Today Lk 12:37 “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” Last night, Estrella and I went out to dinner with very good friends. Among them were 3 of the original “Ice Cream Kids”…our own gang of friends who fondly call each other “Kid”. While we were at the parking lot on the way home after dinner, someone asked when Estrella and I were leaving back for the US. “This coming Friday” I replied. “Dali-a ra noh, murag bag-o ra man mo na-abot (Oh how time flies…it seemed like you just arrived)” one of them commented. To this I replied, “Yep, too short. The waiting for the vacation to arrive seemed so long but the vacation itself seems too short.” “But Estrella and I are still very thankful that we were able to come home this year” I added. We think of all the hassles and difficulties Estrella and I have to go through to be able to come home to Cebu…plan out target matching dates, apply for vacations and negotiate to get the longest vacations possible, seek out plane tickets for the dates we have been approved, pack up the stuff we need to bring or send in advance for our families (especially the needs of our elders), fly by plane for a total of about 17 hours one way (excluding a 12 hour layover on the way back to the US), attend to the needs and medical appointments of Mommy, Daddy, and our aunt Maimai when we get to Cebu, juggle up our schedules to be able to attend to as many things as possible, go through the pains of the “goodbyes” as our vacation approaches its end, start thinking about all the backlogs in the office that I need to cope up with when I return… And these are just a few, not including the in-betweens that were not in our plan and itinerary. Then we think of the benefits and reasons…we are able to spend time with our loved ones…families, relatives, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. The precious time we are able to spend with them enrich us so much that Estrella and I agree that it is all worth it. The Lord has truly blessed and rewarded us with so much more than we can imagine. When it comes to spending our vacations and coming home to Cebu, Estrella and I are focused on the PRIZE, not the price. Like a marathon runner who prepares himself rigorously for the race, spending countless hours planning, practicing, developing a strategy, and building up his strength and resistance with eyes set on not just finishing the race but ultimately winning it, Estrella and I are also willing to go through all the hassles and difficulties to be able to come home, see and spend time with our loved ones...enrich our lives. With much prayer and with the Lord’s immeasurable graciousness, we have been blessed. The same goes with our faith. If we focus on the “price” we have to pay…the difficulties we are presently facing in life, or what we have to give up to know and follow God, then we start to get discouraged, become complacent, and just continue to drift away. But when we focus on the “PRIZE” and really take a conscious effort to live for God in good and bad times, when we acknowledge that we cannot do it on our own and start lifting ourselves up to God through Jesus and ask for His divine guidance, leadings, strength and grace, then we are guaranteed to win the race. For our God will never say no to our prayers when these are directed towards doing His will. The race is set. Let us all run the good race with everything that we have and everything that we are. Let us prepare for the race with the best effort that we can give. Let us live our lives for God and always be prepared to do His will. Let us set our eyes on the PRIZE and not the price. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” God bless everyone.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 01:47:20 +0000
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