Christmas 2007

     
Written on December 24, 2007

       My favorite time of the year is here again ... Christmas!!! Year after year, Our Christmas Eve celebration is not complete without our Yummy Hot chocolate, Ham and Bread, Fried Chicken, Macaroni or any pasta, salad, our homemade Ube or Purple Yam (which I assure you is 100% more delicious than the Good Shepherd Ube) and Leche Flan.  Even before 12:00 am strikes, we are already gathered around the table, getting ready to eat to our heart's delight and waiting expectantly for our gifts.

        I remember when I was a kid, I loved to rummage over piles and piles of gifts placed under the Christmas tree,trying to look for the gifts with my name..and when I find them, I would think of creative ways of opening them without tearing the wrappers...Until my mom got fed up and just kept our gifts hidden in her room. Little did she know that I also have the talent to look for them. lol.

        I love gifts! Who wouldn't? The most memorable gift I received from my parents was a big car  while my brother received a Go kart.  I was about 5 to 6 years old then and we loved driving them around the garage. I asked myself why it was so memorable ... was it the size? Maybe, but more importantly, it was the last gift I remember that my parents gave me when they were still together.  I saw that car and Go kart again a few years ago. They were all rusty and dirty.  It brought back happy and sad memories from the past. Looking back, If I would have learned then that they would eventually separate 1 to 2 years after that Christmas, I would have exchanged that gift - I would have given up anything and everything - just to see them, us, together again.

        That is why everyday, Alvin and I strive hard to give our children the gift we did not receive when we were kids, the gift that is so important for our children but is often neglected.  The gift of our love - not just for our children but to each other...the gift of our presence - enjoying every moment with them.... the gift of a complete family.  

        Alvin and I want our kids to see and feel the love that we have for each other because through our love expressed in words and actions, we know they will feel secured and loved as well.  But as Harold Sala puts it, "love does not come in capsules and in doses, it is born in [our] heart as God touches [our] life"...and Only by loving God can we learn to love our families more.

        By loving our spouse and our children more, we give them more than any gift can bring.  We give them memories to hold on to... We give them life... We lead them to God and His eternal gift - Jesus Christ.  And yes, there is no Christmas without Jesus.  There will never, ever be a Christmas without Jesus.

        Merry Christmas!
  
1 John 3:16: "This is how we know what love is. Jesus laid down His life for us..."

A Cheerful Heart

         

 Written on December 17, 2007

            "I could be happy only if ...".

            We posted this question in our Bible study last Saturday. Most of the attendees were not Christians and most of them said they would be happy and content just to be with their family.  What can really make us happy? Proverbs 15:13 says 'A Happy heart makes the face cheerful'.   We can smile yet not be happy inside.  But when our heart smiles, I call it joy and from it comes an inner glow, a cheerful face.

           Based on Wayne Cordeiro's Dead Running Leaders, we, in our DGroup, were asked to think of the things that fill and drain our tank.  The moment we feel anxiety and stress, our tanks are draining faster than we are filling them.  The trick is to do things that replenish our tank.  These things make us happy and will help us identify warning signals of burnout.

 These are the things that drain my tank:

1.  Fights or arguments especially with my hubby
2.  Scolding my kids, seeing them cry, losing patience over petty things
3.  Being misunderstood
4.  Sin
5.  Trials
6.  Sickness in the family

 These are the things that make me happy.  These are the things that fill my tank:
(in no particular order)

1. I am recharged whenever I am able to wake up early for my quiet time with the Lord.   One of my goals this coming 2008 is to be consistent in this aspect. I want to be able to read the entire bible next year.  This I failed to do this year. 

2. I am happy whenever I spend quantity and quality time with my family. Long talks and long walks with my hubby (time alone with him), story time and play time with our kids, pillow fights and tickle time

3. I am excited to wake up every Sunday to hear God's message from our pastors and I am doubly blessed to hear God's word through Pastor Peter who speaks with so much authority and humility.  Every after the 8 am service, I love to see the delight in my children's eyes whenever we visit Toy Kingdom and Powerbooks.

4.  Our DGroup fellowship every Tuesday

5.  Sharing God's word through our couples Bible study…to see couples working hard to improve and save their marriage, to see them opening up their lives to our group and seeing them grow in the knowledge of our Lord.  I praise God for bringing new people every Saturday...making our number grow.

6.  Playing table tennis and hopefully, tennis again.

7.  Fellowship with old friends

8.  Words of encouragement

9.  Watching 24 and Prison Break

10. Watching a movie with my hubby.  I miss doing this.  We used to watch a movie at least once a week but now that we have kids, we would call ourselves "lucky" to watch 4 movies in a year.

11. Out of town trips especially to places I have never been

12. Christmas and New Year celebration, birthdays, dining out with family and friends

13. A Scrabble game

14. Digital scrap booking

15. Reading books, inspirational articles

16. M&Ms, Fried chicken, Tagalog Batchoy, pizza and Rocky Road ice cream

17. Friendster, My Multiply and blogging, letters and emails from friends, 24/7 DSL connection, just browsing the net

18.  Listening to my babies talk and seeing them play with each other - praying that they will be best friends and that they both will serve the Lord in the ministry

19.  Overcoming trials

20. Listening to Christian Music.

21. Writing

22. Staying up late with Alvin just talking about our dreams and plans for the future, reminiscing about the past

   

            I give my Lord my utmost thanks for the people and things that fill my tank.  For some, the list may be mundane but it is only because like Paul, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am" (Phil 4:11). I have learned to be thankful in everything and anything.  Discontent is a big factor that can drain anyone's tank and it keeps us from enjoying God's blessings completely. We can never stop our tank from draining but it is up to us to fill them up. We may suffer one trial after another but let us not forget that we have a God who is mindful of us.  Hebrews 13:5 says (and I'll quote the Tagalog translation which fully captures my sentiments), "Sapagkat Siya rin ang nagsabi, sa anumang paraan ay hindi kita pagkukulangin at anumang paraan ni hindi kita pababayaan".  That promise, for me, is enough to bring me joy and fill my tank.