Freedom

"Ting...ting..." The loud buzzer rang on the female side. A line of women clothed in orange-colored uniforms were waiting to be let in. I looked at the clock..."06:30 a.m" Ahhh. Accucheck time...Time to check the diabetic inmates' blood sugars before they get served their morning meal.

"Good morning," I softly greeted them all while some of them started stretching their arms up on the air. A few, contagious yawns were shown on their "just-risen" beauties, some with disheveled hair-do's.

As I called their names one by one and recorded the sugar level, gave insulin if they were on it, most of them were well-behaved, not whining which was sometimes, the norm for them.

"Good morning nurse!," an elated woman sitting on a wheelchair greeted me. With toothless smile, she said, "I'm being good! Because I'll be out of here in a few days."

"Good!," I replied and smiled back. But deep in my mind, I've seen her in and out of the jail. I could only hope and pray silently in my head. I was hoping that it would be the last time that she would truly be incarcerated. These are hungry souls craving for attention, for friendship, for love.

But I know a lot of them don't have the necessary resources outside sometimes that they are left with no choice but to commit a crime and be brought back to serve their penalty. Drugs, alcohol use and other bondage have a great hold on their lives, trapped and feeling like there was no way to get out.

Wow! Everyone's sugar level was great this morning. I told them "Have a nice day!" Though they're not going anywhere, the kindness that the Lord had given me I tried to give back in return to those hurting souls.

The women piled up in a neat row, as if they belong to a military unit, ready to be sent out to join in a war. Tomorrow, I'll be seeing the same faces again to check their blood sugar or if they feel sick and wants to get seen by the medical staff.

Freedom....that's what they crave for...They try to be good...but to no avail...The big metal door shut loudly behind them... Quiet steps could be heard along the corridor leading back to their units and be housed in their own cells.


Lord, freedom! You gave us freedom because we keep saying "we're trying to be good [religion]" and yet, we are still being held captives in so many ways. Lord, I pray that You will be the only One Who will have a hold on our lives and nothing or no one else will. Thank You for Your gift of eternal life. Thank You for what You have done on the cross! I pray for many lost souls who are still "trying to be good" but don't know the only way [personal relationship with You] to claim that freedom. In Jesus' Mighty Name, I pray....Amen.


John 8:32 -Jesus said to the people who believed in Him,... "And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

John 8:36 -"So, if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free."

Psalm 102:20 -"to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die."

Galatians 5:1 -"So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law."

Galatians 5:13 -"For you have been called to live in freedom - not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love."

"D" + Mercy = "A+"

I picked up my son early today, the last day of school prior to their Spring break. As dark clouds covered the rays of the sun and the wind was blowing dust and pollens all over the atmosphere, I sat quietly inside my car, listening to my favorite Christian radio station. The soothing Christian songs wiped out the "antsy" feeling I had, as I anticipated his news whether he passed or failed his Math test yesterday.



Soon, the familiar shadow walked out of the gate and opening the passenger door with a calm voice, totally opposite of the fear and exhaustion I saw yesterday from his face, he blurted out in a low, half-child, half-man kind of voice: "I got a D, mom!"



My composure never waned. I lovingly replied, "It's okay son! I know that you did your best and I'll always be proud of that!"









Back home, as he showed me his paper, not understanding the figures myself, I was just in complete oblivion of my Math knowledge. I think I would have easily gotten an "F" myself.


Whenever we are walking on painful roads on this life's journey, don't we all wish for an easy escape or a quick "U-turn?"...Maybe even for miracles?


And there was good news out of this "failure". Since almost the whole class [who are all hardworking students] failed, the teacher, knowing how hard those students work, decided to consider not including the lowest grade score in their over-all grade from the whole semester. Most of them had the lowest scores today! That will help the students keep their "A's".


Thank You Lord for this miracle! Bless Mr. T, Lord! [Mr. T happens to be the "worship director" in our church family].


My son and I's faces were painted with smiles, our lungs breathing the "air of relief" as we uttered, "thank You Lord!" It's not only my son who learned from this experience. The biggest learner was "me."


The teacher's gesture of mercy to his class is not something new. This event just made me realize how valuable we are to our heavenly Teacher, Who doesn't want us to fail. He dropped our lowest grade [our sins] by giving His own Son to be the sacrifice for that [His act of mercy and love], so that we can keep our "A's" for eternity.

No scientific formula will ever figure out "D+Mercy=A+". It's done in God's way that no man could ever understand...


My dearest friends, never tire sharing your knowledge in this area. Many are still unfamiliar with this class we're in. Some don't even want to be in it. I pray our Teacher will continue to use our blogs to share His wisdom and teaching through us. Have a great weekend and God bless!


Romans 4:8 -"Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord."


Psalm 103:12 -"He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west."


Romans 10:13 -"Anyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved."


John 5:24 -"I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God Who sent me, have eternal life."


Acts 4:12 -"There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."

Failure

My son stayed up late last night to study some more prior to his Math test today. He is in an advanced class and I don't even know how to solve for some of his problems when I take a peek at times. [Thank God, He willed for me to become a nurse, instead of an architect or engineer...I don't like "NUMBERS!!!"]. This morning, hard working as he's been, he woke up early, ate breakfast and left early so, together with other classmates, they went to see their Math teacher who always patiently does extra teaching for an hour, before the morning bells ring at 09:00 a.m. He helps students understand whatever is confusing for them so that they will do better every time a test is given. I salute Mr. T's effort and his extra diligence to make his students learn!

When the bell rang at 3:10p.m. signifying the end of the school hours, I turned on the car's engine and waited for my son to come out of the gate, where I usually pick him up. He looked tired or something! When he came into the car, in a sad tone of voice, he told me, "Mom, I don't know how I did because the test was so hard!" My heart was just breaking to even hear him say that, feeling his uncertainty with the outcome of this test.

Going through my own failures in this life's journey, I thank God for the wisdom that rushed to my mind instantly. I told my son, "It's okay. Whether you will pass or fail, daddy and I don't expect you to ace the test all the time. There will come a time that sometimes, you will also fail. But what's important to us, is that we both know how hard you have worked for it and how hard you studied." "It's just different if we know that you are not putting any effort and then for sure, you will fail! If you do fail in today's test, it's okay. You try to learn from whatever mistakes you will have and learn from them. Maybe study harder next time? Or if there is a confusing formula, you can relearn. Just relax. You owe it to yourself."

The tensed, sad puppy eyes beamed with relief and he started to breathe a little better. Deep inside my heart and mind, I was quietly speaking with my "Parent" Who understands all the time when I go through my own failures in life. And He's always the First One to tell me to get up again when I fall, to try to smile after bawling out, and to relax after a nerve-wracking storm had just gone by."

Yes, my Parent comforted me first, so now, I can comfort my own child. Thank You, heavenly Daddy!

Proverbs 24:16 -"They may trip seven times, but each time they will rise again."

Matthew 7:24, 25 -"Anyone who listens to My teaching and obeys Me is wise, like a person who builds a house on a solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock."

Psalm 37:23, 24 -"The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand."

The Lord is Close...

It has been a year now that my father had passed away. I miss him daily. I miss him then when he was still here with us physically, because many miles of oceans had separated us.

There is a saying that sometimes, you won't know the value of something or someone you love until you lose it. It's not true in my case. I know that I will lose someone so great, even before I lost my beloved father.

You see, my father always love to joke around. He makes people around him laugh no matter what circumstances he's in. When he came to know Christ and accepted Him as his Savior, the more joy he shared with those who had loved him and learned to love him like their own father. He loved to share whatever things he had specially with the needy ones.

Joy is not something we can create. It is a special gift that only comes from God. It is having that feeling inside that "everything is and will be okay" despite the turmoils or any difficult trials around us. The whole time [2 weeks] that my siblings and I were with him, we talked a lot with our father, shared so much laughters and reminisced many warm memories we shared as a family and when our loving mother was also with us.

One night, looking more tired and ready to go home to the Lord, as we [his loved ones] surrounded him on his bed, he started asking my siblings and I, one by one. He wanted to know if we had any special requests and he said that he would personally deliver it to the Lord. So to make him happy, we tried to say anything though what mattered to us was his comfort.

He closed his eyes and placed his skinny arms on his chest as if he was preparing to see his Savior. Tears started running down our eyes, as we took turns hugging him and kissing him and we kept saying "I love you dad, and thank you for everything." His breathing started to become more shallow and slower. But his mental state was very alert and oriented.

After 5 minutes of us intently looking at him, preparing ourselves for his "departure", he suddenly opened his eyes and out loud spoke, "God will be angry!" My brothers and I looked at each other, thinking "was he confused?" But as he was talking, we knew he wasn't. So, I asked him, "Dad, what do you mean God would be angry? With who?"

He looked at me as if I was supposed to know the answer and said, "Yes, God would be angry with you guys because you have too many requests!"

The tears of sorrow turned to tears of laughter. My brothers and I were talking with our eyes as if we were all saying in unison - "That's dad!!!"

The Lord granted few more weeks for us to be together. How I treasured that! Lord, thank You for being close, specially at times when we feel so alone, so scared, and when we are hurting. Help us draw closer to You...

Zephaniah 3:17 -"The Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."

Psalm 68:3 -"Let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy."

Psalm 146:5 -"Happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God."