One of the hardest thing in life is to see Christ in others when they are most difficult to be kind towards. Christ is within the battered and tortured soul; the docile and angry soul, the pompous and humble soul, the rich, poor and sick soul. We're all on a journey and we're all fighting our own battle.
In the moment when someone is putting you down and making you feel so insignificant, try to see Christ in them. When someone is invading your privacy and destroying your personal items, try to see Christ in them.
When someone is screaming in your face, purposefully placing fear in you, try to see Christ in them. When someone will never appreciate your kindness and willingness to help, try to see Christ in them.
When someone blames you for doing something you've never done, try to see Christ in them. When someone refuses to hear your side of the story, try to see Christ in them.
Trust me, I understand it is difficult to see Christ in the low and ugly behavior, we're only human and we have our moments too. However, if we don't, we'll never learn to live and love as Christ wants us to.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
He is with you (19)
It was just another ordinary day at work, which so happens to be a private alternative school for students that need that extra guidance. I was sitting on a bench in the foyer, the bitter air leaked through the slits of the doors as I patiently waited for my student just outside getting some fresh air. I couldn't help but think, I'd rather, at least, be in a warm classroom. Within that moment, stuck in my own thoughts, I briefly smelled incense and knew the Lord was with me. I remembered asked Him through prayer to let me know He is with me as I worked. And He did. He never fails us. Even in the moments you feel alone, He is with us. Not long afterwards, I was awarded Staff of the Month.
Missing rosary (18)
The first week of lent, on a Friday night, I was looking for my St. Therese rosary, but I couldn't find it anywhere. It was given to me by someone who used to mean a lot to me as a confirmation gift. I chose St. Therese the Child of Jesus that day in 8th grade. The beads are clear with tiny roses inside. It's very pretty. It was nowhere to be seen on my dresser, where I know I haven't moved it for a while, so I prayed to St. Anthony and used a different rosary in the meantime.
This has happened before, I thought, just a few years ago, I couldn't find that rosary anywhere. The little red box was there, but the rosary was not. Until a year later, something told me to open the box and when I did, there it was and I was astonished. Right away I asked my mom if she found it and placed it there, but she did not. It was so strange. In the time that I needed it the most, it was there.
Just the other day, I so happen to go over to my dresser and lo and behold, there was the little red box with my St. Therese rosary. I swear it was not there. I throughly searched. If you don't believe me, that's okay, but I could honestly say, this is not the first time and it'd probably happen again.
This has happened before, I thought, just a few years ago, I couldn't find that rosary anywhere. The little red box was there, but the rosary was not. Until a year later, something told me to open the box and when I did, there it was and I was astonished. Right away I asked my mom if she found it and placed it there, but she did not. It was so strange. In the time that I needed it the most, it was there.
Just the other day, I so happen to go over to my dresser and lo and behold, there was the little red box with my St. Therese rosary. I swear it was not there. I throughly searched. If you don't believe me, that's okay, but I could honestly say, this is not the first time and it'd probably happen again.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Just imagine (17)
The pain and hurt that others may cause us can be so cutthroat deep, your heart will always be wrinkled; just imagine the hurt and pain Jesus feels when He's calling out to us and we don't respond. Just imagine every little stab we do to others is a stab to Him. That occured to me as I sat and contemplated on my own opened wound; someone whom I thought was a friend turned out not to be one at all. And that's okay. I will lick my wounds and move forward. I thought, some people don't know how to grow up and be kind to others. Be kind anyway, as Mother Theresa would say. If we didn't have at least a few kindhearted people in this world, just imagine the constant turmoil and hatred we could face on a daily basis. On top of losing a friend, someone had stole from me, which made my life difficult. It made me think of The Lord's Prayer, "forgive us those who tresspass against us." It will be very hard, because that trust has been broken.
It's difficul to be kind to those who are cruel to us and beat us down, even after all we've done,they just don't see it. They are the ones who need God the most. They have lost the light. And you think, why is God making me go through this, I say my prayers and do good to others? Whether it makes sense or not, maybe God chose you because you are a prayerful person and He knows that no matter what you are suffering, you will pray for that person in need, since nobody else would. There may be a moment when we must sever the ties and hope he/she would find peace within themselves as the healing process begins. when one door closes, another one opens. I always believed and still do that goodness and happiness come out of chaos. Maybe that goodness and love could start with us too, me and you, instead of looking for it. Just imagine what a difference that would make, despite your wrinkled heart. I reminded the young lady lady who stole from me, "Do you remember that clementine I had given you because you were hungry?" She nodded her head yes. Two days later, she mentioned she had some clementines at home and wanted to bring one in to give me. In my heart, I will accept that response, even if I never recieve one, at least there was a silver lining of hope in that moment.
It's difficul to be kind to those who are cruel to us and beat us down, even after all we've done,they just don't see it. They are the ones who need God the most. They have lost the light. And you think, why is God making me go through this, I say my prayers and do good to others? Whether it makes sense or not, maybe God chose you because you are a prayerful person and He knows that no matter what you are suffering, you will pray for that person in need, since nobody else would. There may be a moment when we must sever the ties and hope he/she would find peace within themselves as the healing process begins. when one door closes, another one opens. I always believed and still do that goodness and happiness come out of chaos. Maybe that goodness and love could start with us too, me and you, instead of looking for it. Just imagine what a difference that would make, despite your wrinkled heart. I reminded the young lady lady who stole from me, "Do you remember that clementine I had given you because you were hungry?" She nodded her head yes. Two days later, she mentioned she had some clementines at home and wanted to bring one in to give me. In my heart, I will accept that response, even if I never recieve one, at least there was a silver lining of hope in that moment.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Where there is good, evil lurks in the shadows (16)
When I was about fifteen years old, I had gone through a depression at some point. I felt weird and funky all over. I felt out of place and nobody understood me. Even a nice long walk couldn't cheer me up. I kept my head down and always felt heavy and weak. I was convinced God didn't love me and I felt useless. Of course, I was a teenager at the time, so I was dealing with hormones raging through me like a crazy bull, but from the outside, you could never tell. I would go to school, carrying my Walkman stuffed in my hoodie pocket listening to Thirty Seconds to Mars over and over with my head down, secretly writing/drawing in my journal. I had pricked the ends of all my fingers one day, because I had wanted to feel the invigorating pain as it reminded me of how alive I am. Was it normal to do? Could I blame it on being an emotional teenager?
Until one night, I had gone to sleep and had a series of nightmares. In my first dream, I saw my soul walking around my body as I slept. I sensed my soul was sad, lonely. My second dream, I was struggling up the stairs to heaven, so exhausted and weak, I slumped there and unable to move. The stairs were a pristine white just as the clouds that bobbed around against the baby blue sky. Despite the beauty, I felt ugly. I remember I woke at one point and ran into my parents bedroom. Fifteen and scared out of my mind. I turned and crawled back into my own bed and I must've fallen asleep quickly, because just then, the devil himself appeared to me on the left side of my bed. I remember it like it happened yesterday. He had a gravitational pull on my face, forcing me to look at his face. I felt the strong pull on my neck. His face was dark red, covered in oily boils, his eyes were small, beady and inhuman, the color of yellow urine. His teeth were stalagmites and stalactites, grimy and yellow. I desperately struggled to pull my face away, because I knew I was looking straight at the face of Hell. He continued to grasp his strong pull on me and he began to speak to me. His voice hoarse, unworldly and no other human could ever, EVER, replicate such a hideously disgusting voice. "I'm going to cut your throat open...on your sixteenth birthday, I will kill you."
I cried out. I prayed. I cried out to God, SAVE ME. WAKE ME UP. I prayed the Hail Mary...and suddenly, from the left side bed corner, I felt and saw imprints of hands and knees crawling across my bed, my body, waking me up from this nightmare. I turned to my right and saw an outline of a tall slim figure with vast wings that reached the ceiling. Her figure was somewhat clear/see-through and couldn't be seen like a human would be seen, but I knew immediately she was my guardian angel. She had saved me. To this day, thinking back on that sends chills up and down my spine and frightened tears to my eyes. I know deep down that dream was real. The depression and negativity I harbored only fed the devil, which I figured out what he gravitates towards. I saw Hell that night in a matter of seconds, minutes, but it was enough to where I feared sin. I realize our guardian angels are always fighting off demons, constantly protecting us against the invisible evil. Just because we don't see doesn't mean it's not there, lurking in the shadows for a weak soul. Just as Jesus keeps His promises, so does the devil. On my sixteenth birthday, I nearly slipped in the shower, but I felt something had caught me and kept me from falling and suddenly I am reminded of that night, how the devil wished me dead. Always remain in the light of God, even on your darkest days and despair is knocking at your door, pray to St. Michael the Arch angel to shove the devil back down to the pits of hell, because, after all, God loves us and calls out to us all, even on our meanest and darkest of days, He gave us angels to show us the light, even if it's the billionth time.
Until one night, I had gone to sleep and had a series of nightmares. In my first dream, I saw my soul walking around my body as I slept. I sensed my soul was sad, lonely. My second dream, I was struggling up the stairs to heaven, so exhausted and weak, I slumped there and unable to move. The stairs were a pristine white just as the clouds that bobbed around against the baby blue sky. Despite the beauty, I felt ugly. I remember I woke at one point and ran into my parents bedroom. Fifteen and scared out of my mind. I turned and crawled back into my own bed and I must've fallen asleep quickly, because just then, the devil himself appeared to me on the left side of my bed. I remember it like it happened yesterday. He had a gravitational pull on my face, forcing me to look at his face. I felt the strong pull on my neck. His face was dark red, covered in oily boils, his eyes were small, beady and inhuman, the color of yellow urine. His teeth were stalagmites and stalactites, grimy and yellow. I desperately struggled to pull my face away, because I knew I was looking straight at the face of Hell. He continued to grasp his strong pull on me and he began to speak to me. His voice hoarse, unworldly and no other human could ever, EVER, replicate such a hideously disgusting voice. "I'm going to cut your throat open...on your sixteenth birthday, I will kill you."
I cried out. I prayed. I cried out to God, SAVE ME. WAKE ME UP. I prayed the Hail Mary...and suddenly, from the left side bed corner, I felt and saw imprints of hands and knees crawling across my bed, my body, waking me up from this nightmare. I turned to my right and saw an outline of a tall slim figure with vast wings that reached the ceiling. Her figure was somewhat clear/see-through and couldn't be seen like a human would be seen, but I knew immediately she was my guardian angel. She had saved me. To this day, thinking back on that sends chills up and down my spine and frightened tears to my eyes. I know deep down that dream was real. The depression and negativity I harbored only fed the devil, which I figured out what he gravitates towards. I saw Hell that night in a matter of seconds, minutes, but it was enough to where I feared sin. I realize our guardian angels are always fighting off demons, constantly protecting us against the invisible evil. Just because we don't see doesn't mean it's not there, lurking in the shadows for a weak soul. Just as Jesus keeps His promises, so does the devil. On my sixteenth birthday, I nearly slipped in the shower, but I felt something had caught me and kept me from falling and suddenly I am reminded of that night, how the devil wished me dead. Always remain in the light of God, even on your darkest days and despair is knocking at your door, pray to St. Michael the Arch angel to shove the devil back down to the pits of hell, because, after all, God loves us and calls out to us all, even on our meanest and darkest of days, He gave us angels to show us the light, even if it's the billionth time.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Butterfly Kisses (15)
A couple of weeks ago, as I was jogging, a yellow butterfly came and kissed me on the cheek. Yes, I was moving at a decent speed, so naturally, anybody would think the butterfly flew into me. However, that wasn't the feeling I had in my heart. I took it as a sign. I saw through the eyes of my heart that God likes to remind us that He is near and anything is possible.
Sometimes the signs are all around us and they're not that hard to see, you just have to have a little faith. October is the month of Mary; I've been saying my rossary in honor of the Blessed Mother. I stroll out back amongst the trees, flowers and mountains in the distance, and I sometimes come across a yellow butterfly flying beside me and I know she's with me.
Flashback about a month ago, the day of my job interview and before the interview was even set, I prayed to God to guide me that whatever is meant to be His will then let it be. Just then a beautiful black monarch butterfly was flying beside me as I walked. Afterwards, I found out about the job interview. I took that as a sign that whatever happens will be for the best because it's from God. Again, as I strolled out back along the circle trail, I prayed to the Blessed Mother and simply said you know what I need the most. I eventually go inside at the right time and received a call for a job offer. I know it's silly to think, but I thought back about that black monarch butterfly and knew that it was meant to be a ll along.
Sometimes the signs are all around us and they're not that hard to see, you just have to have a little faith. October is the month of Mary; I've been saying my rossary in honor of the Blessed Mother. I stroll out back amongst the trees, flowers and mountains in the distance, and I sometimes come across a yellow butterfly flying beside me and I know she's with me.
Flashback about a month ago, the day of my job interview and before the interview was even set, I prayed to God to guide me that whatever is meant to be His will then let it be. Just then a beautiful black monarch butterfly was flying beside me as I walked. Afterwards, I found out about the job interview. I took that as a sign that whatever happens will be for the best because it's from God. Again, as I strolled out back along the circle trail, I prayed to the Blessed Mother and simply said you know what I need the most. I eventually go inside at the right time and received a call for a job offer. I know it's silly to think, but I thought back about that black monarch butterfly and knew that it was meant to be a ll along.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Searching for Liz (14)
God lets me know that He is with me in the small things. He tries to restore in us a sense of hope. A few weeks ago, I was stretching after a run when I had gotten a random number calling me. It's not out of the ordinary to have an annoying telemarketer calling or just someone whom mistakenly dialed the wrong number. It happens to all of us. Normally, I ignore those calls and say to myself, if it's important they will leave a message.
However, this particular sunny day, the tiny voice within me told me to answer. So, I did.
"Hello," I said.
"Liz? " her tone was filled with an emotional exhaustion, as if searching for this woman named Liz was her only hope, her last chance of hope.
Obviously I told her I was not Liz and she had the wrong number.
"Oh forget it.." she responded, and I could hear her heart plummet and she was clearly tired and hung up the phone before I could say another word. As I walked around the little trail, I pondered on how many families are out there desperately searching for one another. Disagreements arise while jealousy ensues and that's when grudges are given a new life. We forget who we are as we let the fire consume us from within. We forget why we're angry, why we're upset in the first place that we mistaken a grudge as a crutch to lean on for support. A grudge becomes a wall around one's heart and that wall needs to crumble. How many family members out there are searching for one another? Too many to wrap my head around. Maybe her grudge of a wall was beginning to slowly crumble and she was reaching out to apologize? Or maybe she was calling to forgive? Whatever the case, maybe there are some of us trying to bridge the gap between loved ones and wanting to start anew. Let the past belong in the past and live in the moment. Listen to that little voice within your heart and seek forgiveness and find a new hope. We shouldn't allow our past dictate our lives. Yes, learn from your past, but don't allow it to rule you otherwise you'll be leaning on that crutch called a grudge. I've heard family members of my own to stop talking because they either can't handle the truth or become too prideful to seek forgiveness. Let it go. It's not worth the heartache. I'm not sure if this older woman had found Liz, but I hope she finds peace in seeking her because that's halfway toward forgiveness and hope. It begins with having the faith to get there. Once we could find the tiny flame of faith within us than that is half the battle and there, we find Him. I hope we all find our Liz because God created family to be together, love and respect and laugh with one another. On the days that it is most difficult to love, respect and find joy in one another are the days we need each other the most.
However, this particular sunny day, the tiny voice within me told me to answer. So, I did.
"Hello," I said.
"Liz? " her tone was filled with an emotional exhaustion, as if searching for this woman named Liz was her only hope, her last chance of hope.
Obviously I told her I was not Liz and she had the wrong number.
"Oh forget it.." she responded, and I could hear her heart plummet and she was clearly tired and hung up the phone before I could say another word. As I walked around the little trail, I pondered on how many families are out there desperately searching for one another. Disagreements arise while jealousy ensues and that's when grudges are given a new life. We forget who we are as we let the fire consume us from within. We forget why we're angry, why we're upset in the first place that we mistaken a grudge as a crutch to lean on for support. A grudge becomes a wall around one's heart and that wall needs to crumble. How many family members out there are searching for one another? Too many to wrap my head around. Maybe her grudge of a wall was beginning to slowly crumble and she was reaching out to apologize? Or maybe she was calling to forgive? Whatever the case, maybe there are some of us trying to bridge the gap between loved ones and wanting to start anew. Let the past belong in the past and live in the moment. Listen to that little voice within your heart and seek forgiveness and find a new hope. We shouldn't allow our past dictate our lives. Yes, learn from your past, but don't allow it to rule you otherwise you'll be leaning on that crutch called a grudge. I've heard family members of my own to stop talking because they either can't handle the truth or become too prideful to seek forgiveness. Let it go. It's not worth the heartache. I'm not sure if this older woman had found Liz, but I hope she finds peace in seeking her because that's halfway toward forgiveness and hope. It begins with having the faith to get there. Once we could find the tiny flame of faith within us than that is half the battle and there, we find Him. I hope we all find our Liz because God created family to be together, love and respect and laugh with one another. On the days that it is most difficult to love, respect and find joy in one another are the days we need each other the most.
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