Driving But With One Focus

“Go to the next lane,” my husband told my son… “this lane you’re on leads to the freeway.”

My son’s hands steadily moved the steering wheel a little to his left.

My son knew how to drive for how long I don’t remember. But this time, he needed more hours of driving time to accumulate before he applies for his driving license. I often asked my husband since he was off this whole week, for both of us to take him and allowed my son to drive in different streets here in our area and a little farther sometimes. I wanted him to get familiar with places and not to get comfortable getting directions from a voice-prompted box up on the dashboard. I wanted him to get more opportunity to drive especially at night when the surroundings are darker and some of the roads are not that easier to see sometimes.

I feel like that. We are all driving in unfamiliar roads no matter how many years come and go in our life’s journey. Even if we take a wrong turn at times, it’s okay. We can choose to learn from our mistakes. But what’s not easy is to have that courage to say that “we are wrong” and accept the responsibility to apologize and return to the right road we were once in.

As we are already on our second day of 2011, we will be facing many unfamiliar roads. Forget the wrong turns. Forget the discourteous other drivers who loved to be ahead of others. Forget the fear from having cars that had broke down and got stuck in scary places. We are given God’s greatest blessing when we chose to drive on that narrow road. Whatever happens as we drive, we are already given this greatest hope and joy that is up ahead. We have his direction [Word] if we truly listen to it. Just like how my son trusted my husband, we will be okay if we follow His direction by completely trusting in Him.

“God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by His blood.” – 1 Peter 1:2

We are not promised that our drive will be smooth. For sure, we will be driving not expecting what is to come up ahead. But whatever hindrances come our way, may our driving techniques show other drivers who don’t know Jesus of what it’s like to be guided by Him.

When fiery trials come our way this year, may we learn to accept them as part of a refining process. A process that will burn away the impurities and prepares us to meet the Greatest Driver up ahead.

I leave you with His awesome answer and direction:

“All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.” – 1 Peter 1:3-6 [LAB]

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!” – Philippians 4:4

Lord, give us the strength, the guidance and discernment to live our lives holy for You are a Holy God. Help us focus on what lies ahead. On those things that are imperishable. Protect us Lord as we drive through unfamiliar roads. Sustain us with your gift of joy that no matter what goes on outside, our inner attitudes will always reflect the joy we found in You. Thank You Lord for Your grace, love and mercy. Thank You for giving us the true direction on where to go. Heaven and earth will disappear but Your Words will remain forever. Glory be to You Oh God! In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Piece Of Heaven This New Year

“That’s not good…” the Physician Assistant examining me uttered as he was evaluating me by asking me about my past neck injury, few days ago. “You may lose your job…” he added.

The constant shortage with the nursing staffing especially on the PM shift had prompted our highest supervisor to make some changes with the nurses’ schedule. But the ones to be affected most were our staff, the night shift nurses. He made everyone worked 12 hours per shift. It was not something new to some who had been working it already. The big change would affect me.

I had been working part-time, only 8 hours per night. I had injured my neck long time ago when I worked at the hospital as an Orthopedic Nurse. I recalled, I even hurt it twice. The second time aggravating the pain, as I tried to help a confused patient who was about to fall and caught her head at the right time. My neck had not been the same. It’s constant. But I could still do things.

As the changes were supposed to take effect on January 15, my doctor gave me his note allowing me to only work 8 hours per day to prevent my neck pain from getting worse or even worst. My supervisor complied except I had to go through this process of being evaluated from our Employee Wellness Center.

He walked in. He didn’t assess my neck. All he said were disappointing. I knew he was trying to be helpful at times. But most of the time, it sounded like he was discouraging me. I wasn’t sure if he knew what he could say or not say. But God was my sole witness that day.

“You’re lucky you got away with it for so long,” he stated regarding myself working part time for 6-7 years now.

“What do you mean lucky?” I rebutted. “That was approved by my supervisors.”

“Well, did you tell us that you had a permanent disability when you were hired? That’s not good if you didn’t. You may lose your job!” he ended our hour long encounter.

“Have a good day,” was all I told him.

I cried when I got home. To my supervisor who was patiently working with the schedule changes for me as she tried to keep me on only 8-hour per day schedule. I felt discouraged. I felt the proper evaluation was not done. It was more of someone else’s opinion instead of evaluating my condition and honoring my doctor’s request. But I wasn’t afraid. I just wondered how many other people suffering he hurt more by talking this way to these already injured individuals. Not only physically but as they also went through lots of emotional pain as they dealt with their physical inabilities to perform the same tasks they used to do. Like me…

And I cried to the One Who is always there for me. As I listened to His Word, this is exactly what He said that morning when I got up after a day full of frustrations and being belittled:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33;NLT]

There will always be trials. They come from different situations. They can be caused by other people. The severity varies. And He constantly reminds me…”You have peace in Me. Because I already claimed the victory for you.”

As the New Year comes, I know it will be another 365 days of uncertainties, of varying trials to come my way. Those are inevitable. But I want the change not to come from those. I don't want to make any resolutions that I can't keep. I want the change to happen within myself. That I am reminded constantly that I can be stable despite the instability I will face. That I have joy despite the chaos. I want to feel more secure and more calm. That I won’t be afraid. Because no matter how many changes come my way, I have that “unstable, immovable, unbreakable piece of heaven”…Living in me.

[Addendum: Please pray for God's guidance, protection and  discernment for me. People cannot discriminate if you have any disability. Do not let anyone put you down if you have any type of disability. God loves you for who you are. He knows what you are going through. And His promise never..NEVER...fails. That He will always be there with you going through all these trials. I am not afraid. I know what actions to take. Because of Jesus. "I can do all things through Him, the One Who gives me the strength that I need." Glory be to God. Happy New Year to all of you and may you be reminded of the STABLE ROCK you're standing on amidst all these instability. God bless.]

Use The Heart Not The Eyes

My son knows my answer very well by now whenever he is looking for something.

“Where’s the  maple syrup?”

“Use your……”

“Eyes mom,” he smiled.

Having breakfasts together always before going to school, I love making breakfasts for both of us [my hubby leaves early for work]. I would make him omelet, pancakes, sometimes as plain as scrambled eggs with toasts.

“Where’s the ketchup mom?”

“Use your….”

“Eyes!” he replied.

“Not your…”

“Mouth…”he shyly uttered.

The other day, when my husband was making the stuffed fish, he asked, “Where’s the onion?”

“Use your…”

“Eyes,” my son answered loudly to make his daddy hear it and both giggled.

But in our spiritual state, we don’t see God through our eyes. We see God through our hearts.  It is also through our hearts that the Lord sees. God doesn’t look at us the way we look at each other. We look at appearances but they don’t reveal what is inside of us. They don’t show what our true inner values are.

God alone sees the conditions of our hearts. He has been reaching out to us through the doors of our hearts for so long.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20 [NIV]

We are all always looking for something. But we are looking at the wrong places, finding the wrong things that fulfill what we want, what we need. Drugs… Fancy cars… Money…Lust and sexual immorality… Jesus words are simple…If anyone admits him in his heart, he receives Him as a friend.  

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18 [NIV]

"And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." - Ephesians 3:17 [LAB]

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13 [NIV]




May the eyes of our hearts be opened wide this year for Him. Happy New Year to all of you and may God bless you...

I Am A Crook...I Mean A Cook...

This year, I don’t even feel like baking anything. I used to enjoy baking Pistachio Cream Cheese Fingers, a recipe my friend had shared with me years ago. Two things hinder me: my family and I are trying to eat healthier and secondly, the time that I would spend baking, I would rather spend with my hubby and child or whoever will drop by for a visit. Christmas shouldn’t be a burden. It should be a meaningful celebration of remembering what our good God had done to restore our relationship with Him through Jesus. It should be about restoring wounded relationships, destroying walls and building bridges instead. It is not easy. Easier said than done. But when you believe in what He can do for you and I, then we can. Because of His grace.

Right now, I am enjoying the nice glow of sunrise, a welcoming break from all those rainy days. Though I’m thankful for the rain He gave! Sipping a cup of coffee, I think about you all in prayers. May you have a wonderful Christmas, returning to the Lord and then, sharing warm memories with your loved ones. May your new year be a complete start of having a closer walk with the Lord. I am not perfect myself. But I know that His faithful love and mercy always awaits for anyone’s return. Always welcomes anyone. Always accepts. Always forgives.

My hubby volunteered to cook stuffed bangus or milkfish. It is a kind of fish you can buy from Asian markets. We bought the boneless and he will mix the flesh with veggies like carrots, peas, garbanzo beans and seasonings and stuffed it right back. I had attempted to make some pickled green papaya few days ago and I thought this would go great with the stuffed milkfish. I had also put them in jars and gave them as gifts. He will also make some “menudo”made from diced beef with veggies and we’ll just eat them with either rice or bread. We opted for the bread so we passed by a nearby bakery and got some rolls.

For dinner, I thought of making some “pansit” well known Asian noodles. Opting for healthier version, I’ll just use chicken and will try to give some to one of my neighbors, whose wife has not been feeling well for quite some time now. 

I am a CROOK….I mean a COOK sometimes. So, if you’re willing to try this recipe, here it is…But I try to cut down on salty stuff so I use low sodium chicken broth. I also don’t like to use pork but it’s your preference, I’ll include it anyway. The rice vermicelli noodles, you can get them from Asian markets or Asian aisles from your grocery stores [I hope].

Photo Credit

Pancit Guisado [Sauteed Rice Noodle]:

14-16oz. rice vermicelli noodles

I cup boiled chicken breast, flaked

1 cup shrimp, shelled

1 cup boiled pork meat, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon vegetable oil [I use olive oil]

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion, sliced

1-1/2 cup fresh green beans, sliced thin diagonally

1/3 of a whole cabbage, sliced thinly

2 carrots, thinly sliced into 2-inch strips

3 stalks celery, sliced thin diagonally

3-4 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon slices

Soak the noodles in water until soft. Drain and set aside. In a non-stick pan over medium heat, sauté garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add onion. Stir for 1 minute. Add the chicken meat, shrimp, pork, green beans, cabbage, carrots, celery and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5-8 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove and set aside.

In the same pan, add the chicken stock. I use a little bit of low sodium soy sauce [approximately 3-4 tablespoon or adjust to taste]. Let boil and add noodles. Simmer in medium heat until liquid is absorbed and noodles are cooked. Gently stir in 2/3 of the vegetable mixture taking care not to mash the noodles. Transfer  to a serving platter and top with the rest of the vegetable mixture. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To All of You! May God bless you and protect you and give your heart's desires according to His will. Love to all of you, my friends...Thank you for your friendships, love, sweet thoughts, prayers and encouragement. May we remain a blessing to each other, to help us all endure and finish this journey we are all in. Safely. Completely.