No Reason Not To Trust

                                 "His love endures forever..."

Turning on my headlights as the clock glowed at almost midnight from my car's dashboard last Friday when I went to work, I dialed the illuminated numbers on my cell phone before leaving my parking spot. I talked to the Intake Nurse (who I used to work with a lot on night shifts) that night who I rarely saw anymore since the people I battled with, had changed my position from regular to a Per Diem or only as needed.

“Are you gonna’ be okay? Don’t you worry,” she reassured when I tried to give her an apology for not being able to speak with her when she called me earlier at work.

“I was seeing an inmate at that time, so…Sorry!”

“It’s okay. I know. Because I’m busy right now here, too,” she reassured me.

“Worry? No! I’m not worried anymore, Nurse P. I trust that the Lord Who put me in this position has everything covered for me. What’s hard for Him to do?”

She didn’t know what to say next. Either I sounded too confident or she perceived my answer to be unrealistic?

“That’s good. Hope to see you again!” she ended as I told her that I would let her go knowing that she had to go back to work and needed to screen more in-coming arrestees coming out from the police’s squad cars, parked inside the prison yard.

“Hey! Take care, okay?”

“I will see you again,” I replied.

The person in Charge of all of the medical staff had made a big change with everyone’s schedule now. He decided to pull back some of the nurses from the other prisons, leaving no room for the Per Diem’s to have availability and be able to work. In a couple of weeks, I was not on schedule as I saw that they would be well-staffed at the main prison where I usually worked.

It didn’t surprise me. I knew it was coming because he was desperate to show that he would always have the power to do that. He wanted to make it known that when people disagreed with his decisions, they would have to pay, whether to be assigned in a place or shift they were known not to like or they would not have a place at all. Since December, God allowed me to discern this person’s heart. His evil ways. There were days at first that I wanted to call it “quits”. But God questioned me “Why?”

In the following days of each month, God had shown me his endless faithfulness and the truth in His promises. Through His Word he reminded me that He was and will always be with me as I went through this battle. He made it known in my heart that if He was there during the good times of my life, much more at the down times.

He reminded me constantly that “I have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from me.  I might be hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ^“ (2 Cor.4:7-9;NIV)

I have no reason not to trust God Who gave His only Son to save humanity. What is there that is hard for Him to give? I don't even deserve any of His blessings. But He loves not only me. But all of us...

Thank You Lord for Your love and mercy. I put my trust on You alone knowing that You are the One Who has plans that give us hope and a future. Glory be to You!





What is Psalm 118 all about? It's having confidence in God's eternal love. His love never changes in the midst of changing situations. It gives us security. It's recognizing Jesus in the midst of life's storms. That's why I changed my blog header this morning. I wanted to be reminded of His love and grace. Day. After. Day. May you always leave encouraged not by me, but by Him. God bless.

A Glimpse Of Joy

I rarely saw that smile from my friend's face. The kind that dimpled the corner of her mouth and made her eyes shone brighter. Over a cup of coffee, actually, many more cups followed, we both savored the ordered huge breakfasts from the menu. Typical conversations were put out on the table about work, about others' insensitivity, about life.

Hers was not easy. Losing her only sibling, she gave her life caring for her nephews and her mother. She often thought how unlucky she was. A person with a good heart but rejected by many, she never understood why. All she wanted was to be accepted and be loved. Despite the circumstances surrounding her, she remained respectful of others, she remained forgiving, and she continued to love with all the best she could give.

"I'm starving!" I told her as we sat on the table given to us after I picked her up and had invited her to have breakfast with me.

She smiled. I loved seeing those smiles. Knowing that even for brief moments, I was hoping she would forget all the cares in this world. I wanted to let her know that someone cared for her and truly loved her. I wanted to let her know that she was not alone in her struggles. After all, I was only sharing what I had received from Someone Who also loved and cared for me.

We joked around while eating,seeing more smiles that made her weary face even more beautiful.

"How come you're not touching this waffle? I thought we'd share?" she asked me.

"I'm full. I know you liked those that's why I ordered them for you."

"But you said you're starving!" she probed.

"I was..." then I got quiet.

I got lost to thinking that my true hunger was not coming from my stomach. My true hunger was coming from my heart. I wanted to see more moments like these. I wanted to see her happy. I wanted to see those precious, rare smiles on her face. To see it gave me a glimpse of joy knowing that it was a true, heartfelt kind of smile that was hard to surface when someone went through and still is going through very tough times.

Joy that is a gift only from God.

Then I knew she was okay because she also has a piece of heaven in her heart despite her difficult journey.

"Want more coffee?" interrupted the server.

"Please..." I requested.

I glanced quickly at her face and saw her smiled again as she uttered, "Gee! Is that your 3rd cup?"

I smiled back at her. If only she knew...I could have more cups of coffee if only to stall time as it was, to freeze the moment and to see her forget about her worries and see those joy-coated smiles the way it should be. The truth was that it was how God wanted and meant it to be...Because God loved us all first...

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." - 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

Lord, help me to have more compassion towards others the way You do. Help me respond to situations and trials in Your ways, not mine. Remind me not to be concerned with the burden that comes from life's trials knowing that none of them are bigger than You. God of possible. God Who is able. Lord, please bless my loved ones and friends and my blogging friends. I know You know each heart's needs. But I want to thank You Lord for everything that You have done for us. Thank You for Your compassion and mercy. May many more turn to You, humble their hearts and accept You as their Lord. Father, thank You for giving us a piece of heaven in our hearts through Jesus. Thank You for Your gift of joy that soothes us, that calms us as we face turbulent life's storms. Thank You for Your love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Just Musing

^“7 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
 ¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.” – 2 Kings:7-15 (NIV)

Solomon loved God but was offering sacrifices on places not specified by God. God’s clear instructions where to offer people’s sacrifice for Him was clear to prevent people from organizing their own methods of worship and from allowing pagan practices to creep into their worship. Solomon offered thousands of burnt offerings in a place not specified by God and though he loved God, what he did was a sin. He sought for God’s help and God indeed granted him the wisdom he asked for but not during the time of his sacrifices but at night in his dream. God heard his prayer but did not condone his sacrifices.

I am hungry like Solomon…Hungry for the things of God. I know God will never fail to meet me when I seek Him. The question is… “Am I a pleasing sacrifice to Him?”

As I reflected on His words…these surfaced in my heart:

~All people need “home improvement”…but it all starts in their hearts.

~You know that song “Stairway to Heaven”? That’s true. Only through Jesus Christ. Except it’s FREE. Not like in the song where the lady is buying a stairway to heaven. The cost: My sins. Your sins.

~Some people are quick to lop off the prospering branches from others’ trees without realizing they’re sitting on the branch they are trying to chop off.

~Narrow is the pathway that leads to life…How can one fit in with a big head in the first place?

~People worry so much about how much is in their retirement funds. We forget about our spiritual bank accounts.

~So many debates about the problems with illegal immigration when in reality we are all aliens in this world.

~One dancer realized it is “popularity” that makes someone win in “Dancing With The Stars” not a great performance. Do both even matter?

~Christians are said to be “set apart”…Set apart because God has set you apart for a divine purpose not to put walls around you.

~If everyone truly understands that God promised that He will sustain us as we age, will the cosmetic procedures lessen?

~One can’t claim to be a Christian and still be jealous of what others have. That means one is not satisfied with what God has given him.

hungry for more of You...

"Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord;
those who obey his orders have good understanding.
He should be praised forever." - Psalm 111:10 (NCV)

Don't Give Up Nor Give In

“Nurse Rcubes, she said that she fell again from the bunk and hit her head,” explained a female deputy on the other line.

“Just send her down here (to the Clinic). Better be safe than be sorry,” I replied.

“Thank you.”

She was walking in a rushed pace. Everyone was talking about this specific inmate who fell few days ago from her bunk and literally hit her face flat on the floor. She was already seen and treated by another nurse. I kept reviewing her medical record to know more about her.

“Just give me ‘Tylenol’, Ma’am and I’ll be fine,” she demanded when I started taking her blood pressure and pulse.

Motioning for her to go back to the waiting area after taking the vital signs, she kept demanding for the Tylenol. Protecting myself first from her unpredictable behavior was my concern, despite the Infirmary Deputy being there close to us. In the waiting area, unable to touch any of the medical staff especially me, I summoned for her to get closer to the glass window so I could start probing and explaining at the same time.

“What happened to the 10 packets of Tylenol that was just given to you by the nurse yesterday?”

(I was surrounded by some co-workers, feeling sorry for this inmate as they thought how gruesome she appeared with very black and bluish areas around her eyes, and a small bump protruding from the left side of her forehead.)

She was caught off-guard. She didn’t expect that I would know something about her. Stuttering a bit, she replied, “Well, my ‘bunkie’ (cellmate) took it from me and she left today.”

“You know that when you are given medications, it’s understood that they are for you, not meant to be shared nor to be given to those who don’t need it. If they are stolen, you should have told your deputy.”

(Some of my co-workers could not believe that I was not going to give her any pain medications. To them, she looked horrible). I went up to the Charge Nurse and told her that this inmate did not have a new injury. She was already given medications and that she was using this injury to keep coming every other day as recorded in her medical records, demanding for ‘Tylenol’, as I flipped the pages of her records. The Charge Nurse agreed and started dialing the phone to let her unit know about her manipulative behavior. The co-workers who were puzzled started to see the situation the way I saw it. They stopped listening to my conversation with the inmate.

She started pacing, going in circles in the small waiting area, her bluish face attracting anyone who walked in into the Clinic. Mumbling to herself, she paused then started pounding on the glass window, demanding for the Tylenol and for her to be sent back to her unit.

“No!” (the Charge Nurse hollered).

“We are going to keep you so we can continue to observe you. Just relax!”

(Keeping them in the waiting area makes them to think next time around that they can’t always get what they want especially if there is no true medical emergency).

She wept a little bit. She stopped. She paced. She tried to see if anyone was looking. She didn’t know she was being observed despite her own surveillance. Calming a bit, she laid down on the green mattress given to her and stopped whining.

Photo Credit

From the Bible, Daniel also made enemies at work because he kept doing a good job. People were upset and jealous that they tried to find anything to criticize Daniel. When they couldn’t find any, they attacked his faith. (Please read Daniel 6). But Daniel’s response was to continue to trust in God and rely more on Him. His enemies had a difficult time finding legitimate charges against him.

As I go through this battle against powerful people at work, Daniel inspires me to continue to put my 100% trust on the Lord. Like Daniel’s prayers, it is not interrupted by any of human threats but more of time pressure.Daniel had a well-disciplined prayer life and kept praying three times a day. Prayers are indeed vital to us as believers as it is our lifeline to God.

Because of Daniel's unwavering faith, even unbelievers witnessed his consistency.

I knew at that time that my co-workers were not agreeing with the way I handled the situation at first. But I didn’t want to give up and give in to that kind of pressure. As I always pray for God’s gift of discernment, it is not my own knowledge that always saves me. It is His. God has the power these unbelievers know nothing about. Only God provides for everything that we need. No matter what situations or trials we are facing, it is not impossible to remain joyful and peaceful because God provides those when we continue to rely on Him alone. So, let us not give in nor give up to pressures from trials or from anyone who sees situations in a different angle compared to our vision, knowing that there is nothing impossible with the God we serve.

King Darius was elated that God saved Daniel from the mouths of the lions, so elated that he made it known to his people:

“ ²⁶ “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
   “For he is the living God
   and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
   his dominion will never end.
²⁷ He rescues and he saves;
   he performs signs and wonders
   in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
   from the power of the lions.”  - Daniel 6:26-27 (NIV)