Almost Robbed

I was walking home from my work place unmindful of any danger and safe in the thought that I was only a couple of blocks away from home when, unexpectedly, my peaceful thoughts were interrupted. "Please give me your phone," a male voice said. At that same instant, I felt something sharp at my side. I froze, then quickly caught a glimpse of an old, rusty knife pointed at me. In a split second many thoughts raced through my mind. I'm being robbed! There's a knife at my side! I'm going to die! No way! What should I do?! Lord, help me what to do! It's dark! Nobody is around (every normal person would be asleep at 4:00 a.m.)! Then God spoke through my thoughts, "Shout! Shout to wake the whole neighborhood up!"

I didn't have time to argue with God on His methods and on what I should shout, especially with a knife poking my belly, so I shouted, "Don't you dare do this to me!!!" And as I did, I quickly moved a step away from the knife. I shouted at the guy, "Don't you dare do this to me!!!" again and again. He was clearly taken aback.

Being a person who loves words and likes to talk, I am embarrassed that words escape me at that time when I could have been more eloquent and given a good sermon to that guy about robbing a defenseless girl. But, well, no other words really came to my fright-frozened mind that early morning.

Either my words froze him to his toes (highly unlikely as this happened in the hot country of the Philippines) or there was something else, which glued him to the pavement. I took advantage of the surprise I had given him by backing away while still shouting, "Don't you dare do this to me!!!" Yeah, same words. Again and again. I gained more confidence as I saw him frozen at still the same spot where he first pointed the knife at me. I didn't know then (and still don't) why he was all transfixed but it doesn't matter now, only that it gave me confidence. 

I shouted louder and louder, with more flourish, as I gained confidence at every step that I took away from him, even to the point of telling him, "I'm going to call the police and get you jailed!" Finally, some other words! 

Then I turned about face and ran as fast as my two short legs, and the adrenaline pumping through my blood, could take me. I ran like my life depended on it and didn't stop until I reached home.

Okay, so I wasn't really robbed. Just almost robbed. But it would have turned out differently if I had simply given that knife-guy what he wanted. My phone. What would have happened if I have simply given in to my emotions was that, I would have had to endure a loss.

Everyday we are being robbed. And we don't even know it. We are robbed of our precious time, our mental and physical health, our joys, and even of life. Part of the problem is, there is no voice telling us that we are being robbed. They are just simply snatched away right in front of our noses or swept away right from under our feet. And there's no need for a rusty, old knife. Emotions will do. There's fear, guilt, anger, resentment...

After being away from my family for a long time and being with them back again, I should be happy and grateful for what I have: good health even after giving birth for the fourth time in a foreign country, a devoted husband, four happy children, some personal challenges, a warm shelter, food on the table, and a God who showers me with blessings. But the recent weeks has seen me in a very miserable state as I can only think of the turn-off's in my paradise. I don't get along too well with my mother-in-law. I am way too different to most people in my new adopted country and I don't speak the language. I suck at housekeeping, cooking, and taking care of my husband and children. For the past weeks, I have been bombarded by these negative elements and allowed them to overshadow the many good things that I do have. It has robbed me of happiness that I could have enjoyed and… I'm not even at knife-point!

So I wallowed in misery of my own making. I have allowed myself to be robbed. 

As I reflected on my past experience of being almost robbed, I thought, what if I show the same spunk in my present circumstances as I did back then when that knife-guy tried to rob me of my phone? What if I pray, like I whispered a prayer then, asking God what to do? And God was very clear then in what I had to do, even if it involved mostly of shouting. I am positive that He will teach me what to do with the negative elements that rob me from enjoying what I have in my life now as He was in helping me escape from almost being robbed. 

After (not just a whisper but…) a lot of loud-crying, pillow-thumping, tear-jerking talks (a.k.a wrestling) that God has to take from me, here's what we came up with. When we are being robbed by the negative elements in life, here's what to do after 'wrestling' with God.

1. Accept the inevitable. Too many people (and that includes me) allow themselves to be unhappy over minor irritants and forget they have something good going for them. Only God can change people and has the real power over what's happening in this world. You cannot change the 'robber'. I couldn't, even if I had tried giving that knife-wielding guy a sermon. It is still up to him to change his mind whether to continue robbing or not. So with a lot of negative elements in life. Like, my mother-in-law and I don't have a perfect relationship. And try as I might, I won't be able to change her to like me unless she makes up her own mind to do so. All I can do is accept her. Life is already too full of troubles without struggling over things that can't be changed. Besides, she's not the enemy. Remember, our real enemy, the devil, is out there and he wants broken people and lives. The Bible identifies him as "…your adversary the devil, (who) as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). 

Daniel knew why he was in Babylon and not at his home in Jerusalem. It must be painful for him, as it was with the other Hebrews, to see their home broken and themselves, believers of a living God, captives. He had to accept that he had to live with the heathen in a country that didn't acknowledge God. He accepted that. He knew he could not change what God has determined. God has control of what was happening and of the people around him, of which he had no control at all. He lived his life the best he could under such circumstances with all that God had given him. 

At the moment of realization that we are being robbed, we will greatly benefit if we learn to accept the inevitable and enjoy what we have, saving ourselves from a lot of unnecessary anxieties. 

2. Take responsibility. People and circumstances may try to rob us of our time, the joys of life, peace of mind, love, or of our faith in God and we may struggle over their power over us; but we do can decide if we allow them. We may not be able to change them, but we can change the most important person that can directly affect our lives--- ourselves. It is up to you to let the 'robbers' have your 'phone'; or you can tell them what I said repeatedly to that knife-guy who tried to rob me: "Don't you dare do this to me!",  breaking away his hold over me, and taking steps away from him. We can do that. We have a choice. No one can make us happy or miserable. It is up to us to be courageous and make the right choices.

The Scripture is plain that each is responsible for the life given to him and what he makes of it. "The soul who sins shall die... The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself" (Ezekiel 18:20).

Daniel didn't choose to be carried away captive to Babylon, but he did choose not to be robbed of his principles by the circumstances he was in, not even after the king ordered that they be fed with his own food which were not only unclean and unhealthy, but was also offered to idols. Nor did Daniel allow the king to carry out his plan to usurp his God-given power to choose and God's authority over his life. He knew he was responsible for himself, his choices and everything he did. God had given him that freedom. He was free to take control of what went on in his life.

And so with us. God has given us that responsibility. We are accountable for our choices, our actions and whatever changes we want to make in ourselves. God expects us to take responsibility.

3. Take action. Realizing we are robbed and not doing anything about it, is making a choice to be robbed. Even the whisper of a prayer for help to God is already a choice. And whatever that God tells us to do, whether to simply give in or do something to escape, is up to us to follow. But we have to take action--- take a step or run away from getting entangled in the negative elements of life and into God's capable and loving hands. We can be sure that "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).

Pray. Listen. Those are the initial steps that one can make when being robbed. Then, act. I can say, my mom-in-law and I may not have a perfect relationship but complying to what God is telling me to do has made it better. God has the recipe. First, He opened my eyes to my own mistakes and take responsibility for them. Next, He made me accept my mom-in-law as she is and not resent her for whatever anxiety I am experiencing. Then, He opened the way for me to practice what He has been trying to teach me all along for quite a long, long time now. 

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 has always eluded me in the past. I couldn't understand it, nor even come to terms with the words I know are there for me to follow.  Words like 'poor in spirit', 'meek', 'mourn', 'peacemaker', 'persecuted', 'reviled' are hard for me as I am proud, stubborn and egoistic. It is hard, but with God helping me all the way as I take one step at a time away from my own prideful and resentful self, I can see light. I take hope in the fact that if God can change me, then He can change my relationships into something unexpectedly better. I believe that as long as I listen to Him and abide to what He tells me to do (even if I don't quite understand), this negative element in my present circumstance is being threatened and will cease to exist, in the same way that I threatened the man who tried to rob me of getting him into jail.

Nobody can rob us of the joys of living an abundant life with God, unless we are unaware, discontented, blame others, neglectful of what God has given us, and most especially, out of touch with God. We flounder and fumble around with no help. Daniel has a true friend. In every anxiety that he has gone through (though none of his making), He had God to run to. And despite of being threatened, he stayed meek and true to God. And God stayed true to Daniel.

"The Son of God was given to redeem the race. At infinite suffering, the sinless for the sinful, the price was paid that was to redeem the human family from the power of the destroyer and restore them again to the image of God. Those who accept the salvation brought to them in Christ will humble themselves before God as His little children."

"God wants His children to ask for those things that will enable Him to reveal His grace through them to the world. He wants them to ask His counsel, to acknowledge His power… It is well for us to feel our weakness, for then we shall seek the strength and wisdom that the Father delights to give to His children for their daily strife against the powers of evil." (E. G. White, Testimonies, Vol.9, p. 284)

Jesus said, "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Let Jesus teach us everyday and watch Him redeem what has been robbed from us.






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Thoughts on Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum, Babies and Motherhood

I have just given birth to a lovely baby. Her name is Roxana. She is truly a gift from heaven.  In the few days that she has been under my care, thoughts of what it takes and what it means to be a mother has occupied my mind. So I thought of sharing them as to empty my head a li'l bit. ;)

Anyhow, if you have thoughts about birth, pregnancy, motherhood or babies that we might enjoy, feel free to send it to me through my email or pm me through Facebook. I'll include them here together with your name. Thanks... And enjoy the day!

A baby's first smiles can ease the mother's pains and aches like no other medicine can do. 

Giving birth is always an amazing experience (even at my fourth). But with it is acute pain. Pain at how frail we are. Pain at how women are cursed. If only there is no pain... But Eve listened to the serpent just as we still do now-- prone to wander, prone to sin. Giving birth is a curse. Yet even in the painful curse of giving birth, God has never left us hopeless and without mercy. For in every birth, there is empowerment, that though how weak we are, there is enough strength that God has put in us to get every mother through the painful process. And in every birth, there is a blessing, a blessing of taking part in God's wonderful work of creation. And finally, in giving birth, there is hope-- hope that God has never given up on sinful humanity. Every child born is a reminder that God is merciful and "unto us a Child is born" (Isaiah 9:6), the Savior of mankind, Jesus. That Savior was born to a woman--- a woman, weak, sinful, cursed; yet strengthened, blessed, saved through Him--- in the same painful curse of a process, called birth.

Dealing with the Small Things

"The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:6 NIV)

Life is made up of little things...

It's funny how I can handle major challenges/stresses in life so capably, if not exquisitely; and fumble around, really sweating out when it comes to the daily, the ordinary, and the mundane. It takes me by surprise how inept I am. On other days, it sneaks up on me and totally renders me powerless and shows me for who I really am--- a helpless, pathetic, unprepared coward. I am usually left all spent after an aftermath of seemingly ordinary trial or after the realization of how I was overthrown again by something so simple. It is very upsetting to be aware of how hopelessly human I am.

Beyond the Storm: Joy in the Morning

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Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5 ASV)

I'm counting the days when I get to meet our new baby daughter. In fact, I have been here at the medical facility for a few days now, where mothers are given quality pre-natal care, give birth, and are cared for together with the baby after the birth. Makes one feel like a queen. And it's all for free! I have done nothing (that means no cooking and cleaning), but get all checked, rested and fed. 

Oh, how this pregnancy journey has been different from all previous ones that I had (well, I already had three aside from this). That's why I can totally agree with Patsy Clairmont's  book title "Normal is just a Setting on Your Dryer". We want to make sense out of the things that we don't understand and try to sum them up as normal. But when things don't go as we expect, we experience lots of anxiety and get all hung up that things are not normal, that we are not normal. But if we look at all these as God's special and creative way to brighten up our world and our lives, then we get to accept 'the different' more readily and enthusiastically.

Getting a Sense of Direction

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I have been wandering in this world for a long time (makes me sound ancient, complete with a long, gray beard and a distinct 'old age' odor. Haha!). This week has seen me celebrate my 37th year, with a cake and some ice cream. I know I will continue to journey on wherever God leads. But as of now, I have been given respite from my wandering until year 2016. It is because, finally, after so much uncertainties, setbacks, packing and unpacking, midnight flights, and scurrying from one important office to another, I have been granted residency in Russia for a few years. Isn't that great? I will be with my family! It all came about the day before my birthday. What a gift, huh?

We didn't celebrate my birthday grandly but having the whole family with me and the knowledge that I have been given the privilege to stay with my family was a great, grand celebration in my heart. Nothing can top that as a present, as a reason for rejoicing on my 37th year of existence. God has fulfilled His promises to me and I can see that we have more celebrating to do in this journey of life that we are doing together.

Thus, when God woke me on my birthday early enough to have time to listen and learn from Him, I only had one prayer to say to Him. I didn't tell Him about my wishes for a house that we can turn into a home, for a happy united family, for the new baby and her soon coming birth, for opportunities to work for Him, for a loving heart to love as He does, though I so wish I have all that. But foremost in my heart and mind was a prayer for His leading, His direction in my life. For you see, I have had problems with direction.

Practical Tips From the Bible to Have the Time to Teach

Deutoronomy 11:19 "Teach them to your children. Talking about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Nothing beats being with ALL three of my children. While being with Angelika, my Haiyan storm girl-survivor, spending time with her and finding time to teach her, I couldn't help but send a prayer that my two other children, Misha and Ella, also had their learning moments. Now that I am with all of them, I have plenty of making up to do. The time away from them has made the importance of teaching my children more profound.

Any time around the clock can be teaching moments, but as I have mentioned in my last post A Time to Teach, we need to be intentional, especially in our times when anything and everything can distract us from our goal of teaching our children.

Nothing is Impossible with God

Angelika in the Philippines,
so delighted to be starting school there.

Today of last year, Angelika, with me and her little sister, Ella, left for the Philippines, never knowing that it would take a year for her to come back. We didn't know then that she would go to school there, spend some considerable time without a mother, be left in the care of her doting grandparents, spend a birthday without even one of her immediate family, see the home and the school she  had come to love destroyed and broken, witness both her grandparents being taken away by a destructive storm, be left on her own in the water with no one to help, and being rescued by an unlikely hero, a ten-year old boy, and a little later, a total stranger with a brave, soft heart. And all the while, she was hoping and waiting for her mother to come and take her home.