Follow Me

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." Luke 5:27

When Pope Francis was asked in an interview, “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?”, he answered, "I am a sinner."

“When I had to come to Rome," he continued, “I always stayed in [the neighborhood of] Via della Scrofa. From there I often visited the Church of St. Louis of France, and I went there to contemplate the painting of ‘The Calling of St. Matthew,’ by Caravaggio. That finger of Jesus, pointing at Matthew. That’s me. I feel like him. Like Matthew.” 

Here the pope becomes determined, as if he had finally found the image he was looking for: “It is the gesture of Matthew that strikes me: he holds on to his money as if to say, ‘No, not me! No, this money is mine.’ Here, this is me, a sinner on whom the Lord has turned his gaze. And this is what I said when they asked me if I would accept my election as pontiff.” Then the pope whispers in Latin: “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance.”

God is also calling us to turn away from some things, and come follow Him. We can say, just like Pope Francis, “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept Your will in a spirit of penance.”

God’s People

“They came bringing to Jesus a paralytic carried by four men.” Mark 2:3

This story of the paralytic and his 4 friends show just how important being part of a community of believers is. There were too many people surrounding Jesus inside a particular house in Capernaum, so the four men carrying the paralytic broke through the tiles of the roof. They let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying to bring the sick man to Jesus’ attention. 

When I was in the hospital, it was a big comfort to me that so many were praying for me. My family, friends and my community brought me to the attention of Jesus. One of my doctors, after the open heart surgery, mentioned, “Millions are praying for you.” I was so surprised because I did not know him, but I assumed he knew someone from my community, Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (The Joy of the Lord). 

At times, we are the paralytic being brought to Jesus by our friends, but we can also be one of the friends carrying the mat. There are so many in need of prayer. Do we take the time to stop and pray? How many people have we carried through the streets, up to the roof, and through broken tiles? Has our faith and love brought someone to the notice of Jesus, enough for Him to say, "I see your faith. I will heal your friend!" 

Sometimes we give up because of the "crowds", the busyness, the hopelessness, or even our lack of faith. But if we want to see "incredible things", we should persevere and push through the crowds, and whatever obstacles are put in our way! And we should remember, that even if we put down the mat, we can always take it up again, and continue the journey. That is what it means to be a part of God’s people. 

Amen

“Encourage yourselves daily while it is still ‘today’...” Hebrews 3:13

In another version of the Bible, it says to encourage one another daily. Encourage comes from an early 15th century French word, ‘encoragier’, which means to make strong, and to hearten. To hearten means to inspire with courage, hope or spirit. It may also mean to stimulate growth, to foster or to help. 

Ever since the pandemic, many have been interested in taking care of plants, and I know many ‘plantitas’. I do not have a green thumb but I know that talking to plants helps it to grow better. The researchers of the Royal Horticultural Society conducted a month long study which actually corroborates this. 

If plants respond well to encouragement, how much more will humans? We need to intentionally talk and behave in a way that gives people around us the stimuli to be better and to do better. Sometimes it is sad but true, we can be our own worst critic! We should not only be kind to others but to ourselves as well. We should not be the person who stunts another’s growth, or hinders our own growth because we are discouraging or unsupportive. 

Someone told me of a teacher in an exclusive school who was so disparaging of a young student’s artwork, that she actually crumpled it. The student became so disheartened he killed himself! Here we see the devastating power of words. But words also have a creative power. We all know the first verse in the book of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We also know the verse from the first chapter of Genesis, about the creation of the world, “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” We can create light in our life and the life of others by our words. 

The theme chosen for the 2018 Holocaust Memorial Day was “The Power of Words”.  David Sterling who spoke at the event said, “Words can have a huge impact, whether for the good or bad....If we are to help build our shared and diverse society, we must ensure that words should never be tolerated to marginalise, inflict pain and hurt against anyone regardless of race, colour, religion, creed, nationality, sexual orientation, or disability.  We must learn from the past if we are to build a better future.”

More than ever today, we should choose our words to create light in a dark world. Father, may I bring love into miserable situations, peace and hope where there is turmoil and chaos.

Battle Plan

“Everyone is asking for you." Mark 1:37

Jesus was very tired after a busy day. He and His companions, Simon, Andrew, James and John had gone to the synagogue as it was a Sabbath. Jesus taught with such authority that many were caught with amazement. Then at the same synagogue an evil spirit confronted Him and He exorcised the spirit. After the service, He left and visited Simon and Andrew’s home, and healed the mother-in-law of Simon. At sunset, because word had reached many people about Him, a horde of sick and demon-possessed people were at the door. Many gathered to watch as he healed them all. 

Did Jesus rest after this? He woke long before daybreak the next day and went out alone to the wilderness and prayed. If Jesus had to pray, found it necessary to connect with the Father, shouldn’t we prioritize taking the time to do so as well? Sometimes we say we have so much to do, there just isn’t enough time. So many things call for our attention. 

Simon and the others went off to find Him. When they did, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!” Sound familiar? So many people are asking to see us, so many asking us to do this or do that, attend this, attend that, plan this, plan that. My planner is so full of activities and a long TO DO list, and the year has just started! 

What did Jesus do? Did He rush off with His disciples to heal those waiting at the door again? That’s a good thing to do, isn’t it? But He said, “We must go to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too, because that is why I came.” He was very clear about His “battle plan”. And it’s all because He went to His commander first thing in the morning.  

Life is a constant battle. There are so many things to do, and a lot of it are good things to do. How do we choose what would make the biggest difference, the biggest impact in terms of eternity? Lord, may we go to You, for wisdom, for strength, for our instructions.

Pruned to Bloom

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” Psalm 8:4

A few years ago, we found an old product of ours being sold in Carousel, that online selling platform where we can find preloved stuff, and even houses and used cars. We didn’t make the figurine anymore, but it had value to us because it was one of our original designs. It was obviously dirty, and had scratches and the paint was faded. Even if we made it, we couldn’t tell the seller, “That’s ours, we want it back!” So I purchased it at the price the seller was asking for. We could clean it, paint it, refurbish it, make it look new again. 

Isn’t that what Jesus, the Son of God, did? He purchased us at a very exhorbitant price, His very life, just so He could make us a new creature. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, St. Paul wrote, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 

Inexplicably, God values us. Even if we have sinned and fallen short again and again, He still finds us precious enough to save from the garbage heap of sin. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a preacher show us a crisp new bank note. Then he crumples it up, steps on it, and says, “Look at this, it’s dirty and creased, but it still has the same value as the new money.” No matter how stuck in the mud we are, God can make a beautiful garden of our lives if we allow Him. I always say He is my gardener. He likes to prune me, a lot! But I know He just wants me to bloom! 

How to Fish for People

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1:17

I am so used to hearing the phrase “fishers of men”, that I just take this verse for granted but in the NIV and New Living Translation, this verse sounds funny. “Come be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!” I am sure it sounded even funnier to the two brothers, Simon and Andrew, that Jesus issued the invitation to. They were after all, real commercial fishermen, rough and ready, no-nonsense men. What did they think? One would have surmised they would scoff and say, “What in the world are you talking about?” But they immediately left their boat and their nets to follow Jesus. 

A little farther the three men caught up with two other brothers, James and John, who were mending their nets in a boat with their father Zebedee. Jesus called out to them too and they immediately followed him, leaving their boat and their father behind. 

Immediately! If only we always followed God’s lead with an urgency! I was listening yesterday to this funny preacher. He never fails to make me laugh even if his message is usually very serious. Canon J. John told of the time God instructed him to talk to this woman who lives an hour away from him. He didn’t because it would take him three hours in all, one to get there, one to speak with her, another to drive home. His wife prodded him to do it, but he said he couldn’t find three hours in his busy week to do it. Eventually he forgot. Then God told him again, and then again with more and more urgency. Three times in all! He still didn’t. One day, as he was listening to the news, the woman’s name popped up. Her name was Amy Winehouse and she was dead. She died at her Camden Square home in London of alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011 at the age of 27. After her death, her music, “Back to Black” briefly became the UK's best-selling album of the 21st century. 

Canon J. John said, “I was distraught because I knew He told me to go and I didn't go. Of course I repented. You know we can't alter the past but we can bring the past to the altar of God. We’ve all made mistakes but you know from that day, I vowed to God that I will go anywhere, I will do anything, I will give away anything, I will do anything He asked me to do. Hand on heart, my wife, Kelly, is here. I think I've done it every day since that day because I had such a shock to the system!” 

Do you feel God’s prodding today? Let’s not hesitate to act on it! We just never know if we can save a relationship, a marriage, a reputation, a life! One time God asked me to go to the QC Jail and I did not want to. I cried and cried because I was scared to go. My mom thought somebody died! She said if no one went with me, she would go. Eventually, a whole group of us went to visit the inmates every week and it was one of the most rewarding and rich experiences of my life. The ministry continued until the pandemic put a halt to it. Even if we are scared, timid, totally ineffective, as long as we say yes, God will supply what we lack. Just make the first step. 

Beloved Daughter

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22

In another version, we find: "Thou art My beloved Son, on You my favor rests." And in the Amplified, it says, "This is My Son, My Beloved, in Whom I delight." I went through different versions because I imagined myself, during my baptism, with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit being present along with my parents and godparents. God looked down and said, "This is my beloved daughter! My favor rests on her! I delight in her! She pleases me well!" Blasphemy? Indeed not!

Jesus paved the way for us to be part of His holy family. We are adopted sons and daughters of God. We read that John the Baptist protested strenuously to Jesus' request to be baptized, but Jesus insisted. "This is the fitting way to fulfill all righteousness, to perform completely what is right." (Matthew 3:15, Amp.)

Jesus went into the waters of baptism just like any sinner even if he was sinless. He joined with us, sinful humanity, and shared the travails, weakness and death of ordinary human beings. Because of His obedience, the Father was well pleased with Him. In His baptism, the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, were present. In our baptism, Father, Son and Spirit were present as well. We are one family, one church. And when Jesus was baptized by John, even though He did not need it, He was saying to each one of us, I am one with you. I will be with you through thick and thin, I will journey with you, I will see to it that you finish the race. I will do everything, even to dying like a common criminal, so that the good work started in your baptism will be carried to completion (Phil. 1:6). 

Thank You Jesus for everything! You made the impossible possible for us! 

Counter Cultural

“He must increase; I must decrease.” John 3:30

This is from an old copy of The Anawim Way, the meditation book I read every morning: “The liturgical season of Christmas is coming to a close. Tomorrow is the last day of the Christmas season as we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Church in her wisdom has given us three weeks beginning on December 24 to focus on the light of Christ, who has come into the world on Christmas. We are COUNTER CULTURAL in that regard, because for the secular world, Christmas season ended on December 26. The Church follows a different calendar based on the life, death and resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a blessing to be given time to ponder the mysteries of this season without being rushed. Each liturgical season offers us a unique grace that would be missed if we were to hurry through it and not take the time to pray and ponder the liturgy. The Christmas season has the grace of focusing on the Light that Christ brings into the darkness of the world and into our own hearts.” 

Yes, counter cultural! During the busy and hectic Christmas season, the Church invites us to slow down and ponder He who must increase in our lives. His influence on us must increase. Our dependence on Him must increase. Indeed, we should realize that we should strive (the Greek agonizai which means to agonize or take pains with) to be more and more like Him. Looking at myself, my idiosyncrasies and weaknesses, I think it is impossible. But when I look to Jesus, I know He makes the impossible possible. 

Dig for Gold

“Lord, if You wish, You can make me clean.” Luke 5:12

In this 5th chapter of Luke, we encounter a man full of leprosy who wanted Jesus to heal him. When Jesus said, “Be made clean”, the leprosy left him immediately. I don’t know anybody with leprosy but I know people who are sick, some very sick, and then there are people with a kind of weakness, or depression, or disability of some kind. Whatever it is, we can’t escape having a “thorn in the flesh” like St. Paul. 

St. Paul begged God to take it away, and what did the Lord say? In 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, St. Paul writes: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Several years ago, I used to have Pemphigus Vulgaris which gave me multiple blisters in my mouth all at the same time. It was so painful to eat and talk. I got so so thin. The amazing thing is when I would give a talk to students or grant interviews or do workshops on TV, my mouth would get numb and I could speak with no discomfort. To me, that was always a miracle and I knew only God could help me through my trials. Eventually I was healed even if there is no cure for this rare autoimmune condition. That is why I have confidence praying for the sick. I know God continues to heal today. 

Then there’s President Franklin Roosevelt who was one of the three greatest American Presidents. In 1921, he contracted an illness that permanently paralyzed his legs. Many historians would say that what made him an influential figure was his commitment to the working class and unemployed and his advocacy for social programs. That compassion he had for the disadvantaged was born out of his struggle with his thorn in the flesh. 

There’s a saying that where you stumble, dig for treasure. When something makes you look down, makes you humble, there’s always gold to be found. The strength that God will provide in our weaknesses is much greater than any strength that we can  muster on our own. 

Loving God

 "Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4:21

When we were young, my brother Robert and my youngest sister Tina were always quarreling. Robert would annoy Tina endlessly. When Tina would come and watch cartoons on TV with him, Robert would change the channel to Marcos! Then my mom read the passage in 1 John 4:19-21 to them. It reads, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

My mom was amazed because they stopped their quarreling overnight! The Word of God is alive, and if we believe it, we can see miracles, big and small.

In loving others, there's a lot of self-discipline involved. We have to take control of our emotions and not allow our emotions to control us. I learned this the hard way. A long time ago, one of our employees did not take care of some crafts I made and used for workshops and demos on TV. I found it dumped in a box in the stock room even if there were written instructions to take good care of it. I got so furious, I hit her on the shoulder. Even if I apologized as soon as I calmed down, she brought me to the barangay (a small administrative division here in the Philippines), and then to the Dept. of Labor when the barangay did not take her side. I learned that acting on your emotions lead you to make poor choices and decisions, and can land you in unpleasant situations.

Our friends and family won't take us to the barangay or to a court when we quarrel them, but we still cannot allow anger and frustration prod us to say hurtful things. Our brother or sister, wife or husband, are not our enemies, that we have to protect our ground, and fight them for every wrong they commit. If we encounter people who are rude, unkind, disrespectful, we can be like David who chose which battles to fight. When his brother insulted him in 1 Samuel 17:28, he just turned away. He knew he had bigger battles to fight with a REAL enemy!

Take Courage

“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" Mark 6:50

When I was young, my father had a boat and once he took our family out to sea. Unfortunately although the day started out fine, when we were way out, the wind became very strong, the waves chaotic and like the fisherman in the gospel story, I thought we were going to die! I started to panic and pray. But I looked at my father and he was so excited as if there was nothing to worry about.

So I felt better, and tried to enjoy myself. When we are in the midst of any terrifying storm, if we look at the circumstances, we can panic and feel afraid. But if we look at Jesus knowing He can calm any storm, we will be at peace, the "peace beyond understanding".

Last year, my family was in the midst of a storm. My brother was desperately ill, so weak it was painful to witness. If I looked at his physical condition, and realized no doctor could heal him, I could get agitated and feel hopeless. But I chose to look to God who created him and loves him best, and took care of him his whole life. Amidst any storm, the best place for us is at the center of God’s love. 

God is Love

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:7-10

I was 38 years old when Joshua was in my womb. I was so anxious, I just kept praying and praying. God in His mercy and love, spoke into my heart, and said, “You will know how much I love you, when you hold your child in your arms.” This reassured me immensely and immediately. 

True to His Word, when I held Josh in my arms for the first time, I knew His perfect love. The whole Bible is about God’s love for us. It’s all about how He calls an imperfect people to have a relationship with Him- an intimate loving relationship with a God who gave His all to save us and claim us for His very own. Our destiny is to love Him and to allow Him to love us!

Someone wrote that to love is to treat a person with intrinsic worth, not only when they serve your purpose. I can’t imagine God needing me to do anything for Him. I am sure there are other people who could do a better job for Him! But He fashioned me, He “formed my inmost being; He knit me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) And He did that with His perfect love. 

War Room

“Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

Sometimes I feel like a crazy person when I talk about evil spirits because most people don’t believe in spirits anymore. That is exactly what the unseen forces want, that they are disregarded and considered superstition. 

St. Paul in Ephesians 6:12 emphatically states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places.” What the demons did in Bible times continues on today. Jesus was constantly at war with demonic forces and definitely knew they existed. Whatever Jesus believed in, I definitely want to know about and believe in, whether it be fashionable or not. 

These days, with fake news battling against the truth so prevalent on the world stage, with ordinary decency and morality not so ordinary any more, one could even say we are fighting a losing war. But that is exactly what evil spirits want to spread- hopelessness, despair, turning to all sorts of solutions except to God. 

Many of the saints had to battle spirits of darkness. St. Ignatius of Loyola had been strangled and tormented by demons. Evil spirits danced around St. Alphonsus Rodriguez and jumped on him. St. Colette of Corbin was disturbed by infestations of ants, snails, turtles and reptiles, anything to disturb her devotions. Padre Pio was beset with many forms of demonic manifestations, sometimes they came in the form of his spiritual director.

Today, the devil does not have to resort to these things to keep us from praying and reading God’s Word. There are enough distractions around us already! Since I use my iPhone and iPad for work AND prayer, I have to constantly remind myself to be more disciplined and not allow my attention to be easily diverted by my to do list, advertisements, notifications, messages, and amusements. 

We need to go back to God, to use His armor and all the tools He has given us to combat the enemy. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13) We do not all pray the same way, but I find keeping a daily journal helps keep my focus on God. Having a set time to pray, going through my day and thanking God for big and small things, trying to understand the daily scripture readings, and just conversing with Jesus throughout the day and telling Him I love Him are on top of my list of weapons in my War Room. 

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

“You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.” Ephesians 3:2

We read the same message in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:1-2): “We are stewards of the mysteries of God, and we should be faithful and trustworthy."

I’ve always been fascinated by near death experiences, or NDEs, and if that is not a mystery, I don’t know what is. It seems God is revealing himself more and more through the experiences of people who have survived almost dying. John Burke, author of the books, “Imagine Heaven” and “Imagine the God of Heaven”, has researched thousands of these incidences since the 80s. He founded Gateway Church in 1998 after he came to faith because of what he believes is proof of life after death as described in Scripture. He found a universality of NDEs across different cultures that resonate deeply with biblical narratives, such as Paul’s vision in 2 Corinthians and John’s Book of Revelation. 

One of the testimonies John Burke recounts is the experience of Santosh Acharjee who died a Christian last year. He was a Hindu when in October 2006 he was very sick in the ICU. Severe chest pains caused by gallstones and his pancreas bleeding resulted in a “Code Blue!” Situation. Santosh had an out of body experience when he was declared clinically dead. “We lost him!” the doctor said. While Santosh could still see himself on the hospital bed, a bright light brighter than the sun, came near him and engulfed him with so much love and protection. 

They travelled together and occasionally went through dark tunnels. Then the light stopped over a beautiful compound thousands of miles in each direction, with magnificent mansions and buildings made of otherworldly materials. There were twelve gates guarded by angel and there were angels everywhere. Santosh described what was a very narrow door that he desperately wanted to go through but couldn’t. He could see all this, even if the compound was so extensive, because he had what he called, “telescopic eyes”. Santosh had never read the Bible, yet he described the Holy City of God as John saw it in the Book of Revelation, chapter 21. He found himself in the center of a huge platform and at the center on a higher level, was a throne with a giant figure with eyes like lightning. Santosh’ life flashed before him and he falls on his knees with the realization that he had committed many sins. Looking down, he saw a burning lake of fire, and he kept pleading, “Lord, forgive me.” 

The giant being which He knew was Almighty God, spoke to him with incomprehensible love, tenderness and mercy and he could understand Him “through all the languages he knew.” “Santosh, I'm gonna send you back,” the being said, “and when I send you back you must love your family and especially your daughter. She needs your help right now. Always tell the truth. Don’t lie. Search for the truth. Commit no more sins. Surrender yourself completely unto Me in your daily life. Let Me be the driver in your life. Walk with Me. Always be kind and generous to the poor.”

When Santosh got revived after three days in a coma, he prayed daily for two years seeking Jesus. Then his daughter was invited to sing with a friend in a church choir. Santosh went along to hear her, and when he walked in, he said he could feel the presence of the God of love. The message that was read that day was from Matthew 7:13: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Santosh was blown away and when he went home, he started reading the Bible and attending church every week. 

Let’s not wait for anything like that to happen to us! All we need to know is in Scripture. Jesus tells us in John 10:9, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”

Come and See!

“Come and you will see.” John 1:39

In U.P. High School, a couple of men from Gideons International came and spoke to my class about reading the Bible. Before they gave us these really cute Bibles, they made us promise to read it. I promised, but I stopped a few chapters into it because of some passages I heartily disagreed with. I enjoyed my life too much to “hate it”. (John 12:25)

In U.P. College, I was invited to join a Campus Crusade for Christ group. I thought the group was composed of dull students who didn't have friends, but I liked the Australian lady who invited me out for ice cream. She was the one who would say, "Come and see." 

After college, I remember that it was my mom who would invite me and my siblings to all the Christian rallies and Bible Studies. It did not matter if it was Catholic or not. I do not know how many times we went to the front to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. I cannot count how many times I joined a Life in the Spirit seminar and was prayed over. After one of those baptisms in the Holy Spirit, the Bible came alive for me. I would read and read and mark almost every line with a yellow pencil. Sometimes I felt like the words would jump out, and I could read even if it was dark! 

Lord, thank You for all those people who said come and see in different ways. I have, through the years, seen Your face, and heard Your voice! May I also invite others to experience the fullness of life You offer me every single day! 

God’s Children

“Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” 1 John 3:2

Most of the time we do not believe that God made us to be amazing! He really planned that we be lights in the darkness, a clarion call for His good news of love, peace and joy! 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,” Marianne Williamson wrote in her book A Return to Love. “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.” I’m not particularly a fan of Williamson who has a tendency to be new-agey, but I like what she says in this quote which has been frequently attributed to Nelson Mandela in graduation speeches. 

We ARE children of God and He has made us for His own. Whatever we are feeling right now, our situation may be most depressing, but we must not lose heart, as St. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and temporary troubles are producing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our afflictions. 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.…” We may be made of weak clay and we often feel inadequate, but we have this treasure God placed in us, this all-surpassing power and grace to be overcomers if we tap into Him. 

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book The Weight of Glory, “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

How overwhelming to realize that that is God’s planned destiny for us!