Christ.

We salute you, JP2!!!

luisadelacruz 011695

 

A PRAYER FOR JP2

Glory to You, oh Lord, the Most High.

Praise be with You always.

We, Your people, thank You with all our hearts

For entrusting us to a loving,

Humble servant of Yours.

Lord, please give him the strength he needs

So he can continue fulfilling

The duties and responsibilities

You laid upon his shoulders….

Guide him, oh Lord,

Continue to light his path,

To give him Your grace, your overflowing

Love and understanding;

To give him Your humor, humility, and peace.

Above all, Most gracious One,

Protect him from evil and let him know, oh God,

That we will always love him, your humble servant.

To You, our Beloved Creator,

We offer our deepest love and gratitude.

To You, oh Most Holy One,

We offer ourselves and your humble servant,

Pope John Paul II. Amen

luisadelacruz 011795

 PAPAL FEVER

Everyone is excited,

Waiting for his arrival.

All are anxious, eager to see him.

Alas! The long wait has come to an end.

Mixed emotions are felt by all.

There are tears, smiles, shouts,

Waves, enthusiasm, tremendous energy –

The warm and joyous welcome of the people.

All throughput his visit is seen.

Everywhere he goes, sea of humanity

You can see with overflowing

Love and affection in their eyes….

Millions of people are touched by

Mixed emotions just as they have

Seen him arrived and as they have seen him depart.

He truly has after effects….

On so many lives.

luisadelacruz 011795

I DO NOT FEAR….NOT BECAUSE I AM FEARLESS….

Bzzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz! I look up and saw one, two, three…no, no, no…six to seven bees as big and as black as prunes, buzzing around, flower to flower. I was seated on a bench with flowering plants crawling above me and covering that area. Many flowers were blooming and those bees were having a party, sucking their sweetness.

Oh, my! I got scared. Oh, they were so big! What if they bit me, but they seemed so busy. Maybe they would not bother me if I would not bother them. Besides, I was there to reflect, God would not let me be harmed. 

That moment, I was in a retreat house in Novaliches. I woke up around 4:30 a.m. I took my bath and prepared for the day. I wanted to seek God’s Presence early in the morning before I would attend the 6:30 a.m. Holy Mass. By 5:30 a.m., I went down on that spot and sat. Smiling, having peace in my heart, waiting for my God to reveal His Presence.

I focused on the silence of an early morn. I felt the cool wind touch my skin. Darkness and brightness began to meet each other. A few birds started to chirp and greet the morning. Aaahhh, I love it…..Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Then those bees came, and I got startled for a while. 

Hmmm….But then, as I thought of leaving that spot because I fear them, I opted to stay and let them be. I trusted God would protect me. I realized, then…."There are moments in my life that there will be scary bees which I will have to face. Even if they can scare me, I will not fear, not because I am fearless, but because I believe I have a God with me whom I can trust that He will not let any harm touch me."

With that, I smiled....allowed peace to return in me....thanked God for another Wisdom to live by....and I enjoyed the rest of my time with God....love it....

-luisadelacruz

DARK TUNNELS

October 8, 2005, I was sitting by my bedside. A tape of praise and worship songs was playing on the background. I was letting myself to be lost in it as my whole being worshipped the Lord.

The rain fell outside. It poured so hard. From time to time, thunders roared. It felt like there was chaos outside my room, but through it all, I felt so safe inside it. I was protected from the anger of the rain and thunder. I felt peace . . . . and loved by God.

Then it struck me, often times we compare our troubles . . . . struggles . . . . sufferings . . . . pain to a storm. We cry. We get lost. We get hurt. We focus on our struggle. Our weaknesses overcome us. We have no strength to fight back. We get so tired. It seems we are in a dark tunnel. We don’t know what to do. We want to go on but something is holding us back. We cannot see where we are going. We are in total darkness.

The only hope we have is the voice within our hearts telling us to pray and just keep on going. The only thing we can do is to look up and believe that at the end of the tunnel is a light that will lead us to the right path. All we can do is cry out to the Lord and plead with our hearts to help us survive.

As we journey and pray, as we put our trust in the Lord . . . . as we put our lives upon His hands, He protects us with His love. All the thunders and the downpours of the rain cannot hurt us. They cannot keep us down for the Lord is holding our hands, leading us, constantly whispering in our ears how much He loves us. He gives us His strength. He warns us of the pitfalls along the way. He never leaves us even for just a second.

Through that darkness, we feel safe and peaceful because we know the Lord is with us. As we reach the end of that dark tunnel, the heavenly light we see. And as we leave the dark and step into the light, behold we see, that it was not just the Lord who is with us, but also the angels and the saints. We are so protected by the Lord. That’s how He gives importance to each of us . . . . and in the heavens, all who are in there are cheering and rejoicing for us because we made it through our journey.

Each time we pass through dark tunnels in our lives, this happens . . . . we have to remember, we have to pray . . . . listen, trust and obey the Lord. Our dark tunnels are necessary to mold us, to equip us, to make us stronger . . . . to make our faith stronger. It is necessary to deepen our relationship with the Lord, to remind us that we need Him in our lives. We can never survive without His grace and love. Each tunnel has purpose. Each purpose is significant. As the Lord reveals each of them, we will understand the importance of those dark tunnels . . . . and that it is a great privilege to get through them together with the Lord. These are things to be joyful about during those moments. Life is beautiful if we only look beyong our dark tunnels!

-luisadelacruz

‘My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing trials, the result is the ability to endure.’ JAMES 1:2-3

‘Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.’ 1 PETER 1:6-7

TRAAAFIIICCC!!!

It’s already dark, around 7:45 p.m. I am getting impatient and worried. Why? I am caught in the middle of the traffic, bumper to bumper, as in. Haaay, I have a meeting 6:30 p.m. in SM Megamall. Yeap! I am already late, more than an hour, in fact.

This was my situation the night of June 3, 2009. I came from my Ate Lulu’s residence in Meralco Ave., fifteen minutes or less away from Megamall. We had a simple surprise for our eldest sister, Ate Conie, and her husband, Kuya Joseph, for their anniversary the day before. Their family spent three days in Bohol and they would be coming straight to Ate Lulu’s house.

We were supposed to meet at 4:00 p.m., but their flight was delayed due to rain. Tik! Tak! Tik! Tak! It was getting late and I have a dinner meeting with a couple who would be our new pastoral head and a sister in the community. Around 6:00 p.m. I was about to text Ate Lulu that I would be leaving, when I saw her arrive.

With the ample time that I have with them, I listened to Ate Conie’s joyous stories of their experience as my niece took pictures here and there. God is so good!

By 6:30 p.m., I said my goodbye and Ate Lulu asked their driver to bring me to SM. There . . . was where my ordeal in the traffic in J. Vargas St. happened.

Could you believe it! We were moving just like a space one tricycle could occupy every after 20 minutes of not moving. Our side of the street was filled with vehicles, even motorcycles and bicycles were having hard time passing through. They were stuck, too. Yeap! That was how it was.

I tried to relax myself. I couldn’t do anything about this situation. I tried to pray for others, but I couldn’t focus. Tik! Tak! Tik! Tak!

I was real worried, never in my life had I been this late in a meeting, considering that it was my first meeting with them, I didn’t know them yet. I felt I had no face to show in that meeting, haaaay. By 7:45 p.m. I said to God, “Dear God, this is the time only You can make a miracle happen. I entrust this situation with You. Pleeeeaaaassseee, make this traffic be gone.”

Wow! Nothing happened. I assessed myself. I saw my heart being impatient. I knew I need help in prayer. That was the time I text my intercessor friends. I told them my situation and asked for their prayers.

Voila! The miracle happened. Right after I text, after a minute or two, we moved about three cars away from where we were. My hope was increased. In a very short while, we moved several cars away from our spot before. Still after a very short while . . . zoom! No vehicles in front of us. I was in front the mid-entrance and getting out of our vehicle.

From the spot where I asked for prayers, it took us less than 10 minutes when awhile ago, with the very heavy traffic, I was thinking I wouldn’t even make it to the meeting.

Talk about the power of prayer and God’s grace.

PSALM 34:17 When His people pray for help, He listens and rescues them from their troubles.

Time in time again, God never failed to amaze me even in simple ways. He never failed to make me feel His fatherly love for me. I was real grateful to God and my prayer warrior friends. Thank God for His gift of prayer and friends. Thank God for His wonderful grace.

The dinner meeting? Oh, it went very well. I was forgiven, too. They were very nice people. Well that’s another story to tell. ;-D Happy Prayerful Day Everyone!

-luisadelaruz

MAKINIG . . . . MAKINIG . . . . (Listen . . . . Listen . . . .)

It was November 30, 2008, the second day of Kerygma Conference (KCon), an annual celebration of my community. Everybody was witnessing the glory of God as He showers His healing to His people. I was at the upper box level. A woman in black was walking below. What was written on her back caught my attention “MAKINIG” ("Listen"). I stared at it as she walked away until she joined the crowd and turned. The word, I couldn’t see anymore. Then I put it off my mind.

More than a week after, second week of December, I had to meet somebody in a church in Sta. Mesa, Manila. We attended the 7:00 a.m. Mass. There was a few church goers. Then in front, in a bright red t-shirt, stood a woman. Guess what was written in white at her back . . . . yap! It was the word “MAKINIG.”

This word never left my mind. On my way home, I remembered the instance in KCon. Based in my past experiences, I knew God was telling me something, but I didn’t know what. So I asked Him, “Dear God, what do I have to listen to?”

December 21, at the Feast, a weekly gathering of my community, the Scripture about Gideon from the Book of Judges, struck me. I was wondering then, if it was part of what I had to listen to. That afternoon, one of my bestfriends treat us in SM Megamall. We ate, watched a movie, then went to Starbucks. We were joyfully exchanging stories, when a guy on the other table caught my attention. He was wearing a bright black t-shirt. Guess what was written on it? Nope! It was not makinig. It was “LALO NA NGAYON” ("especially now"). This kept on echoing in my mind. From time to time I glanced at these words (well not at the guy ha, I didn’t even saw his face hehehe). I knew in my heart, it was part of what God was telling me. But what was it He was trying to say to me?

During that week, before December 25, I was in a public place. There was a guy wearing black again. He was going to ride a jeep. In a brief moment, I saw the words “STAND YOUR GROUND. STAND FIRM” at his back.

Okay so now I have: “Makinig” “Makinig” “Lalo na ngayon” “Stand your ground. Stand Firm.” But this is like a puzzle to me. It was not clear. There were still missing pieces. I asked God again, “Dear God, what are You trying to tell me?”

December 26, my whole family always went to Manila Memorial in Paranaque on this date. My mother and father are buried here. This day was my mother’s birthday. When we were on our way home, my niece, Lorraine, elbowed me and asked me to look at a billboard. It was a big one with a black background. The lettering was white and written on it? “FOLLOW ME – GOD” . . . . I looked at it until I couldn’t see it anymore. It left a mark on my mind.

December 28, I was spending that time with Lorraine and Raphael, my nephew, in my Ate Connie’s house in Taytay, Rizal. After going to Mass, we went to a vulcanizing shop to have their wheels checked up. As we sat there waiting, across the street was a small signboard “LIVING WITNESS . . . . church of . . . .” it caught my attention but didn’t mind it coz as soon as I saw it, a jeepney was parking almost below it with a very big lettering on its side “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.” After reading this, I looked at the small signboard again “LIVING WITNESS” I looked at them back and forth. Then I said to myself, “Is this still part of Your message God?” . . . . I don’t know, but in my heart, somehow I sensed, it was.

December 30, something came up that I got so confused and troubled. I didn’t really know what to do. I felt like I was caught in the middle of two boulders, and I don’t know how to decide on things. Chhhiiinggg! Like a bolt of lightning, all the words that caught my attention crossed my mind. Then God made me understood what He was telling me. The puzzle was made whole.

There are times in our lives that we get caught in the middle of things that we do not understand. There are times, we are caught in the middle and we do not know what is the right thing to do. Sometimes we get confused. We have to be very careful in the decisions we have to make, especially when people and situations will be affected. There are times in our lives that things seem impossible. Things are overwhelming. We have fears and doubts and worries. There seems to be a hurricane or chaos around us. We became indecisive on things. We don’t know what step to take or even how to take them.

When this comes in my life, God is telling me . . . . MAKINIG . . . . MAKINIG . . . . I have to listen and listen and listen and listen, here and there, then discern and search where His voice is among all those voices . . . . LALO NA NGAYON . . . . especially in times that things are not so clear, that I am troubled. I had to find God’s voice, where there is peace deep, deep, deep within my heart, there is His voice. After I had made sure of what He is saying, after His confirmations . . . . . STAND YOUR GROUND. STAND FIRM . . . . I have to stand my ground and stand firm, even if others may judge me, even if I get hurt and wounded, even if others do not understand . . . . no matter what I face, I can’t be so shaken because . . . . FOLLOW ME - GOD . . . . I have to follow God. He knows everything, because . . . . ”I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE” . . . . ”LIVING WITNESS” . . . . He is the way, He knows what will happen, He is the Source of everything, He is the Source of all Wisdom, He alone knows what is best to be done. His will is perfect. He works for the good of all.

And like in Gideon story, in little that he had, God made wonders and gave victory . . . . all will be well. God will take care of everything.

God said be a living witness of His glory and His love. When a storm or a hurricane is around me, I stay at its eye, at the center, because in there, I sit on God’s lap like a little child. He is my Dear Dear Daddy and I am His precious little daughter. There I am safe. He embraces me. He showers me with love. He heals my wounds. I let go of everything because He will take care of them. I’m just me, His little child. He is my Daddy, my strength, my haven, my peace and joy, my love……He will make the storm disappear……all will be well, in the right places, in His perfect time.

When things get rough the most, this is when we have to get so connected with God. This is when we have to get glued to Him, when we have to pray deeply and have silent moments with Him because this is the only way we can discern well, to make our hearts in line with His heart, to make His desires our desires, to make us listen well to His voice . . . . and make the right decisions to take the path where He leads us.

How are you right now? Are you in the middle of a storm? Why not stay in its eye and

MAKINIG . . . . MAKINIG . . . . FOLLOW GOD . . . . HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE . . . . AND BE THE LIVING WITNESS OF THE GREATNESS OF HIS LOVE FOR ALL OF US . . . .


LET GO AND LET GOD!


“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future I hold for you. Then you will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me because you will seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13


“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people……For Christ is the real Master you serve.” Colossians 3:23-24

-luisadelacruz

THE BAMBOO AND ME

Last Saturday, we went to Touch of Glory Prayer Mountain in Antipolo. I was so excited to be there because for me, this is my encounter with God. It would be a day of silence alone with Him and sharing with the sisters with me towards the end of the day.

When we arrived there, I could feel the cool breeze. We checked out the place and saw the prayer cells where one can be so alone with God, inside a 1.0 meter by 1.20 meter cell. Well, I tried this twice and I was so concentrated that I almost fell asleep hahahaha!

We went down the stairs and there were prayer huts there where one can sit down surrounded by the trees and plants. You could hear the birds and see the insects. Ohhh! This works well for me. This was where I conversed with God.

You know what struck me most in what I saw there?

The bamboo trees. They look so tall approximately around 7 storey-high building. During our morning worship, before we separated, I already noticed them. In my solitary reflection, they stand out in my sight.

I remembered the story in emails about the bamboo and the fern. God said that the fern grew at once, but the bamboo took 5 years before it sprouted and grew so tall. It was strengthening its roots through the years. It became tall and prepared for the challenges of nature.

More than 5 years now, God had been changing me and transforming me. He did a great job. But I’m still in the process of transformation and purification. Well, this is a lifetime process. But I would like to be as the bamboo. It has strong foundation and can withstand challenges.

There were a few bamboos there that fell down, but not totally. You know why? Because the other trees caught them and supported them.

God revealed to me that deep in my heart, big fear is building up, fear for the unknown future. But He also showed me, that if I fall down, He would surely send help to keep me upright.

God is the God of the past, the present and the future. Nothing is impossible with Him. If He is with me, then I can be sure of success and victory.

He knows what is best, I just had to humble myself and follow His directions.
Like the bamboo, I could stand the challenges of life because God will be there beside me.

-luisadelacruz

PUPPY THOUGHTS

September 2004, somebody gave my sister a puppy. She is a chihuahua. She is so very tiny (aaaaa, very cute), in fact, less than a foot and a half in height when she stands with her two front feet stretched up. Her color is brown and white. She is so very jolly . . . . really jolly. She always wags her tail whenever she sees me (mind you, the wag, faster than superman that even her behind seems to go with her tail). When I hold her up in the air with my one hand, her heart beats faster with fear (thugathugathuathugathug, he, he, he). But when I get her attention, her heart’s rhythm is still the same but she still wags her tail (ha, ha, ha), oh yes, she wags her tail.

When I hold her in my arms to cuddle her, she’s so hyper that she moves a lot toying with my hands, with my clothes, and even with my hair. When I put her down, she’ll run to and fro (zooooom . . . . zooooom), sliding at times, but not minding it. She will immediately get up and run again (zooooom . . . . zooooom). When I put her on the arm rest of the sofa, she will lie there while I protect her from falling. Sometimes she will scratch herself not minding if she falls or not. She knows my arm is there to catch her. At times I get hold of her as she is in the act of jumping even if the height is too high for her tiny body (wow, this puppy has so much courage).

Her eyes (oh boy), so very, very alert. They are so round and always on the look out. When she hears even a slight sound unfamiliar to her, she will immediately bark with her loud voice (Yap! Yap! Yap! Yes, as tiny as she is, she has a loud voice). Her body even reflects her alertness. I can see it in the way she sit, lie, stand, and move.

She is an intelligent puppy. She always tries to find a way to go where she wants to go, no matter if it’s on top of a chair. She always tries. Though at times she does not succeed, she just keeps on trying. She is so full of hope. That puppy is really something. She really makes me laugh. She puts joy in my heart. I love her.

So why am I telling you about her? Because through that puppy, Jesus enlightened my confused mind that time. He wants me to be like her (well . . . . not to bark like a puppy or scratch like her). Before the time I was about to have my struggle with myself, Jesus sent her in our home. She gave me a hearty laugh. As the days pass by, I began to notice her characters. Eventually, I saw the reason why He sent her.

Jesus wants me to be jolly, even when I have fear in my heart. He wants me to be cheerful and trusting in Him even when He is holding me in the air with one hand. He wants me to be playful, hyper, and always on the go while performing the task He will be giving me. Whenever I will slide, I just have to get up and go on with what I am doing for Him. I should always have courage in my heart to jump without thinking if I can handle the height or not . . . . I should have courage to trust in Him even if I do not know where He leads me.

I should always be alert for whatever Jesus will ask of me. I should always be on the look out for an opportunity to be of service. I should always try to find a way to fulfill my task, no matter how impossible it may seem. Even if at times I fail, I should never give up and keep on trying. I should always be full of hope.

Wow! Jesus really knows how to get through me. Even in just a very tiny puppy, He sends His message to me. He really knows me. He knows I am very fond of puppies. He selected this particular one and put all the characteristics He needs me to see. What a time to send her in my life. It is very much in time.

I named her Revie. It is from the word revelation, because through her, Jesus enlightened my mind.

-luisadelacruz