Imagination

A Fish

2012-02-12T19:40:00.001+08:00

Be on time

2010-03-11T08:17:00.014+08:00

We all know the frustration of waiting for someone who is late for an appointment. We feel irritated and stressed, especially if we have rearranged our own schedule and rushed through traffic to be at the appointed meeting place on time. Of course we are all late on occasion due to circumstances beyond our control. But constant lateness demonstrates a lack of respect for others by robbing them of life's most precious commodity -- TIME.

Let's make a difference in the lives of others by showing that we value them and treasure the time they have agreed to spend with us. Let's schedule realistically and give ourselves enough time to accommodate traffic and unexpected delays. Small considerations mean a lot.

Someone else's time is a terrible thing to waste.

Respect People

2010-03-10T11:18:00.006+08:00

JAMES 3:9-10 NIV
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
It seems that respect has gone out of style. But God's unchanging Word teaches us to treat people with respect.

Not agreeing with someone is no reason to treat them disrespectfully. Just because they are wrong does not make them unworthy of respect.

By His death for them, Jesus showed us He considers people valuable and precious. So, we should not treat people as insignificant or worthless.

Disrespecting people is actually disrespecting God who created them.

God considers this so vital for wives, He gave a specific command to respect their husband.

EPHESIANS 5:33 NIV
33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Certainly, we should respect all people, but God obviously thought a special reminder to wives was needed.

A wise woman will enjoy the benefits, both now and for eternity, of acting on this command from a loving Heavenly Father.

MATTHEW 25:40 NIV
40 "The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

The world respects people who are rich, famous, and successful. Anyone can do that.
But how do you treat those who are thought to be the "least," who seemingly cannot help you in any way?

SAY THIS: I will respect people because they are valuable to God and He loves them.

Are you really successful?

2010-02-28T09:10:00.010+08:00

What is success? People by nature are a discontented flock, the more they have, the more they crave. Amassing more money, real estate properties, flashy cars, status and power, seem to be their yardstick in success in life. "Successful" people enjoy the "good life" - being financially secure, emotionally secure, being surrounded by admirers, and enjoying the fruits of their labor. Their example is emulated and their accomplishments are noticed. Most people's definitions of success only deal with the "here and now" of this life. Even in many churches today the definition of success is in terms of numbers, size, dollars and prestige.

One day, it came to me that after all these years I am still living in a small place with my family and we seldom go out on a vacation and alike… I tend to feel frustrated. Then I start asking myself “why should I feel frustrated?”. Is it because I don’t feel successful of what we only have and with our below average life style? Should I feel frustrated because we’re not as good as any other families we know? What is the meaning of SUCCESS or being successful IN LIFE anyway? Is it having a lot of money, living in a big house, driving a fancy car, fame, or being able to travel all the time? Is it about being the BEST in something? Is it about being able to secure the future of my children financially? If those were the yardstick for measuring success, how come that there are people who possesses these things but still doesn’t feel happy?

But success is measured and defined differently by God. God's measure of success involves our obedience and faithfulness to Him, regardless of opposition and personal cost. His measure of success is whether or not we are being loyal to Him in our personal relationship with Him and in our life, and whether we are accomplishing His goals & purposes for our life.

Jesus was failure, if you measure his life here on earth by people's measure of success. He had little in material possessions, and did not even own a home. He was rejected by most people, and was even hated by some. The religious leaders of the time despised him. Even his friends and those closest to him deserted him. He was accused and found guilty of things he did not do. He was beaten, spit on, cursed, mocked, and he suffered terribly and died the most horrible kind of death known to man at that time, death on the cross. Measure him by the way most of us measure success, and he was a failure. But in God's eyes, the redemption and salvation of all of mankind was accomplished through His son Jesus. By God's grace and great love for you and I, He sent Jesus to pay for our sins, and now the gift of a restored personal relationship with God and eternal life can be ours - all because of Jesus Christ.

Do you think you're really successful in life? What if we remove all the material things that you own... what else do you have so you can say that you are successful?

It's for you to decide whether to work hard to achieve YOUR goals or to live a life for God's purpose.

The Pursuit of Happiness

2008-09-23T10:59:00.009+08:00

My happiness
With them, even when my pocket is empty, I can still smile.

True happiness is said to be both an inner glow and an outer radiation that you can feel together with a total satisfaction.
Dictionaries will give you the meaning of happiness as an emotional feeling which parallels with pleasure, joy, and contentment. But then these things are just temporary. In your pursuit for happiness you have to dig deeper into the real meaning of happiness, a happiness that is true and never ending.

True happiness is a great feeling of satisfaction which is incomparable to the instant pleasures you get when you see your favourite soccer team winning. It is felt when you overcome an obstacle which has been presented to you. There are many people out there who do not know much about true happiness. Let me share an article by Andrew Chin, to let you learn how to find happiness and be happy.

What really makes you happy?
Is it the material things such as money, clothes, jewellery, brand name footwear and bags? Do you go for long-term states of happiness such as security, good health, and love? Which is most valuable to you? Have you gotten access to true happiness? When was the last time you felt really happy? Does happiness quotes and happiness poems make you fell good inside and out? Have you given your all to a certain challenge and you felt satisfied with all those efforts you have placed?

Recognizing true happiness is a must.
There are several occurrences when you have been misguided to the real deal in your pursuit to happiness and simple pleasure. To mark a definition between the two, it is vital that you know the exact difference that comes with both terms. Simple pleasure is a thing of feeling terrific about something. Examples of pleasurable experiences are a family cruise vacation, a spa treatment during the weekend, a great basketball game, and so on. Meanwhile, true happiness is far from feeling emotionally happy. It goes more way beyond enjoyment. In True happiness lies contentment and engrossment.

So what is it that let people have true happiness?
Researchers have identified several factors that can fully describe true happiness in a person. They say that people from all walks of life find happiness but are just too busy to pay any attention to it simply because they fail to recognize what true happiness and pleasure are.

True happiness in a person is actually a state where in you feel like going along with the flow. You seem to be going along with the flow that sets off smoothly, hassle free, and effortlessly. It can be compared to an experience wherein the ticking of the clock stops suddenly and you become totally oblivious of the things that surrounds you.

Among the significant clues of happiness are being totally immersed with what you are doing, when you have your full participation on an engagement, when you are enjoying to the extreme but you have certainly have no idea with regards to the day, to the passing time, to the other things taking place in your surroundings, and the genuine satisfaction that you feel. These are the instances that can inform you that you have got nothing but true happiness in your mind, heart, and soul.

There is chance of true happiness for every person. Do not be taken aback by the negativity that happiness is only meant for other people. In your pursuit for happiness, just remember that you also deserve to experience and find happiness. When it comes your way, you can attest to how lucky you are as a person. Therefore, take time to reconcile occurrences and things in your life. Give importance to the value of true happiness everyday.

Big bill for a small fare

2007-03-26T14:07:00.000+08:00

The shuttle service has already left the terminal when I realized that I need to change one of my 500s for smaller bills, so that it won’t be inconvenient for the driver to look for a change since the fare is only 45 pesos. Then I thought maybe it’ll be ok since there are other 11 passengers in the service, that’ll be enough get a change for 500.

What the heck? – Yeah, why do I need worry about it?

Oh well, let’s just be kind enough to understand that most of our passenger vehicle drivers are victims of poverty. They can’t keep extra money as change for bills bigger than 100 pesos, especially those who are driving tricycles. This reminds me of a tricycle driver who can’t give me a change of 6 pesos. He apologized and told me that he already used the money to buy food for dinner. I almost got irritated but as a person who wanted to make a difference, I just went to a store nearby to exchange the 20 peso bill for coins.

Taking a small responsibility of preparing small bills before riding a passenger vehicle can save us and the others from inconveniency.

A Friend, an Enemy, an Acquaintance

2007-02-08T14:13:00.002+08:00

I was walking on my way to the shuttle service terminal when I heard someone said "Hey Eds! How you doin?" I looked around and saw an old FRIEND. He became my buddy when we worked together in a same company. We traveled and climbed together with different mountaineering groups. I acquired some knowledge from him, like tips and information on drawing, photography, and travelling.

We’re still on the stage of finding ourselves back then. I made a mistake. I got envy with his talents and had a feeling of being his shadow, which caused a conflict between us. A gap started to grow until we became ENEMY. We stopped communicating... and time passed by.

I found what I was looking for. I met new people and found new things to focus my attention. I matured. I learned. I apologized to him and I was forgiven.

We don’t want to put away the friendship we had. Even though the gap has been filled up, the closeness is not the same as before. Now, every time we see each other, we just consider ourselves as ACQUAINTANCE, so we won’t expect too much from each other like when we we’re still friends.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged

2001-01-04T10:00:00.000+08:00

Everybody is a critic, but nobody wants to be judged or condemned. Then why is judgementalism so rampant, even among Christians? "Thinking the best of other people" is necessary if we wish to grow in love. And kindliness in judgment is nothing less that a sacred duty. The Rabbis warned people: "He who judges his neighbor favorably will be judged favorably by God." How easy it is to misjudge and how difficult it is to be impartial in judgment. Our judgment of others is usually "off the mark" because we can’t see inside the person, or we don’t have access to all the facts, or we are swayed by instinct and unreasoning reactions to people. It is easier to find fault in others than in oneself.

Mathhew 7:1-5
1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Jesus states a heavenly principle we can stake our lives on: what you give to others (and how you treat others) will return to you. The Lord knows our faults and he sees all, even the imperfections and sins of the heart which we cannot recognize in ourselves. Like a gentle father and a skillful doctor he patiently draws us to his seat of mercy and removes the cancer of sin which inhabits our hearts. Do you trust in God’s mercy and grace? Ask the Lord to flood your heart with his loving-kindness and mercy that you may only have room for charity and forbearance towards your neighbor.

Prayer:
"O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen."