Candies and Honesty

I usually pick up all the trash from all the trash bins upstairs everyday and there's one bin in my son's room. Upstairs, we also have a jar of candies and told my son not to eat too much, only a little bit at a time. I wanted him to know that I could trust him and it would start with a simple instruction like that. One day, I found too many candy wrappers in the trash bin in his room and some in the bin close to the computer. I asked my husband if he had eaten a lot of candies and he quickly responded that he ate only 1 piece. I didn't have anything yet so there was only 1 "culprit" left to blame...When I confronted my son regarding my discovery, he whispered in a very soft voice, "ahhh....some of those wrappers were there since Thursday, mom!" [I was thinking, "did he forget that I pick up the trash everyday?" I got upset with the fact that he lied. Much later, he told me that he did that thinking that he would get away with it, he then knew, he got in deeper trouble. He said he was sorry and gave me a hug and a kiss.

What happened was true with all of us. We all prefer to deal with honest people--people we can trust, people who don't lie and don't try to deceive us. But it must start with ourselves, too. A noble goal for one's life is to pursue HONESTY--honesty with ourselves, with others and with God.

I read this from one of the books I had: "An honest man is not a man who never lies. There is no such man. When an honest man is caught in a lie or discovers he has lied, he is quick to admit it. He then speaks the truth. He's not afraid to say, "please forgive me for not being honest." He does not defend a lie.

We surely need God's help to be honest. In a court of law, it is asked, "Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" And the reply is "so help me God."

After that incident, the jar of candies do not get empty in just a matter of days. There were lesser candy wrappers in the trash bins by the computer and in my son's room. Most of all, out of that incident, I knew I could trust my son again...

Brace

The orthodontist applied the braces on my son's teeth last week. After a little over an hour, we were instructed about the proper maintenance and care so as to avoid problems as much as possible. He has to wear the braces for 30 months and that seems like a long time. But my son understands, these appliances will help his slightly crooked teeth to be straight and when the treatment is over, he will have a nicer, even teeth. He was fine all night long but when morning came, he complained of some soreness with his upper teeth that I had to give him some pain reliever to make him more comfortable. Thank God the medicine helped him that day and ever since, his pain is much more tolerable. He understands quite well that with the brace, comes some discomfort or pain once in a while. He knows if he learns to be patient, then everything would be worth the wait!

Spiritually speaking, I want the Lord to be the brace in my life. I know and fully understand that He will make my crooked ways straight and only Him can do that. I know that I need to learn how to be patient in order for me to grow in His likeness, despite the expected discomfort and pain from the trials in this lifetime and with the changes I need to make in order to be more like Christ in all of my ways. 1Peter 3:17 says, "Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!".

Romans 5:3,4 - "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us-they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation."

Becoming more Christ-like in all things is an everyday process called work. If I want to have a Christian way of life, then I must patiently allow the brace [Holy Spirit] to reshape my life. I can do that only by trusting Him.

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

Any masterpiece takes time to be perfected.....in the hands of the Master Artist.....God bless.

Hail Storm

It started raining on May 22, 2008. Much to my surprise, it got louder and louder whatever was falling on the rooftops. When I looked out in the backyard, I saw the drains clogging up...with ICE!!!! There was a hail storm and I was sure at that moment that I wasn't alone in getting excited at the sight for we rarely get snow, even hail storm where we live! The wind was a little gusty and there was also lightning and thunder. This work of mother nature didn't last for a long time. It was over in a few minutes...I got worried that my son got caught up with this storm, along with the other students at school. And my husband was coming home, about to drive 8 hours from a special operation they did at work. My worries died down as the storm eased up and soon, the sun was out! In a matter of few hours, the ground was dry like it was all a dream that we had that hail storm.

In this life, we also have sudden tribulations and trials. Only in Jesus, I found that we can have joy and peace amidst such trials. From Philippians 4:6,7 - "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and mind as you live in Christ Jesus." Glory be to God!

As we gathered that evening, my son told me that the teachers kept them in each particular classrooms and they waited out until the storm was over so they were kept safe. My husband came home on time, despite the on and off gusty winds. We even heard that there was a couple of tornadoes few miles away. Thank You Lord for Your protection.

Iced Coffee

Who hates "iced coffee" on hot days like now? This is one of my favorite drinks on hot, summer days! One time, as I was running errands with my son, I had that craving for this drink. So, we went in and ordered it with some "low fat cinnamon cake". As my son volunteered to pick up the drinks from the counter as my name was called, he accidentally tripped and lost his hold on my "treasured iced drink". The look of embarrassment and at the same time "fear" was obvious on his face. He was embarrassed that many people saw him and perhaps, was afraid that "Commander Mommy" might yell at him for landing my drink on the floor...He didn't know, his expressions broke my heart. I told him it was okay and that, it wasn't his fault. It could happen. I told him there was nothing embarrassing about it. Pretty soon, a wide smile and a sense of comfort replaced his worried expressions. Without being told, he gathered whatever remaining courage he had and went up to the counter and apologized for the mess the spilled drink created. He told them that he didn't want anybody to walk on the mess and end up falling on the floor themselves. Much to his surprise, people from the coffee shop said "thank you" to him and even told him that the spilled drink would be replaced right away.

Walking back towards me where I was sitting, he was holding up and showing me a "new iced coffee" with pride and with much care this time. I told him I was proud of him and that from mistake, he had shown right away, how much courage he took to correct that mistake and move on...

Just like all of us, sinners, we mess up, too. But the Lord is always there, always ready to accept us and forgive us if we truly repent for our sins and turn our backs away from them. He comforts us when we are hurting. He gives us strengths when we are weak. He laughs with us. He cries with us.

Lord, I want to thank You for that special time I had with my son, a wonderful time of growth and learning experience for both of us. Thank You Lord for the iced coffee that would remind me of how spiritually, we should seek You when we are thirsty...

Isaiah 43:25 - "I, yes, I alone, am the One Who blots out your sins for My own sake and will never think of them again."

Isaiah 55:1,2 - "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink-even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk - it's all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good?"

Isaiah 55:6,7 - "Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that He may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God for He will abundantly pardon..." God bless to you all.