BE GENTLE

Galatians 5:22-23

New International Version (NIV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 


Where I most need it, I am tested most also.


Way back in 1997, I had the privilege of knowing a special lady.  We worked together in one of our church's church planting.  They were a missionary couple who volunteered to join us in this new ground.  They came from Nebraska.

With them we learned so many things.  I have been into trainings and seminars on evangelism but it is by their example in the fields, that I learned the most.

We went together for outreach, used every openings there were available, including the Samaritan's Purse's Christmas Child gift boxes.  Included in these boxes are tracts for child evangelism and materials for sharing.  We knocked on doors and came in armed with these bundles.  We saw the smiles and the joys in the children's eyes as they opened their gifts.  Along with this we came into their homes bringing Jesus and God's love.  And more parents knew Jesus in these encounters.

They also taught us how to handle Small groups using their own simple method.  I kept in my heart our Motto, "People over Program,"  which mattered the most.  This has given me courage and confidence to lead under their tutelage.  

This lady exuded so much gentleness, which was so achingly lacking in me.  There are times I spark and flare at a provocation.  Although oftentimes, I am able to contain it inside.... still I flare inside.  Being held back never excuses me of submitting to anger.

I began to wish I am more gentle, like my mentor.  And Oh, she also had the grace to enroll me for free in a class for Counseling.  She so wanted me to join the class offered in our Bible School under one of their Missionary colleagues.  So I did too.

And so my journey for gentleness began.  I slipped so many times.  Countless times.

Inside I still am not that which I so desire.  The enemy has, always, a new ploy to set up in my road.  He puts roadblocks and even a mountain too high to climb up...... there, up there, lies my GENTLENESS pedestal, set so high, I don't think I can tackle it halfway.

Just last night, I struck a raw surface with my precious son, who is graduating from the Alternative Learning System today.  Of course, I am rejoicing and have danced in thanksgiving to the Lord, for it is an answered prayer.  He is an academically challenged guy which could have been better home-schooled.  

And now he is going to parade among the 700 or so proud ALS graduate.  They come in all walks and ages, but under the same challenge.  Some had to work for the family and dropped out while some never really had a formal schooling due to varied reasons.

He came home late last night while I was in bed already.  He needed to find his black shoes to wear with the Toga and black pants.  So there, the spark kindled and I went off..... inside,  mind you, I did not have the power to flare on the outside, knowing he is in the JOY of his life state.... knowing that he has given me my most HOPED-for-a long time event. ..... silently but surely, flared I went up.  He did not look for the missing shoes during the day but had chosen to do on the last minute.

Thanks God, I found it this morning..... what with my memory needing an upgrade.  Hah..... sigh!

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And Oh for gentleness..... I seek and I slip and I seek again, with Your help, Oh God! 

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MY ETERNAL LEGACY

For a few days now, I have been transported from one gem of a blog after another.

I started to follow on "Grit And Glory" while waiting for my COF blogs to signal new posts.

If  one has an inkling of what transpires when a lull like this is going on, you would be quite apprehensive knowing that one or two of my close friends in this blog-world is off to see a Chiropractor or the Pain Docs.  It makes me apprehensive while hanging on to my Faith, that everything is alright.

Well, finding posts that are not too far between has been a sign that brings comfort to me.



Knowing that My Pain Won't Beat Me heroin is fine, in spite of the daily battle she is fighting with chronic pain, or being assured that Diane of AEW is just busy with studies and the ministry or off running errands, or Veronica Shticks is out on location for the Science field trip of her kids, then Pam, while not writing Apples of Gold, is happily spending time with her job, and Betty is Wise-Heartedly and Courageously working side by side her husband in their mission.

 Another friend, Lidia, is off to a brand new ground, to claim more jewels to add to her Crown of Beauty.   Of course, we are always praying for one another and we trust God fiercely, placing each one of us in this Circle in His Faithful Throne daily...... but their is always joy in finding their voices written in their blogs.

So while in anticipation of  my next portions, I had  ample time to blog hop again.  I started with my own promise to myself to go over at Grit and Glory and absorb the precious insights and reflections, even musings of Diane's wonderful mission-hearted daughter Alece.  I camped there for a while, crying over her sorrows and delighting in her triumphs.

Then I found a link in her blog roll which caught my eye just over its Everyday Awe blog name.  My curiosity landed me in another blog which really would leave you in awe at our God, for the beauty of her words.  Surprises of surprises,  I hopped in just in time for her freebie day.  She offers her readers to just put down in the comment box a request and the specifications and you will get that beautiful 8 x 10 wall art imprinted with  Personalized Scripture Verses.

I did not hesitate.  I sent out my request on the spot.  I was excited to see my name printed on this wall art.  My request was sent when America was slumbering.   Ms. Stephanie Spencer saw my request in the morning and I got it from my email.

When you look closely at it, besides the Bold Words which is stating the Promises of God for me, you can read the verses she has chosen to personalize for me.  Each scripture has my name in it, which is truly a powerful aid for us to take into heart the promises of God, as she aptly put:

"Personalizing Bible verses helped me when I was trying to understand how God felt about me. Not generally, as a human being, but specifically, as me."

                                                                                       ~Ms. Stephanie Spencer~

In one verse, it says:

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you, Lolita, from the love I have for you in Christ Jesus your Lord.

                                                                                        ~Romans 8:38-39~



Thank you, Ms. Stephanie Spencer, for my Personalized Wall Art.

Now, what are you waiting for, go and request for your name printed in one.

I PUT MY HANDS IN YOURS

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To those who belong to my age, those who have crossed over the 50 summers bridge, in the middle of one or perhaps going to the next decade.  You may have been through this predicament.

I have looked at the back of my hands and I see all the wrinkles and lines in them.  The fingers are out of shape as opposed to how they looked way back then.



They are of great value to me because I have cared for my children with them.  I have patted quite a number of backs with my right hand to encourage or to offer sympathy.  I shook hands with acquaintances and church members with a tight warm grip.

They have washed floors, scrubbed all kinds of surfaces at home and done laundries after laundries with them.

I used them to massage aching backs of family members with tender loving care.  In fact a gentle touch does a lot of cure which enhances good blood circulation, a great aid to a fast recovery.

Being an employee, I depend so much with my hands to do a lot of work.  I work with accounting books and I use the computers.  Therefore, I need my hands to do my work fast and accurate.

Now comes aged hands..... they grow weary easily and they cramp and refuse to budge when you want to hit the keyboard.  What now?

I do love that picture of a hand clasped by a carer, as as symbol of trust and love, as does the picture of a little one's  held by his Dad and Mom.  They are pictures of nurture and security.

We may feel, in our advanced state, the insecurity of not being able to do things like before.  Some of us maybe suffering from different kinds of  illnesses which makes them useless or which may require a lot of help from others.

Looking at them, a picture of wear and tear, I will just hold them close to my heart and think of the love they have gestured with.  I'd like to be remembered in love rather than the beauty my hands show.

How do you see your hands now?  Are you seeing the hands that has put on gloves after gloves registering the years they have toiled?  What memories do they evoke when you look at them.  What if you remember them used as tools of punishment?

I want to share with you a poem written by Joan Walsh Anglund:

I shall be older than this one day.
I shall think myself young when I remember.
Nothing can stop the slow change of masks
my face must wear, one following one.
These gloves my hands have put on, the pleated skin, patterned by the pale tracings of my days…
These are not my hands!
And yet these gloves do not come off!
I shall wear older ones tomorrow, till, glove after glove,
and mask after mask, I am buried beneath the baggage
of Old Woman.

Oh, then, shall I drop them off,
Unbutton the sagging, misshapen apparel of age,
and run, young and naked, into Eternity! 

And with this poem, I shall put my aging hands unto Him who promises me of renewed strength and spirit, to Him who will clasp mine in His as we walk together in Paradise.  Unto His hands I do rest mine.

 

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

I Corinthians 15:54

LORD, I PUT MY HANDS IN YOURS! 

....And on that promised day, I shall be set free... free of temporary things.  Things that loose value and charm.

ROADBLOCKS

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When we encounter roadblocks on the road we are taking, we are forced to decide what to do next.

Roads could be closed for repairs or because of flooding.  Sometimes, due to a vehicular accident, we are required to stop until the road is cleared and all police matters are taken cared of.  We are stalled and we become impatient.  We could get angry depending on where we are heading and what was the purpose of the trip.

If you are on your way to respond to some emergencies and you are anxious to be there right on time, encountering a roadblock is not welcome.  You feel distressed every minute that goes by because you do not want to loose time.

There are times that we need to make a turnabout and take the road back to find another exit that would lead to our destination.  Or perhaps, if the obstruction is a temporary one, where we need to wait a short while,  still their is a need to wait.

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Whatever obstacle is blocking our way, and causes a delay, it is always a situation we do not like.  It easily sends us over to boiling point and sometimes we yell in frustration or bang at something to spew our anger out.

So it is with our Christian walk.  Our roadblock could be a prayer over something pressing that has not taken a YES for an answer.  We need it badly.  Or we want an immediate solution.  We look out and there is no sign of positive answer.  Often we get frustrated and we shout out to God, "why did you not meet my request with a positive answer, Lord?  Lord, didn't you promise that all I have to do is ask?"  But still, the answer takes a long time coming.  Or maybe the answer was a plain NO or a WAIT one that would take longer than we are willing to do.

Lately I was asking God for provisions over something that is quite pressing in the sense that my youngest  son needs it for a course in drafting.  We needed a higher end Computer which is costly.  I would not be able to afford it if bought in cash.  Another option is to buy on credit which would curtail high interest rate.

A month have passed by and I still had nowhere to go.  I was about to give up the plan for Nico to enroll this month (May 2012).  He has already lost a lot of time in High School.  And at last he passed, by way of the Alternative Learning System which is recently offered by the Department of Education.  It is such a great joy to me that Nico has finally got his certificate.  It means that he could go to college.  But we decided on letting him take an informal-vocational skills training.  He is good in designs and graphics, so he wants to learn about drafting using the computers.  It would be such a let-down for him to be left behind once again.  Sometimes, it would usher in disappointments (let alone loosing heart) especially that another cousin is joining in the course but  the cousin would like to finish before the next school year begins, which will start in June.

The answer came yesterday, quite without notice, and not what I have expected  to be the source for my need.  My sister came back for a requirement she needed for her VISA application to Canada.  I did not even know she was around.  She dropped by the office to let me know she is going back to Vietnam that same night.  She wanted to say goodbye to me.  I opened my problem to her and she readily offered to pay for the PC.  I cried because I did not want to impose it upon her, but she told me she wanted to help.

Last night, I praised and thank God because He knew all the time.  I also thanked God for Martha is praying with me over my son's case.  All I needed was to trust Him and be patient to wait.

The lack of provision has caused me to think I was the roadblock myself, to my son's dreams.  But God, in his own time, moved that great boulder out of  my way.

During my early morning devotion today, He led me to the following verses:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair ...

2 Corinthians 4:8 (NIV)

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

          Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

Thank you God for roadblocks in our way,  it makes us pause and look up on you.  We get time to reflect upon your promises and to trust you truly and helps make our waiting moments a hopeful one.  For we know that you are always near and sees through our heart.  Amen.

When our roadblocks looks like Mt. Everest, then we need to kneel down and let God move it out of our way.

What is blocking your way today?  Keep trusting and hoping.  Be persistent in asking the Lord and do not tire of waiting.

MY BOULDER

 Maybe, the obstruction is blocking our way for a more meaningful service or ministry, then the problem could be something we need to process and something God has been sending alerts on but we are busy to take heed.

Or maybe God has been pointing at a detour, which will take you around and back on the way to your destination. Perhaps, the detour will be useful for the task that lay ahead.  Take it and ask God to lead the way.

              All of God's answers, (YES, NO, WAIT),  have   its own brand of benefits.   Being mostly short-sighted, it takes sometime for us to realize it.

MY MOM AND THE RED UMBRELLA

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SHTICKS FIGURES CREDITS

Today is one such day that I would cherish.  Veronica of TheSticks.com, sent me another picture which I would like to link to my post RAIN RAIN RAIN.

Soon the rain would be coming, as the season is a little awry these days.   It is summer and yet it rains in the early mornings or at night.

I love the rain, not only because of my pleasant memories during my tender age, as the one I told in the post above, but because it is more welcome than the heat we experience during our summers.  It used not to be when I was younger.  We had to walk to school and back to our homes, but I did not remember intense heat like we have now.

I heard in the news that up north, pets are getting sick and some are dying because of the dry and humid temperature.  We are warned not to expose ourselves outside at midday until 3:00 P. M.  We might suffer from heat stroke or skin cancer.  It's advisable to carry drinking water all the time.

We are praying for our land.  Farmers need water for the crops.  Farm animals are in need of the blessing God has in store up where He has gathered them.  God, please open up the floodgates, but just enough to revive the land.  I do believe and hang on to your oath which you wrote with a band of lively colors across the sky when drizzles are reflected by sunlight.  You are reminded that never gain shall You flood the earth with water, like in Noah's time.

For the picture:  My heartfelt gratitude to Veronica.  She just institutionalized my Mom with the Big Red Umbrella.  The post has touched her profoundly and I owe it to God, for the voice He gave me, to tell the story.

The picture portrays the story of how I run to my mom, that stormy afternoon, when she fetched me from school with her big umbrella.

My mom is now Mother Shticks and I, Lolita Sticks.  That's two generation of Shticks.

My Father in heaven, blessings are overflowing, even right here in blogospace.  Thank you and may you continue to bless the circle, with more members, wisdom, humor and friendship.  All glory and honor belongs to You alone.

Note:  Following is Veronica's comment on the post RAIN RAIN RAIN,
March 15, 201.

Veronica Shticks said...

Lolita, I was very touched by the part where your mother comes and picks you up with her bigger umbrella. I want to be like your Mom and have my little girls remember all the times I was there for them. this is a very sweet post with cozy imagery--at least for me who also associate rain with wonderful happy things. The pictures are beautiful and the storytelling is heartwarming! 
- - - - - -

Veronica, you just don't know how blessed I am to read of your reply about my mom and how you want to give your two daughters a lot of moments to remember that they would keep in their hearts.  I pray that God will give that to you for that is a very pleasing desire.

Thank you too that it has touched your life and that you are constantly reminded about how to nurture your own daughters.  My mother is highly honored.

HELLO MAMA SHTICKS!