MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH ETERNITY Having been raised by a devout Catholic mother, I used to believe I would please God and earn my ticket to heaven by being good and doing good stuff. Hence I always made it a point to avoid getting into big trouble when I was a kid, both in school and home. I have always liked attending and participating in the so-called religious activities. Under my mother’s tutelage, I learned to recite and memorize the rosary and novenas. Six o’clock angelus, at one time had been my habit, facing our small altar, lighting a candle and muttering my memorized prayer. My mother would always made us go to church every Sunday in San Roque Church in Blumentritt, Manila; wearing our Sunday dress (our only decent one, I suppose) immaculately clean, starched and ironed out. She wanted us to appear on our best every Sunday. On my first year at Judge Juan Luna High School, I got invited by an Inter-School Christian Fellowship volunteer to join their bible study. Her name is Jenny San Juan. She was a college student in UST and I found her very amiable. They were conducting the study in the shed near our homeroom. I accepted the invitation until I became a regular attendee of that small group bible study. My interest of the Scriptures farther deepened and I began studying it myself. I even searched for books that would quench my thirst for truth and answer my queries. The longing to know God kept on ringing out in my mind and heart. I remember sharing I Corinthians 13 to my high school classmates. It was not an accident. It is within God’s sovereign will. My siblings and I started to come, hear God’s Word and worship together in a local church close to our residence, the First Christian Reformed Church in Quezon City. Each of us has his own story of spiritual awakening. Mine happened in a summer youth camp organized by ISCF in Boys Scout Campsite, Calamba, Laguna. That was my first. We had lots of sessions. There was one that made me realize I have completely come short of God’s glory (despite my trying to be good) and only Christ’s redemptive work on the cross can make me right with God, never my good works or efforts. I cried before the Lord and asked him to forgive me (my sins were flashing back and flooding my mind). I believed He heard my plea. I have felt Him washing me over, touching and embracing me. That was the birth of a new person and a new relationship with Christ Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Each day has become a meaningful and challenging journey with Him under His loving care and control. In college I looked for a venue where I could be helped in my spiritual journey. I joined Tanglaw Christian Fellowship, an IVCF chapter at PNU. It has greatly contributed to my spiritual growth and leadership development. There I found true friends, who I am still in contact with. Yet the most cherished moments are those I spent alone with the Lord, listening to and learning from His Word. I used to have my spiritual journal where I took down the insights from my personal devotions, and it has always been refreshing to read those again. I left some of them in our house at Estrella Homes. Over the years, my faith journey has been my stronghold. It makes me see things beyond what my physical eyes could see. It helps me value those with eternal significance and strengthens me when I am in my weakest point. My life is eternally secured in God’s mighty and loving hands whatever situation I may go through. What I am looking forward to is the face to face encounter with my Eternal King and Lord, Jesus Christ, when He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.. Enter into the joy of your master. “ What a perfect bliss that would be! “ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. “ Galatians 2:20
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 15:06:13 +0000
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