NEWS and DREAMS

I haven't been watching news (local news) for a long-long time... The last major Philippine issue I probably kept tabs on was Jun Lozada's ZTE senate hearing while I was working from home during the early part of my pregnancy back in 2008. Nothing on the local news nowadays can contribute on my personal well being(IMAO). I only consciously tuned in to news when the weather is bad.... sounds apathetic for some but I would rather concentrate on more fruitful things than all the bad news being exaggerated on television or radio.

So lately because my husband and I try to do away with all the bad news, my husband and I started tuning in to 702 DZAS AM radio on the way to work. I must say this radio station is a bearer of good news all day =). But even if I knew this radio station's reputation already from our church mates and friends, I was still pleasantly surprised one morning to hear of a P01 being interviewed for a job well done(he himself got surprised that he was being interviewed)... a really really nice contrast in today's society wherein news being presented are more of the not so good ones instead of the inspirational ones.

In return as I also like to be a bearer of good news, I'd like to share this wonderful email entitled "Life's Greatest Spiritual Secret" which I received from my papa. I think it was taken from their yahoo group and from http://nubiagroup.blogspot.com/(pacorrect na lang po if mali)

Background of my state of thinking:
I'm currently waiting for something grand to happen... I was raised to excel. My parents always puts in my heart the desire to be successful professionally and spiritually. There are times I couldn't reconcile the two but I knew in my heart because my parents already made it this far, I knew we children must do more. My parents have conquered the bankruptcy of their parents and were blessed to overcome the challenges of life(mind you there were plenty, I should know I saw the worst!) and achieve a comfortable lifestyle. I could say now not only based on personal observation but from what others are telling that their story was like those of rags to riches.

So even though I already like my life here, I make it my personal goal to raise the bar for my son... not by pressuring him and expecting from him as only God knows his future but by opening for him a whole new world of opportunity to explore. If my parents were able to send me to Ateneo, I dream of sending my son to schools abroad someboday...even giving him opportunity to live there if God permits.

Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for everything... I believe God will correct my desires as I walk with Him day by day...But while He still allow that desire in my heart, I can only concur that my goal is motivated by my love for Him by wanting to be the best so I could glorify God; and by my love for my son by praying and making sure sure that he'll grow up to have a good and blessed life...

Hmmm...when I want something this big so soon so badly, I always remember Jabez's prayer:

1 Chronicles 4:10

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

At times, with these goals and supplications I, like a normal human being who stumbles, am also getting tired of waiting for something to change, to do something different but this piece puts my doubts and frustration in a proper context.

Here's the email content, hope you'll appreciate the biblical concept as much as I did =) Thanks Pa!

Life's Greatest Spiritual Secret  Have you ever struggled and fretted because your life wasn't going the way you wanted? Do you feel that way right now?  You have legitimate needs and desires. You know what would make you happy and you pray for it with all your might, asking God to help you get it. But if it doesn't come to pass, you may feel frustrated, disappointed, even bitter. Sometimes you do get what you want, only to discover that it doesn't make you happy after all, just disillusioned. Many Christians repeat this cycle their entire life, wondering what they're doing wrong. I should know. I was one of them. A spiritual secret exists that can free you from this cycle: Trusting God. Trusting in the Lord. "What?" you're asking. "That's no secret. I've read that dozens of times in the Bible and heard lots of sermons on it. What does he mean, secret?" The secret lies in putting this truth into practice, by making it such a powerful theme in your life that you view every event, every sorrow, every prayer with the unshakable conviction that God is totally, spotlessly trustworthy. That's where we mess up. We want to trust in anything rather than the Lord. We'll trust in our own abilities, in our boss's judgment of us, in our money, our doctor, even in an airline pilot. But the Lord? Well… It's easy to trust in things we can see. Sure, we believe in God, but to allow him to run our life? That's asking a little too much, we think. The bottom line is that our wants may not agree with God's wants for us. After all, it's our life, isn't it? Shouldn't we have the say over it? Shouldn't we be the one who calls the shots? God gave us free will, didn't he? Advertising and peer pressure tells us what's important: a high-paying career, a head-turning car, a drop-dead-gorgeous home, and a spouse or significant other who will make everyone else green with envy. If we fall for the world's idea of what matters, we get trapped in what I call "The Loop of Next Time." The new car, relationship, promotion or whatever didn't bring you the happiness you expected, so you keep searching, thinking "Maybe next time." But it's a loop that's always the same, because you were created for something better, and deep down you know it. When you finally reach the place where your head agrees with your heart, you're still hesitant. It's scary. Trusting in the Lord can require that you abandon everything you've ever believed about what brings happiness and fulfillment. It requires that you accept the truth that God knows what's best for you. But how do you make that leap from knowing to doing? How do you trust in the Lord instead of the world or yourself? The secret lives within you: the Holy Spirit. Not only will he convict you of the rightness of trusting in the Lord, he'll help you do it. It's just too tough to do on your own. Because the Holy Spirit knows you better than you know yourself, he'll give you exactly what you need to make this change. He's infinitely patient, so he'll let you test this secret—trusting in the Lord—in little baby steps. He'll catch you if you stumble. He'll rejoice with you when you succeed. As someone who has gone through cancer, the deaths of loved ones, broken relationships, and job layoffs, I can tell you that trusting in the Lord is a lifelong challenge. You never finally "arrive." Each new crisis calls for recommitment. The good news is that the more often you see God's loving hand working in your life, the easier this trusting becomes. When you trust in the Lord, you'll feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders. The pressure's off you now and on God, and he can handle it perfectly. God will make something beautiful of your life, but he needs your trust in him to do it. Are you ready? The time to start is today, right now. Scripture Of The Day: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." - Psalm 118:8 (ESV) By: Jack Zavada - WB Journal GOD BLESS!!!