The Gift of Time

When Evangeline told me in a letter that she did not love me, I thought I could not recover anymore. I was totally busted. 

But time heals. The scars would always be there, and it's fine. It's a precious part of my life.

Time is God's way of healing us, of making us understand that He is not in a hurry to mold us. And we should not be too hard on ourselves either. Everything will fall into places... as God has planned.


God is the first manager of time:

He created the day to make us productive;
the night to give us rest and appreciate the day.

He created the weeks to complete most of our dealings;
the weekend to be with our families and an hour with Him on Sunday.

He created the moon to guide the months;
the seasons to complete the cycle of  life.

And the best part of all,
He created the New Year
to seal off the past and start anew

It's New Year!
Hold on, hope on, walk on... for He promised:
"For I know the plans I have for you,"
says the LORD.
"They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope."
~Jeremiah 29:11

Father,
We’re happy for this gift of another year.
We thank You for the blessings and forgiveness,
For the hope and love.
Prosper us, mold us, heal us
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: apteatacc.wordpress.com| written by john b. bejo

An Insulting Gift

All we could do was to look at each other after we opened the 'gift' for our daughter during her Christening day years ago. Until now, my wife and I could not understand why a well off family friend gave our beloved daughter a USED, discolored toy.

The real gift is the person we give the presents to: the presents we give symbolize the giftedness of that real gift. Presents are only the expression of our appreciation of the person's presence in our lives.  That’s why the insult is much deeper when somebody gives us thrash on our special day. 

Children NEED to receive presents to feel special and appreciated.
It's not only the monetary value of the presents that counts, it's the thought and symbolism of our gratefulness. 

A billionaire may give you a car or house and lot, but if it may mean nothing to him. A child may give away her old Barbie doll, but it  may be everything to her.

We know that we've truly given when it takes something from us.
We know that we've truly given when it hurts.
We know that we've truly given when it makes us truly happy...

Are you happy?
If the answer is 'yes', then you've truly given...
Did it hurt when you gave something away this Christmas?
Then, you’ve truly loved…

Father,
Thank You for giving us the power to give,
And the chance to be happy while making others happy.
May the gifts we received and have given this season
Bind us together, and create a lasting memories
To be cherished for the years to come.
We ask this in Jesus’s Name.
Amen.

photo: Toy Story | posted by john b. bejo

Christmas True

I was in Manila the other day.  Street kids and still abled adults were swarming the streets and jeepneys. Some came with more sophisticated envelops, some simply sang their Christmas Carols.

I did not usually give money to any of them. But, that time I allowed my self to give justice to the two boys who sang really well in duet . I tossed some coins and said, "You did well."  I thought, they deserved it.



We usually give presents to people because we believe they deserve them. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's justice. But Christmas is not about justice. No.
Christmas teaches us that there is more noble and more profound than justice, which is giving what is due to others.

The message of Christmas is giving what is not due to others. Humanity did not deserve any forgiveness.  God loves us not because we're good.  God loves us because He is good and wants to share His goodness with us.

Forgiveness does not demand.
Forgiveness is offered before anybody could ask for it.

Presents are not deserved.
Presents are given because it's divine to give.

Love is not a payment for being good.
Love is given because it's our nature to love...

Merry Christmas :)

Father,
Thank You for the gift of this Season.
Christmas is here once again.
May we celebrate its true meaning
And refrain from measuring our happiness
With the presents we receive,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: justmeans.com| posted by john b. bejo

The Zen of Benevolence

May the sun shine
Upon your darkest moments.
May the moon shine
Upon your cold nights.

May there'll be hands
To wipe away your tears.
May there'll be hands
To hold yours especially when you feel lost and alone.

May there'll be eyes
To watch over you while you sleep.
May there'll be eyes
To behold your tenderness and strength.

May there'll be arms
To catch you when you fall.
May there'll be arms
To hug you each night and day.

May there'll be a heart
To pump love and forgiveness into your veins.
May there'll be a heart
To listen to your silent wishes.

May you'll have friends
To truly stay with you no matter what.
May you'll have friends
To drink wine, sing and dance with.

May you'll have the heart
To fulfill your promises
May you'll have the heart
To share these blessings with others...

~ john b. bejo

photo: ibibo.com| posted by john b. bejo

Everything We Do

When Namie, my four-year-old daughter noticed some of my grey hair the other day, she said: 'Daddy, you've got lots of grey hair already." I said, “yeah, I'm getting old, huh?" Then, looking sad, she said, "Daddy, I don't like that." I said "why?" She answered without looking at me, "I want you to be strong... always..."

The promise I made was not only for her, but for myself as well and to life itself: "I will be strong for you, darling."

Each one of us needs a reason to get up, endure and live. I've seen people who stopped fighting and started dying little by little. I've seen people who stopped combing their hair and stopped loving and dreaming. They stopped having reasons to live.

On the other hand, I've seen people who looked exhausted, in pain and scarred but with fire of determination in their eyes. They're oozing with passion and fortitude to dream and endure. They have reasons to live and fight. - And these reasons are the very people whom they promised to take care and stay with.

We don't need a painless life. It’s boring. What we need is a meaningful life. Everything we do, the struggles, the risks and the pains take different colors when they're suffered for something greater than ourselves, for the people other than ourselves, for the people whom we promise to love and fight for...

Everything we do…

Father,
We bless You today,
For giving us more reasons to endure, risk and live.
Thank You for allowing Jesus to show us
The real meaning of giving,
The real meaning of life,
The real meaning of happiness.
Amen.

photo: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | posted by john b. bejo

Time + Energy = Space

My first girlfriend must have hated me so much for breaking our bond. But I had to say goodbye; I got so busy with my studies that I could not give her the due time and energy she deserved. I failed to love her.

No time, no energy: no space... no love.



Love is atomic. It's born in time and space. Once you decide to spend time and energy with a person, your heart automatically allots a space for  him/her... whether you like it or not.

When Kyle, my second child, chose a chessboard game instead of a regular toy, I knew I needed to spend extra time with him.  We both experienced precious bonding moments.

The atomic formula of love is time + energy = space. The only way we could say that somebody has a place in our hearts, is when we know that we’ve spent precious time and energy with them.

That's the reason why Jesus had to come and spend time with us.
That's the reason why He had to exhaust all His energy and die on the cross...
This is the reason why we need to spend precious time and energy with our loved ones…

 

Father,
Thank You for gift of time,
Teach us to spend this wisely with our loved ones.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: Back to the Future | posted by john b. bejo

Las Tres Falacias del Amor

The 3 Fallacies of Love

1.  Love at first sight.However, romantic it sounds, it isn't possible.
True love begins with infatuation or illusion,
then  intimacy,
then delusion;
and matures when one DECIDES to love him/her in spite of...

2. I can't live without you.Biology calls this relationship 'parasitic."
True love is:
" I can live without you, but I CHOSE to be with you..."

3. We should always be together, all the time.Relationship like this is suffocating.
Like fire, true relationship needs ample oxygen to burn.
Space makes the heart grow fonder.

 

Father,
You made us out of love,
Teach us to the true meaning of love.
Make us see our neighbors
As a manifestation of your love,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: web | Post: john b. bejo

Old Dogs Don’t Dream

When I was a kid, I had this theory that puppies dream a lot, but when they grow old, very old... they stop dreaming.

Lately I felt very old. No, not because of my gray hair, I always had them since I was in high school. I found out why; I stopped dreaming and started to settle with what and where I was, contented and dumb, just like our old dog.

I love being with young people, they dream a lot. They're idealistic, foolish and hungry.  They would always talk about uniting their families and conquering the world; just what I did, not too long ago.

We start growing old the moment we stop dreaming.
We start growing old the moment we begin to settle down.
We start growing old the moment we stop loving because we're tired of another chances.
We start growing old the moment we stop leaving footprints for others to follow.

God has created the world wide and big enough for us to explore,
to harvest and to tell of his glory.
Nobody is too old to dream,
And no dream is too big for us to hold.
Stay young, foolish and hungry...

 

Father,
You gave us the capacity to dream
And the power to reach for them.
Make us always hungry for Your love
And give us the grace of to make our dreams come true,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: nicefunnyjokes.com | Posted by John B. Bejo

Locked Out

Over the last two weeks I met with young people who talked about their greatest fears in life. One of  the notable answers was the fear of letting somebody in their lives.

When we dug deeper, we found out that, that fear was only the tip of the iceberg. Down below were the fears of losing somebody, of being hurt, of being alone, of being betrayed... again.

This universal fear is simply so real that nobody could simply brush it off with any word of denial or encouragement.  It's indeed risky to simply let people in to our lives.

This season of the year has been very special. This is the time when we 're reminded once again that there is a person who wants to come into our lives. He's been knocking actually. This person does not need to promise us that he is not going to hurt us, nor leave us, nor betray us. He does not need to say, "Hey, I'm ready to die for you..." Jesus  already did.

 

Father,
Thank You for the
Friendship of Your Son
Who already gave His life to us
To melt our fears of being alone, hurt and betrayed.
Amen.

photo: bulgaria-photos.info | by John B. Bejo

Rainbow!

This morning, Namie kept on yelling just outside my window, "Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!" I went to look up the sky for a rainbow, but there's none. I asked her, 'Where's the rainbow?" Kyle answered, "here daddy" He was shooting his water gun towards the sunlight and every time he did,  it created a prism of colors to which Namie shouts, "RAINBOOOOOWWWW!"

When you were a child,
How many times have you stopped and yelled, "RAINBOW!"?
How many wishes have you made?
How many times have you counted the colors of  the bow?

Along the path of growing we lost this sense of awe.
We lost the sense of hope because of our failures
And the failures of the people around us to keep their promises.
And we thought that we could not go back to those times that we could yell again, "Hey, a rainbow!"

But guess what? You can still go out and yell, "RAINBOW!"
All you need is the desire to take full responsibility of your own happiness.
You don't have to wait for the sky to show a rainbow.
You could create one.

Namie and Kyle did not know about promises. Rainbow is not only about promises. Rainbow is about living the 'now' and being happy with what we have, with whom we are with...and that's what we call a colorful life...

 

Father,
Thank You for showing us this
Wonderful gift of nature.
Thank You for the promises You made
Which have made us strong,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen

photo: crestock.com | Posted by John B. Bejo

Love in Capsules

Previously, we talked about 'hardwiring.' It's just fascinating to see and listen how hardwiring takes place and saves relationships every day.



I had a very enlightening conversation with my mentor in marriage counseling 13 years ago. He said, "There were couples who would come for 'separation' session and would walk out the door as lovers again." What they did was asking each other questions like, "So, since you decided to part ways anyway, may I just ask how you came to start to like each other in the first place...?" Then, the story of the 'love-at-first sight would slowly unfold, then the first date... and the happy memories together..."

Relationships that last are those that have a lot to tell and a lot to remember. They have love in capsules: preserved, fresh and alive. Remember how your mother would glow when asked how she and your father met?

This is the secret Jesus has been telling us. Christianity has been here for centuries because we remember, because Jesus commanded us to remember..." Do this in memory of me..." ~ Luke 22:19
Love is all about remembering. The more good memories we create with the ones we love, the more love in capsules we have... fresh, preserved and alive...

 

Father,
Thank You for the memories
Of love preserved in our hearts.
Make us not forget how much You love us,
And how Jesus died for us.
Amen…

photo: piccy | by john b. bejo

You’re Not a Goat

When I read this letter, I knew I need to share it here…
It's simple and sweet one…

You know, I saw a movie about St. Anthony.
He was already between the other Franciscans, working hard everyday, digging the ground...
But somehow, they found he was an excellent preacher and they forced him to do it.
He didn't want, he didn't want to stay on the tribune in front of the others for he was too humble and he just wanted to do humble things...

Then one of the brothers, a simple and ignorant one, told him:
"I'm a goat and my Lord wants me to praise Him as I am. And the best I can do is to praise Him as a goat.
But you are not a goat, you are a nightingale.
And you can't be a goat.
And God wants you to praise Him as you are, as a nightingale. And you SHOULD praise him like that."

 

Father,
Yes, You want us to shine more
And proclaim Your goodness through our lives.
Thank You for reminding us
Who we really are.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: blsciblogs.baruch.cuny | john b. bejo

Life Still Has A Meaning

 
 
If there is a future there is time for mending-
Time to see your troubles coming to an ending.


Life is never hopeless however great your sorrow-
If you're looking forward to a new tomorrow.

If there is time for wishing then there is time for hoping-
When through doubt and darkness you are blindly groping.


Though the heart be heavy and hurt you may be feeling-
If there is time for praying there is time for healing.


So if through your window there is a new day breaking-
Thank God for the promise, though mind and soul be aching,

If with harvest over there is grain enough for gleaning-
There is a new tomorrow and life still has meaning.
 

Text: Author ~ Unknown | photo: googled

The Zen of Simplicity

1.   If It ain't broke, don't fix it.
2.   If you turned it on, turn it off.
3.   If you broke it, fix it.
4.   If you can't fix it, call for help.
5.   If somebody speaks, listen.
6.   If you're are hurt, forgive.
7.   If you hurt somebody, apologize.
8.   If it's not yours, it's not yours.
9.   If you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
10. If somebody leaves you, let go...




 

Father,
Thank You for making life simple.
Forgive us if we made it more complex.
Bring us back to the simplicity of Your love,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: googled | by  john b. bejo

Hardwired

 
Hardwired relationships are difficult to break, if not impossible. Hardwired relationships are best born out in two ways: first, in happy and memorable moments; second,  in difficult and even in death defying situations.
Hardwiring happens when two people spend HONEST time together for a longer period of time.

I say honest.

Our relationship's nerve endings are open for connection only when we're honest to ourselves. Fear, pretentions and inhibitions close these circuits which makes the other nerve ending impossible to connect.  It's like handshaking with a clenched fist.


Some young people fell into a dangerous trap: after some times of dating, they engaged right away in sex. The result is, these people are forced to connect because of sex: a treacherous sense of connection.  They thought sex would make their relationship stronger. But no, sex is the result of hardwired relationships, not the other way around. I've seen several relationships like these fell into pieces.

Hardwiring thrives best in
-dating
-spending time with friends and family of each party
-solving problems
-traveling
-taking care of each other during sickness
-constant communication
-fighting against the world
-praying together... nothing beats this.

A hardwired relationship is resistant to emotional fluctuations.
A hardwired relationship is resistant to storms.
A hardwired relationship is resistant to voltage failure due to distance.
A hardwired relationship is resistant to rust...
No, not even death could split it apart...

This is the secret of long engagement...


 

Father,
Thank You for binding us together
Through the love and sacrifice of Your Son
We may spend more time and effort
To make our bonds stronger,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: henrygrey @ flickr | by john b. bejo

Friday the 13th Conspiracy

Years back, I was so intrigued to know that some buildings, if not most, omitted the 13th floor. Obviously, friggatriskaidekaphobia (The fear of Friday the 13th) is the most elaborate, universal and neurotic of all the superstitions.

It's creeping spookiness goes all the way from the mind of the miserable people up to the wealthiest in the society, from slums to Hollywood to the stock market.

There's a long list of theories on the origin of this superstition. Some said it's of Norse, or Numerology, or Italian, or The Canterbury Tales, or the Bible. But the most important thing to note here is the fact that it shakes our faith.

Did not God create all the days of the week, and the moon to light the night and determine the weeks? Jesus was the 13th person at the table; and Friday was the day when Jesus saved the world? If there are people who should be afraid of Friday the 13th, they're those who stopped believing in the victory of Christ over death.

Friday the 13th is a victorious and blessed day for us Christians.

 

Father,
Thank You for this very day.
Bless and protect us, remind and awake us
To glorify You everyday
Which You have made for us,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: laydominicans. | by john b. bejo

A Grateful Day

Thank You, Lord.

Thank You for this beautiful day,
For the sun that keeps us warm
Warm enough to love and forgive,
To relish life and gladly live.

Thank You for the rain
That waters every living being,
Which soaks the earth
With Your presence and understanding.

Thank You for the people
Who kissed and embraced us
Who forgave and loved us
Who stayed and cried with us.

Bless the children
Who could laugh without guile.
Bless the parents
Who even in pain could smile.

Thank You, Lord.

 

 

photo: googled "| by john b. bejo

Life in RGB

There were times in our life that we wished everything would only be in ‘Black and White’. They were those days when we wished that choosing should have been simple; when we wished our partners would stay faithful and sexy forever; when we wished that our children would stay sweet, innocent and always at home.

But life, as we experience it, is not at all black and white. It's a combination of Red, Blue and Green (RGB) like your monitor's pixels. It is a mixture of red hot trials, blue moments and, green leaves and Go.

Black and white pictures are cool; but black and white people are strict, stiff and boring. Their phrases are filed with 'should', 'if only', 'my way or no way' and 'that's unacceptable.'
RGB people, on the other hand, are colorful. They aren’t afraid to commit mistakes. Trials excite them, blue moments inspire them, and life is green most of the time. Change does not intimidate them. For RGB people, change is an opportunity to morph into a more exciting color. They’re always in love.

For RGB people no color is dull. All colors are symbols of hope. Remember Noah after the Great Flood? Gen. 9:2-17. 

God created the world in full color so that everywhere we look, we see beauty and hope...

 

Father,
Thank You for making our lives
Colorful with the gifts of people around us.
We may add colors to their lives as well,
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen.

photo: wwworks @ flickr | by john b. bejo