oBediEnce

Staying home one day, I blindly grab a Bible Story book for me to read with my five-year old niece. I was expecting to make my niece learn new things, but it was the other way around. Actually, the story didn't interest her but me instead.

The book I got was volume 3 and the story was about the Israelites journey to the promise land. The story started after they had crossed the red sea. It was a new discovery for me. I mean, what I recently read I never heard before. I thought Moses wasn't able to go to the promised land because he killed someone when he was younger. Maybe it was one of the reason. But no. The main reason he wasn't able to go to the Canaan was because of disobedience to God. Well, in the first place, killing someone is also disobedience.

It happened this way. The Israelites were impatient again and started to complain about not having water. It would have been better for them to have stayed in Egypt where they have enough supply even for their animals. It was the same old story, the same old complaint. Just as soon as things began to go wrong, they wished they were back in Egypt, and were ready to blame Moses for all their troubles.

As usual, Moses and Aaron would turn to God for help. Of course, the Lord would always be there to help them out. The Lord told Moses to gather the people in an assembly and speak on a rock before their eyes and the water will come out.  I supposed because of the stubborness of the Israelites, Moses got impatient and angry that He forgot the Lord's instruction. So he smote the rock twice and the water gushed forth.

The Lord got angry. He told Moses how he disobeyed His instruction. As punishment, he and Aaron were not permitted to enter into the promised land. The two were very sad. After all that they have been through. The trials that they have endured. The very long journey that they have travelled. It was Moses' greatest dream to bring to the promised land the Israelites himself. He tried to talk about it again to God but he was snubbed. Moses and Aaron died before the people journeyed to Canaan and they were led by Joshua.

With what I read, I was reminded of how important it is for the Lord that we obey Him. He was so strict that even Moses, His faithful servant, He didn't spare. But the Lord still love them. He didn't blame them from failing to understand but for failing to believe and obey.

The same is true in our present life. We may be forgiven from all our sins, but the consequences or the corresponding punishment of what we did, we are not free.

Hence, it is important to "Always obey the Lord and you will be happy. If you are stubborn, you will be ruined."  Prov 28:14

Stubborness can ruin us. The longer it takes us to do what God wants us to do, the further we get away from what he wants.

God's words are a message to obey, not just hear.

"It is obedience which gives merit to all our actions and renders them pleasing to God" 
----St. Vincent de Paul.

Simple Lessons

I didn’t report for work today. I have sore eyes. Times like this, I can’t help feeling happy too. I get to spend time for myself. Although it’s uncomfortable. But I get to have a very valid reason to stop working and rest. 

Another person that is happy I am sick is my sister. She gets to go out and attend to her other daughter’s need and leave her youngest daughter with me.

Hmmm… sounds like I still have work…. a nanny.  

Well, at least for this moment I have no work and get to write. Keri is asleep. She just had her first day at a Day Care center today. She was excited showing me her work and told me what they had done. Of course, less her mischief. Like throwing away her own food and demanding her classmates’ food which ended her not eating anything with her snack.  On the way home, my sister told her it was not right to ask for her classmates’ food and promised her they would bring snacks like them the next day.  

My three-year old niece has a lot to learn and her lesson starts now, and the lessons will continue and won’t stop as long as she lives.

…. And so with mine…

Lessons I learned in a lot of different ways. Hard and easy way,  funny and corny way, victorious and embarrassing way.

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My cousin died several weeks ago. I have written about her in my previous blog, Hair Rebonding.

I was happy she has finally rested. I didn’t cry over her death but the way she died. I was a little bit envious and wished I would leave life like she did, that is, leaving  with Jesus on her side.

On her burial, I took it upon myself to be the official photographer and videower (it’s my unique description for someone who takes video footage). I have a digital camera on my left hand (lent by a cousin) and an N70 cellphone on my right. I have taken videos on two family burials and I learned that, when taking videos, I must move my cellphone slowly so that when it is viewed on the big screen, the viewers won’t get dizzy. Unfortunately, one thing I haven’t mastered yet. The clicking of ‘pause’ and ‘continue’ key.  There were moments when I forgot to press the ‘pause’ key or didn’t press it well, that the coverage went on with my shoes, grasses and roads as the view. There was also an important moment when I thought I was taking videos already when in fact I forgot to press ‘continue’.

The next time I have to be a videower, I have to watch these keys carefully.

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Everytime we eat fruits, I and my sister throw the seeds in the small improvised pots I made and let it grow. One time, we noticed a lot of young plants sprouting in one of our pots and we could no longer recognize what it is since we have thrown more than one kind of seeds in the pot. We waited for it to grow more but still we could not recognize it. Until one time, it occurred to me to ask my mother. And, Hola! She recognized it as Papaya.

I was so eager to grow a malunggay tree. I was so excited when two grew out of the four seeds that we hid under the soil. One plant was growing faster than the other one. When my mother visited I proudly showed it to her. She laughed. The higher plant was not a malunggay tree but just one of the weeds in the forest.

I planted an eggplant last year and it was only last two months ago that I finally get to eat its fruit. I was happy to notice one eggplant sprouted in one of our pots. One day my neighbor told me it was a tobacco.  I was surprised how I got it. She said maybe the birds dropped it there. So that is why it hasn’t grown a flower for a long time.

The next time I had a problem recognizing my plants, I know whom to ask.

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I recall last week, I just put a friend in a lion’s den. Well that is how I would want to describe it. In my desire to help others, I made her do something that placed her in a situation where she was hurt and I felt guilty. Actually it was an honest mistake on my part because I wasn’t told of what is the appropriate thing to do on one particular job.  I was already forgiven but the guilt still lingered until I discovered I haven’t forgiven myself yet.  On my knees and in the presence of God I prayed for the grace to forgive myself and be at peace.

What's most important is that God loves me and accepts me with all my warts and flaws.

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Lessons… for sure there is more to come. 

I am still under construction, and God’s way of building me is through lessons.

I just need a humble heart and willingness to learn.

                               

Moringa

I was hooked on Moringa!

Yes! One reason why I haven’t been writing lately. (Another one was my cousin's death)

But who is Moringa, anyway?

Actually it should not be “who” but “it”.

Moringa is a plant. Moringa Oleifiera is the real name.  The scientific name for Malunggay.

Malunggay is considered to be a complete food because of the amount of vitamins and minerals it contains. It is one of the richest source of essential nutrients often lacking in people’s diet. Some call it a miracle plant. It’s tiny leaves is capable of saving millions of lives. It could practically wipe out malnutrition in the planet.

An officemate taught me how make malunggay capsules years back. It was only recently that I decided to make my own when I found an abundant supply in our office backyard.

One task I have decided to do in my lifetime is to make and give love to my loved ones. But lately, I noticed that I haven't been doing good in this area. I was glad I met Moringa. Making malunggay capsule requires a lot of patient but I enjoyed it. I took it as making love while making the capsule and giving love as I distributed the capsules. It's a good thing that they already know how great malunggay is that they really appreciated it. Most of all its for free.

I have searched online, watched videos and read blogs. One great thing I found out about Malunggay is that it is rich in Calcium and Iron which is most needed by women, especially mothers. It is also rich in Vitamin A which is vital for our sight. After eating for just a month, malunggay has saved me from wearing  eye glasses. It has also saved me from dysmenorrhea.

One thing that caught my attention then was that, Moringa grows abundantly in tropical and sub-tropical regions like ours. Ironically, this is also where malnutrition and famine exist. It is so unfortunate that most people in the place doesn’t know about how amazing this tree is.

Hence, I now take this as an obligation to inform everyone I know about this amazing creation of God.

God doesn't make junks.... and it's always free!

Malunggay is one proof for that.

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Click this to know how I made malunggay capsule.

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Some facts about Malunggay

Fresh Leaves                                                   Dried Leaves

Gram for gram, fresh leaves contain about

 4 times the Vitamin A of Carrots                     10 times the Vitamin A of Carrots

 7 times the Vitamin C of Oranges                    1/2 the Vitamin C of Oranges

4 times the Calcium of milk                              17 times the Calcium of milk

3 times the Potassium of Bananas                     15 times the Potassium of

                                                                                Bananas

3/4 the Iron of Spinach                                   25 times the Iron of Spinach

3 times the Protein of Yugort                            9  times the Protein of Yogurt

Source: treesforlife.org

DELAYS

Have you experienced delays in your life? Lately? Today?

How do you take it?
 
I lined up before an Automated Teller Machine to withdraw this morning. There were three people before me. Well, actually it was only two, but the other woman stood ahead of me and I just let her. There were two ATM, anyway. While I was standing there waiting, I started to get a little bit impatient.  I noticed that the other woman seemed to be withdrawing big amount because she kept on repeating her transactions. I started to think of leaving. But I thought that I have already waited and I will just waste my time if I leave. So I continued to wait until it was my turn.
 
After office, I dropped by the supermarket. I was in a hurry. I know that it will close in an hour. In the counter, the cashier have just already finished entering my groceries when the lights went off, including the computer. Obviously the store doesn't have a UPS (uninterrupted power supply). My groceries which have already been packed were taken out to be entered in the computer again.  To my dismay, the computer keyboard didn't worked so I have to transfer to another cashier. And so I put back all my groceries to the cart.
 
It was already my turn when the lights went off again. It was so disgusting. How dare this supermarket have no UPS! I started to get impatient. My thought was to leave my grocery and go home. I hesitated for a while. Then I heard some cashiers and baggers complaining about going home late this time. That made me decide to leave. I thought maybe, I made the employees happy that they had less customer to attend to and so they could to go home early. I bet they were thankful to see me leaving even if they have to put back to the shelf all that I have taken. 

Outside, all kinds of vehicles seems to be in chaos. There is traffic. Many people were on the street side. As I got nearer, I noticed most of them were supermarket employees. They were all trying to get a tricycle. Unfortunately, when you are alone, no tricycle driver would be willing to give you a ride. I decided to walk home instead.

I was thankful for the chance to walk which gave me some time to reflect on what have happened to me today. To know what God was trying to teach me with those incidents.

Not all delays are bad, and not all delays are good either. To some, it occurs for a reasons, no matter how natural it could be. To some, it just happens unnoticed.


Today, to me, delays were sweet moments were I was able to commune with God. The chance where I was able to hear Him telling me a lot of things like, to keep still, be patient. Take time and relax.


To just let Him do His thing.
 


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 ---"GOD'S WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS, HIS THOUGHTS ARE NOT OUR THOUGHTS"---




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Delays are also a chance to see the beauty of God's creation like this one.