It always astounds me when God generously gives you something that you enjoy. Even small things.
Last weekend, He gave me a vacation. All started out when I was ready to back out because I'm all tapped out and I couldn't pay for the 3k plane ticket. Marianne advised that I just tell Gen (who booked my ticket) the truth and let God decide if I should really join or not. Doc Gen responded that I can pay her back when I'm ready. I didn't tell anyone but I secretly did an ikot-talon yehey.
The best travel agents in the world cannot guarantee an itinerary better than my God can. It's just an ordinary vacation, nothing as grand as the Bahamas cruise or taking on the Swiss Alps. But I went home with more than just my bag filled with wet clothes.
Here we go...
1. Island hopping
- We encountered a mild downpour, foggy visibility and threatening waves. I kept looking around and there were no boats nearby, no possible lifeline in case we topple over. The closest land was just the silhouette of the mountains east of us which is a visual suggestion of how far it is. That's exactly what's going on in my mind in that moment of fear. I was expecting the worst and my mind was furiously strategizing if in case we did tip over. Oh no. Hey wait. I have a God remember? So I made a smooth retreat to the back of the boat and started praying Psalm 91.
That's what's expected from a woman of faith, to pray in the middle of fear, right? Wrong.
I looked at the faces of the people on the boat with me. Shivering from cold, laughing over some remembered anecdotes...the faces didn't register any fear at all. When the boat safely docked and my feet touched land, that's when it hit me.
There were just two kinds of Christians on that boat that day: one girl that prays with worry and the rest of the girls laughing comfortably in faith.
2. Mother Nature
- Urband legend, filipino myths, childhood stories ranging from a group of teenagers who got sucked into a menacing current after cursing the sea or the tabi-tabi po chant to ward off dwarfs...these things that were fed into my young brain then formed a decision that I wasn't willing to compromise:
Nature is scary.
Leave them alone. You already got the city for your turf, but leave nature alone. It's nature, man! It's out of anyone's control. But that day in Donsol, another blinder was shattered. I look back and realize what a fool I've been to be afraid of mother nature when the One who owns mother nature is our heavenly Dad.
I imagine a carpenter who built a little boat for his son.I couldn't help but wonder what the carpenter must be feeling when he saw his son's eyes lit up as he presented to him his creation. He must be happily waching his son playing with his new toy.
That's the picture that I want to remember whenever I encounter nature. Our Father in heaven is so generous to be sharing His creation with us. So there shouldn't be any fear. Nothing screams the work of God's hands better than nature. It's the best moment where you can forget everything and just marvel at God's greatness.
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters."
- Psalm 24:1-2
3. Facebook-driven activities versus the real thing!
- In my beach travels in the past, the essence of it circled on these items in my to-bring list:
* 5 sets of bikinis for an overnight swim, check.
* blush, lip gloss, hair mist, check.
* outdoor getup and beach night life getup, check.
I could go on and on. I know, I know. It's pathetic to be going to places just so you can flaunt your getups. But in this Donsol trip, I watched the girls with me and noted several things:
- no fuss over the bikinis or make-ups
- but they took advantage of the functionality of their stuff instead: underwater gears, bags, suits, etc.
- no fuss over what to eat or where to eat
- the time spent on activities is greater than the time spent taking pictures
- in short, these girls are after THE REAL THING.
I remember doc gen's story when she was surfing. She wouldn't let go of her board but the wave activity forced her to. When she finally let go, I don't remember exactly what she said but the gist of it is that the view was a lot better underwater.
Bottomline? Something stirred within me. I've been having a tip of the iceberg contentment. The kind where you would rather stay on the boat and watch your friends swim because of fear. Or picture-taking safely on the shore is preferred than diving. It's like an international food smorgasbord. But I'm just gonna be contented with filipino foods because it's tried and tested.
Which brings me to the best thing that I took home with me.
4. Realizing the best in life
- Off the top of my head, I doodled these items in my journal under best things in life:
travel; coral reefs; family dvd moment versus eat out with friends; friends who challenge and encourage your faith; etc.
The point is when you realize what you value or what you should really value, it greatly affects your lifestyle.
Just last sunday Gen said that God promises in the bible LIFE for us. And not just life, but abundant life. (Sorry, gen, you're heavily quoted in this blog :D)
Chamyto said don't make money your problem and don't let money determine how you will maximize life. Don't wait for a perfect condition before you go for your dreams because there's never a perfect condition. There's always an unpaid bill that needs to be prioritized. But you realize in the end you always ride out the rain.
Gen added that that doesn't mean you have to live beyond your means though. In the end, it's always a conversation between you and God. Like if my bpi account can sustain only the coming week's necessities and I have an invitation for a vacation, I shouldn't just jump at any opportunity nor should I say no right away thinking of my piled-up bills. I should ask Him, consult Him, He owns everything that I have so it should be His final say on what to do with the money on my payroll atm.
And God's provision is not limited by my Chase's basic salary.
Van also said that first you obey God even if obeying Him leads you to an uncertain path. For example, you're so gipit na and your tithes is still waiting in your wallet. If you give your tithes this cutoff, you have no idea where you're gonna get your next week's manna. Well, Van encourages that the path where you wanna go is obedience and the unknown.
It's the best place of faith.
Fear of unknown should be changed to FAITH-especially-because-of-the-unknown.
It is ready. Ready to be poured out. God wants us to have the best in life, He created life! But we're too easily distracted with cheap desires. There are so many potentials in us and God is so ready to nourish it and make it grow, but we waste our resources on not so worthwhile stuff.
One of the best things that I went home with from this Donsol trip is that God, through my small group, is teaching me to LIVE!
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
-cs lewis.
