God loves you so much

God loves you so much that He…
Lights up your day with breathtaking sunshine every summer,
Warms your eyes with sunburnt leaves every autumn,
Comforts you with blankets of snow every winter,
Sends you fresh flowers every spring.
In every season, one thing remains true, God’s love never fails.

Do you feel lost? Pause.

If you ever felt at a loss for where to go, hopeless, and couldn’t find your way again…Pause, embrace the moment, and come to Jesus in prayer.

In silence, you become more aware of His presence.

In solitude, you amplify His gentle whispers.

And in stillness, you allow His wisdom to light your path, navigate your steps, and take you in the right direction.

Here’s a lovely prayer by Thomas Merton, one that recognizes the feeling of being lost, but at the same time, conveys confidence that God will direct your path and be by your side always.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Prayers for 2024

Each season of life calls for a certain prayer.

As we face a new year, let our prayers be more than just our external life, the circumstances we are in or the things happening around us.

Let us take a deep look into our internal life, the conditions of our hearts, the status of our souls, and our perspectives and motives.

In so doing, with God’s wisdom and guidance, we can live a life out of a pure heart and soul, with a perspective and motive that will bring honor and glory to the Heavenly Father.

Hear the voice of the Lord

So often the chaos of life blocks your vision of God.

Slow down, pause, take a moment to breathe, and experience stillness.

Tame your mind and allow your inner voice to break through the noise.

Let silence pervade, let your soul commune with God, and in that intimate moment, you may hear the gentle whispers of God reaching out to you.

Each day is a blessing

Remind yourself to count your blessings every single day.

It’s easy to let blessings go by unnoticed if you’re not looking.

Love like a child

Love as innocent as a child’s play
Without a trace of judgment to sway
Find the best in each soul’s display
Speak your heart’s desire in every way

Forgive before forgiveness is ever sought
Believe without a second thought
In trust’s embrace, let grudges be naught
In love’s gentle flow, be ever caught

In the dance of joy, let laughter abound
In your lover’s arms, true content is found

Our ability to receive is equally important to your ability to give.

Our relationships are greatly enhanced when we become not only generous givers, but generous receivers as well.

When we know how to accept gladly, wholeheartedly, embracing the gift as an extension of the giver.

It takes both giving and receiving for care and generosity to flow unimpeded.

The world is as good as you see it is

If you focus on the bad, you will see a ‘bad’ world.

If you focus on the good, you will see goodness.

Choose your focus carefully.

You always have a choice.

No one can direct your actions but yourself.

Do not give that power to anybody else.

Remember, even when it seems like you are on a one-way road,

you can still choose the other direction.

The 7 Steps I Took to Move Past My Failures and Reach Success

 “Nothing truly meaningful is achieved on the first attempt, and if that’s where you stop, then failure is all you will have.”

This is the first message that popped up on my personal email this morning. I’ve been missing a lot of messages for the past few months, since my family and I immigrated to Canada from the Philippines. This big move was the most exciting and overwhelming experience our family have ever had.

Before the summer break is over and things go hectic again as the kids go back to school, I decided to check my inbox. Boy was I lucky, I got one super inspiring message at the start of my day.

So what does this mean to me?

Life is never a smooth ride, bumpy roads are there for sure. Rocky, muddy, and foggy, at times. But it is up to us to cross them no matter how impassable they seem. We may trip on the curb, fall down, scratch our knees, or bruise our legs in this journey, but never should we give up.

We will definitely fail. After all, nobody in this world has ever reached true success without failing at something at some point in their life.

Failure occupies a good amount of space in our life.

It is natural.

It is inescapable.

It is bound to happen.

There’s no point of fearing failure. Failure happens because we want to grow, we want to explore, we want to learn more and we want answers to our problems.

Unless we just want to stay exactly where we are right now, stunted and contained in our own box, failure won’t come our way.

Failure is one of the main ingredients in the recipe for success. It is what makes success truly pleasurable, enjoyable and delightful.

Yes, failure stings!

It shakes our confidence, it crushes our soul, it takes our hope away, and has even the power to make us feel like our lives are over.

But there are millions of ways to overcome it.

I’ve failed countless times. The most devastating one was when our family application to move to Canada was denied. Not just once. But twice.

And like they say, third is charm. Now, we’re here in the beautiful British Columbia!

A few of those failures left a mark. Most already forgotten. But lessons are learned and applied.

So how was I able to move past my failures?

I succumb to it.

I wallow as much as I want, lasting to few hours or days, depending on its weight.

I feel it. I accept it. I don’t deny it. I cry. I get emotional.

I release as many negative feelings as possible out of my system until there’s nothing left. Then I get up, tackle the next move and continue the journey.

I recognize it.

Failure is a necessary part of my life. Nobody’s exempted.

And because of this belief, I find comfort knowing that I’m not alone in my endeavor. More often than not, my mishaps pale in comparison to those who have left a legacy.

I admit the defeat.

Many of us tend to blame others or outside factors for our failure, when in fact, we hold the responsibility to our actions.

Until we take responsibility in some capacity, moving on is one formidable challenge.

I share my story.

I see no use of hiding it when everyone around me feels my negative vibe. I talk to my spouse, children, family and closest friends to ease off the pain.

It probably would hurt more if I don’t take the load off my soul and express myself. Besides, I don’t think anyone has successfully navigated life alone. We need each one to survive life’s uncertainties.

I take failure as an opportunity.

Regardless of how big or small I deem my failure is, I take it as an opportunity to grow as an individual.

I believe that in each setback there’s always a glimmer of hope that shines and growth only begins at the end of our comfort zone. Failure will not break me apart, instead, it will shape me so I can become the better version of myself.

I look back at what I have accomplished.

If only there are road maps for dealing with life. If only reaching success is a smooth ride. If only I can avoid mistakes. The list of ifs could go on and on but that is not what life is about.

As a human being, I’m bound to mess up – for how many times? I couldn’t tell. Yes, it can be disheartening, but I do not quit. I just look at what I have done and where I have gotten, and this gives me the courage to push harder.

Eventually, I will succeed if I do not give up.

I let go.

Because no matter how much I try, there are just some things that cannot be changed. And so I come to realization to let go of those things beyond my control.

Finding the courage to set free those things I cannot change is one of the most hope-filled experiences in my life. Also, it is easier to let go of something than try to change it.

And so I leave you with this message:

You will stumble.

You will get hurt.

You will cry.

You will stop for a while.

But stand up, brush off the dust, wash the wound, and heal yourself, then start moving forward again.

Just keep moving – that’s what matters. And remember, you are not your failure. While your actions may define you, your failures do not. The actions you take to overcome your failure and achieve success is what will define you in the end.

Life is good and that’s how it should be.

Thanks for reading. I hope you get inspired.