ABUNDANCE: One Word for the Year 2015 (#OneWord)

It was the first day of the New Year. I was checking my Facebook Account when a post from a friend (actually my husband's cousin) caught my eye. He shared a photo with the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11. I felt at that moment that God has given me confirmation for my One Word for the Year.

 

I have thought of my One Word for the year days before 2014 ended but I was waiting for God to confirm with me that this was indeed the WORD  that He wanted me to embrace and live out more fully this new year. I was waiting for God to lead me to a Bible verse that would resonate within my soul and affirm me that I have chosen the right word for me this 2015.

 

I knew that I could just Google the word abundance and search for Bible verses related to it and that would easily give me a Bible verse that would support my choice for my One Word this year. But that's not how I want to do it. I wanted God to give me the confirmation that I wanted. That way, I know that it wasn't just me who chose that WORD, but that God wanted me to choose it as well.

 

That's why on January 1, I felt my heart leap for joy when I read these words from my friend's Facebook status.

 

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future," declares the Lord.

 

That very moment I knew that I already have my One Word for the Year 2015. And not only that. With the confirmation I was waiting and asking for, I got my Bible verse for the year as well! What a wonderful gift from God on the first day of the New Year! I am one blessed child of God!

 

Jeremiah 29:11 is a familiar verse for me. It has been one of my favorite Bible verses since I was in college. It thrilled me that God has given me this verse as my Bible Verse for the Year.

Days after this happened, I saw another post in my Facebook feed that confirmed again my choice for my One Word. This time it was a photo shared by Joel Osteen.

I couldn't help but smile. I knew that it was God again speaking to me through that photo.

So, the other day, I made a new cover photo for my Facebook account. It's my way of reminding myself of my One Word and my Bible verse for the year every time I check my Facebook account .

I also felt that God has given me my song for the year through this song. I've decided that I will sing this song at least once a day to claim in faith the ABUNDANCE that God will rain down on me this year.

Yesterday, I bought a copy of one of the devotionals based on Joel Osteen's books. The title of this devotional is Daily Readings from Break Out! I started reading it as soon as I laid hands on it in the bookstore. I read the reading for yesterday and I felt that I found a devotional that God would use to remind and enable me to live out my One Word for the Year.

Last year, my One Word was SHINE. True enough, God enabled me live out my One Word in many ways, but most especially through the fulfillment of my God-sized dreams. Thus, I am all the more excited for 2015. I claim as early as now that this will be a year of ABUNDANCE for me! This will be another breakthrough year because this is God's Will for me.

The reading today in my new devotional affirmed this through another Bible verse:

The Lord answered, "I will be with you." Judges 6:16

My current circumstances do not perfectly manifest my One Word yet. But I believe that it will happen this year as I have envisioned it because God is with me. I know in my heart that God was the One who gave me that vision and who led me to this Word and this verse. One of the verses from the First Reading today supports my belief. It says, "so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it."

What's your One Word and Verse for the Year? I would love to know also.

Embracing Gifted Me

I didn't have any idea about giftedness until I had my first baby and I read about the signs of giftedness in a book and started noticing these signs in my firstborn child. As I read more literature on the topic and attended seminars about it, slowly, it dawned on me that I am also gifted just like my son. I began to consider this when I heard in a seminar that giftedness is hereditary. I reviewed the traits of gifted people again and I realized that I possessed many of them. It was an AHA experience for me.

 

I'm grateful that we discovered that our son is gifted while he was young. This discovery helped me to discover a part of myself I never knew before. In my search for more information about giftedness so I would learn more how to parent my gifted child, I also learned many things about myself.

 

Let me share a few things I am most grateful to discover about giftedness and myself.

 

1. Perfectionist tendencies - One of the stories I most vividly remember about my perfectionist tendency was told by my mom. She said that when I was in Grade 1, I cried very hard over an exam wherein I had one mistake. They tried very hard to comfort me but I was so affected by the exam's result. She said that I got the highest score in our class but I was not content with that. I was still disappointed that I did not get all the answers right.

 

Every now and then, I would hear my mom (ever since I was young) telling me that I should stop being a perfectionist. That I can't always get everything right or make things happen according to my plan.

 

The truth is, I just can't help but strive for excellence in all that I choose to get involve in. And I get easily disappointed when things fall short of my expectations or do not happen according to plan.

 

I have tried over the years to curb this perfectionist tendency. I think I have improved a lot over the years. But it still surfaces many times.

 

When I learned that it's one of the traits of gifted individuals, I felt happy and relieved. My initial reaction was, "Oh! That's why!" I was very happy with my discovery. Finally, I felt relieved because all along I thought that something is wrong with me... why I can't easily move on when I get disappointed over things that fall short of my plans and when it's simply my default to strive to make things perfect.

 

When I learned that gifted people are wired this way, I grew to accept this trait more. Recognizing this in myself helped me to give myself permission to strive for excellence most of the time in the things I am involved in.

 

 

2. Ability to remember a lot of things/things that had a big impact on me - I remember many times when I was chided by my parents and some friends for remembering negative things that happened to me even after a very long time. Many people believe the cliché "To forgive is to forget." For a long time, I felt pressured to forget those painful experiences thinking that I am sinning or still harboring resentment because I can still vividly remember many of those hurtful experiences. It was a good thing that I once read a book about forgiveness and the author said that we should not equate forgiveness with the ability to forget certain events. The author said that when you remember and you feel the ill feelings resurface, you can choose to forgive that person again anyway. Moreover, the author said that one advantage of remembering the incident is that we get to remember the lessons as well from those experiences.

 

When I learned more about giftedness, I realized that it is also part of being gifted that I am extra sensitive and therefore it should not be a surprise to me that events or experiences which had a big impact on me (especially painful ones) would be very hard for me to forget.

 

Knowing this helped me to accept that I simply cannot forget or erase from my memory those experiences that I had. My brain was wired this way and so no matter how hard I try to forget, it would be putting unnecessary pressure on myself to forget those experiences. Because of this, I was also able to let go of feelings of guilt over remembering so many things in the past that many people tell me I should already forget.

 

3. Multipotentiality - I just learned about this recently when I read another blog post. Just like when I discovered about the two traits I mentioned earlier, I felt happy and relieved to learn about multipotentiality. I've been hearing from a number of people that I should learn to focus on accomplishing only one thing at a time and that I should choose to be an expert at only one thing instead of dabbling in a number of things.

 

I find it frustrating to limit myself to only one field. I just can't help but be interested in pursuing more than one thing and there are times when I want to pursue these things simultaneously. I'm really glad to learn that there are other people like me and that in this group, I am normal!

 

Those are just some of the traits I discovered recently about myself in my quest to learn more about giftedness. Discovering these things allowed me to embrace the giftedness in me. And as I embrace these traits in myself, I'm also learning to accept and embrace these traits as I see them manifested in my son.

This post is part of the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum Blog Hop. Check out the other posts here.

Blog in a Blink: Best 13 of '13

I got this idea from Equipping Catholic Families. I didn't confirm right away that I will join the Link Up because I wasn't sure if I'll have the time to do it. But I soon discovered that it was a wonderful exercise at the end of the year. Going back to my previous blog posts enabled me to review the memorable or important life events I wrote about in my blog in the past year. My husband and I had been reviewing and listing our blessings for the year as one of our family traditions and it never fails to fill my heart with so much gratitude. I think I'm going to make this blog review one of my yearly traditions or exercises as well.

 

I also discovered something that I didn't expect while reviewing my blog posts for 2013. One popular saying goes, "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach." If I am to apply this in my findings on the most popular blog posts I had in 2013, I would say, "The best way to a reader's heart is through his/her stomach!" I say this because I discovered that my Recipes for Meatless Fridays Series last Lent was a hit! They were among those which had the most page views in the past year! I really found it amusing considering that this is not really a food blog. Anyway, I'm thankful that readers loved that series.

 

 

So, here are the 13 Most Popular Posts of Mommy Bares All for 2013:

 

13. Mom First Before WAHM

 

12. My Letter to the Old Man in the Church who Assumed that We Don't Discipline Our Son

 

11. Almost 5 and Breastfeeding Again

 

10. Giving Up and Making Space for Love this Lent

 

9. Why Celebrate Christmas Even After #YolandaPH

 

8. Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Baked Mussels (Baked Tahong)

 

7. Rejoicing with Mary

 

6. Homeschooling and Amusing Moments with my Gifted Child

 

5. Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Paksiw na Bangus

 

4. Stealth Schooling: One of the Reasons I Love to Homeschool My Kids

 

3. Sharing My Recent Breakthrough as a Parent

 

2. Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Seafood Kare-Kare

 

1. Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Spanish Sardines Pasta

 

 Would you like to join me and my blogger friends in this activity? 

Perfect Timing for My Radio Guesting

It has been months since George and I's radio guesting for Ang Kristiyanong Pamilya (DZME 1530 kHz, live streaming at www.dzme1530.com) has been scheduled and was postponed a couple of times. Finally, it will push through tonight at 9:15 PM but without George. He was sent abroad by their office for a special project so I will be the only one going there later.

 

Deep inside, I had been thinking that probably God will reschedule our guesting at a much better time. I thought that maybe one reason would be so that we/I can share how God delivered us from our house-related concerns. Because the last time we guested, we haven't moved to our new house yet. Now, we already live there.

 

Also, I realized that God rescheduled my radio guesting at a time when my upcoming book on breastfeeding is almost out. I had this insight when I read the readings for today especially the Gospel and the reflection in KerygmaFamily.com. The featured Bible verse in today's reflection is from Luke 11:27 which says, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” I'm excited to share some of the things I learned while writing my book on BREASTFEEDING: A Journey Worth Taking about how privileged we mothers are to have kids and to breastfeed them.

 

I'm also excited to share once more how God's grace has been instrumental in helping me carry out God's call to me to write and publish my upcoming book.

 

God's timing is indeed perfect! I was reminded of this truth when I read the readings and reflections today. I pray that God would give me grace to always trust in His perfect timing and not to rush when I feel that things are unfolding slowly based on my perception. I pray that God would always enlighten me so that I would not subject myself to unnecessary worries.

 

There's a storm that landed in Philippine territory last night and the weather reports are a bit gloomy. But I am positive and excited because I know that the Son is shining His light on me today/tonight. I pray that His angels would protect us and provide for us as we go to the radio station later. I pray for His humble wisdom to speak His message that He wants me to proclaim tonight.  I pray that through this opportunity, the anchors and I would be able to inspire and touch hearts and souls tonight. May God be glorified!

 

So, don't forget, friends! If you are free later around 9:15 PM, do tune in to Ang Kristiyanong Pamilya (DZME 1530 kHz live streaming at www.dzme1530.com). Have a safe and blessed weekend!

Favored to Give Birth Again

I write this post today as I sit in front of my youngest son's hospital room window. Rain clouds, grey skies, and rain are what I see as I look outside.

 

He has been confined since Monday night due to on and off fever and below normal platelet and white blood cell count. Since that night when we brought him to the ER, hospital staff had been extracting blood from him every day to test if his platelet and white blood cell count have improved and within normal limits. Sadly, the past two blood tests showed that they are still not within normal limits; though the latest result showed signs of improvement.

 

My husband and I together with our eldest son are all here with him... watching over him, playing with him, reading to him, feeding him.

 

It's so tempting to give in to worry again and despair over work tasks that we need to do but can't while we are here.

 

I choose to focus on the good and the blessings that each rainy day brings instead.

 

Like today, I realized, while looking at the raindrops on the window, that our blessings each day are so much more compared to our cares. Yes, there are things that happen each day that make our lives far from perfect. But there are many more that we can be thankful for and we can praise God for.

 

I count my blessings today, big and small, and slowly my heart fills so full of love and joy.

 

If God can grant me my trivial food cravings today (avocado shake and macaroni salad), surely He can and will grant my more important prayers (healing my son and making a way for all the things that need to be done for my upcoming book).

 

The 3-Minute Retreat at Loyola Press today affirms this insight.

 

God spoke these words to my heart as I meditated on the reflection:

 

"The Lord favors you and is with you!"

 

I thank God for the grace to focus my eyes on my blessings and on the truth. If not for His grace, I would be easily disappointed and I could give in to despair. I could question the truth that He has just spoken that I am favored by Him.

 

When we go through challenges, it's sometimes difficult to see that God favors us. We could easily question this truth because challenges can block our vision.

 

Thus, amidst the rain and grey skies today, I praise and thank God that His favor rests in me. I praise and thank Him for being with me -- wherever I am. And yes, I believe that He is with me now as I care for my sick child in the hospital.

 

I thank Him for this big favor of giving me another child to care for and nourish through my breasts. I thank Him that He chose to bless me not with only one but two miracles, two children from my own womb!

Let me quote from Genesis 49:25 what Jacob said about our God.

 "the Almighty... blesses [us] with...the blessings of the breasts and of the womb."

 

I thank Him also for choosing me to give birth again to a new "baby." Like Mary, I didn't know at first how I can I give birth to this new baby but God granted me grace to believe. He gave me the strength to say YES to His invitation and now I'm about to give birth again. 

 

I'm giving birth soon not to a baby boy or girl but to a new book -- BREASTFEEDING: A Journey Worth Taking. I praise and thank God for sustaining me this far. I believe and I claim that He will continue to walk with me and will even go before me in this path.

 

My upcoming book's front cover.

 

On this far from perfect rainy day in my life, I thank God for the just enough grace He has given me to remain positive and hopeful and to rejoice even in the imperfect life I have.

 

Is it raining now outside your window, too? Can you see countless raindrops there? Do you also see those raindrops to be symbolic of the blessings in your life? I hope so.

 

P.S.

You can already order a copy/copies of my upcoming book to me. Just email me at teregmps@yahoo.com.

"Boses": A Movie on Giftedness and Healing

I took a break from manuscript writing and working on my book project this month by writing a couple of articles. This was once of them. It was published yesterday at Smart Parenting Online.

 

 

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I first learned about the movie Boses through a friend’s post on his Facebook Page. I got curious right away when I learned that it’s about a boy who is naturally gifted in music and his reclusive violin teacher. I didn’t read much about the movie before watching it; the little that I read from the post was enough for me to convince my husband to watch it with me. It was worth it! The movie moved me so much that I’m taking a break from finishing my manuscript to write my thoughts about it.

My curiosity stemmed from me having a child who is also gifted in music and who fancies violins and other musical instruments. We have not enrolled him in formal music lessons though since he is only 4 years old, and we’re simply exposing him to different kinds of musical instruments and allowing him to enjoy the experience.

 

What drew me to the film in the beginning was fast overshadowed by the pains that the child went through, scene by scene. The boy, who is a product of a broken family, has a mother who is an OFW who eventually abandoned him and his father. Further into the film, the boy was shown as being physically abused by his drunkard father. A neighbor reported the abuse which prompted the authorities to grant temporary custody of the child to a shelter for kids.

In the shelter, however, the child meets a bigger and older child who bullies him and provokes him into a fight. Just like when he was still in their home, the child finds himself hiding inside a cabinet because of fear. That’s when he met his future violin teacher.

 

Read the article in full here.

New Insights and Reflections on Yesterday's Readings

I had a wonderful day yesterday! It was nothing extraordinary. In fact, it was so ordinary but I thank God for the grace to see the extraordinary beauty in it.

 

My day started with God giving me a new insight to a passage/verse that's very familiar to me. I've read and studied this verse countless times but I was very glad yesterday to discover a different revelation about it.

 

"Much will be REQUIRED of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be DEMANDED of the person entrusted with more.” Luke 12:48 (Emphasis mine)

I had an AHA experience and I loved it!

I realized upon meditating on this verse that we are not only INVITED to use whatever talents, skills or resources that God has blessed us with. He REQUIRES us to use them to serve His purposes and to bless others. He DEMANDS that we put to good use what He has entrusted to us. Thus, if we are to be faithful servants, we should be using our talents, skills and resources to serve Him and His people. It's not just an option. It's a must! At the end of our lives, we will be held accountable for these. 

The Gospel acclamation yesterday affirmed this message as well:

"We should be ready to serve the Lord at all times. This means being willing to go wherever He leads us and not being afraid to follow His will. Yes, there are times when we will be called to do things we think are beyond our capabilities; it is precisely then that we need to remember that God has promised to provide all we need to do His will in our lives."

I could very much relate to not feeling capable! But God always proves that He can use incapable people like me for His purposes. He's doing this again as I work on my next book. I'm blessed to be on this adventure with God! Though I feel incapable and ill-equipped many times as I continue in this road with God, He keeps on encouraging me and giving me strength to go on. He keeps on pouring His grace to me, enabling me to say each day, "Here I am, use me for Your glory!"

 

Truly, we must be ready to serve the Lord and say Yes to Him at all times; not just when it's convenient or when we think we have extra time. Not even when we think we are capable.

For a servant should not be the one telling his/her Master when he/she will serve. A true servant will be quick and eager to do his/her Master's wishes. Serving his/her Master is his/her joy. Lord, may I always have the good servant's heart!

This is my desire, that at the end of my life, I would hear my Master tell me, "Good and faithful servant!"

I was also struck by this verse from the First Reading which was highlighted in the reflection in Didache yesterday.

 

"he went out, not knowing where he was to go." Hebrews 11:8

How many times has God asked me to set forth without me knowing exactly where I would end up? Countless times! There were times that I would hesitate to step out because of fear and doubt. There were times when I would move forward excitedly. There were times when it took me a while longer to obey His leading to conquer new land. But all... these times, I thank God for the invitation to grow in faith and to tap into His grace and power to believe and have the courage to follow His lead and obey His Holy and Perfect Will. 

 

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance." Hebrew 11:8

I could not help but recall how God has called me and my family out of our comfort zone more than a year ago. We were happy living in our starter home (in our condominium). Looking back, I thank God for calling me and my family out of where we used to live so we can receive our inheritance from Him. I'm still in awe of how God has led us to where we live now and how He has provided for us so we can get here.

Just like the author of the Didache reflection, it's a mystery for us how we have come to enjoy this new and beautiful house. We are so thankful to God for His miracles! He was surely the One who got us here! As the author of the Didache reflection puts it, "His Mathematics is out of this world!"

When Choosing to Have a Low Profile Means False Humility

We have often been told that we should maintain a low profile if we are to be truly humble leaders or individuals. But is that really the path that all leaders or persons should take? Is that what Jesus did while He was on earth and led His disciples? Did He really try to be invisible as He carried out the Father’s Will?

What if God is calling you to preach and proclaim the Gospel by using your gift of gab? What if God is calling you to lead people to worship Him? What if God has placed a burden in your heart to champion a cause or advocacy? Do you maintain a low profile? Is it still humility to hide behind the scenes when God is calling you out to take center stage? Is it still humility to refuse God’s call to you to step out boldly as His anointed? Is it humility to shy away from all kinds of service or roles which make you visible and known because you want to maintain a low profile even though you know that you can help in those areas?

 

I strongly believe that being visible or being behind the scenes should not be used to gauge a leader or a person’s humility.

1 Corinthians 12 tells us that we are one body in Christ. But just as God created our body to have many parts with different functions, He also created us unique from each other. God has a unique purpose for each one of us and because of that He has bestowed us with different gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:18-19 says, “God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as He intended… But as it is, there are many parts but one body.” Some of us were called to be preachers, teachers and apostles. Others are called to do administrative work, the leg work or behind the scene work. Does that make any one of us better than others? Does that make us more humble than others? No! We all have a role to play and we are gifted with abilities and talents based on God’s purpose or plan for our lives.

God designed our bodies in such a way that there are exposed parts, not often visible parts, and hidden or private parts. Imagine if suddenly our faces decided to maintain a low profile. Our faces decided that it’s best that they are hidden and covered.  How about if our butts decided that they should be exposed and visible? What would you think of that? Is it humility to choose to be hidden when your call or purpose is to be visible? Is it humility to serve behind the scenes when you’re called and gifted to lead?  Imagine if Moses or Joseph the Dreamer decided that they simply want to maintain low profiles. Would you consider them humble if they have chosen to refuse God’s call to lead His people at a time of need?

 

For me, humility is recognizing who we are in the sight of God, accepting His truth in our lives and living by it. Humility is recognizing where God has called us to serve in His Church and accepting our role in His plan for salvation with fervor – whether it means we serve behind the scenes or we serve visibly. Humility is choosing to let God use us in whatever way He wishes, not choosing how we’ll serve but submitting ourselves to His Divine Will.

I remember a time when I simply wanted to serve in obscurity. I was telling God that I will continue to serve Him even without a title. Prior to that, I was serving Him and His people very visibly as a leader of single men and women in another community. Then, I joined the Light of Jesus (LOJ) Community. I was set to be a regular member serving without any title. I was happy to do all kinds of service without being called a leader or anything. But God had other plans and through my leader then, God invited me to serve as part of LOJ’s Singles Service Team. 

Around a year ago, I told God again that I’m ready to serve without any title and in obscurity. That was after I served as leader in our Prayer Group under the authority of our Parish Priest. I thought that after my service in our parish that it was God’s purpose for me to serve my family alone and a limited number of people only.  I was willing and ready to serve Him and His Church behind the scenes through my gift of writing. But God had other plans. I suddenly found myself serving the bigger Church and the archdiocese. I found myself writing not just in my little blog but for a big number of people including those abroad. I was amazed to realize that God expanded my territory and widened my influence and reach. 

Then as if on cue, we started this Follow Me Series. I felt God telling me to stop paying attention to those voices telling me to maintain a low profile. I felt God asking me through the recent developments in my life and through the previous roles God has given me to stop resisting His Will and plan for my life. Clearly, He was telling me to embrace my destiny and step out boldly as His anointed into the services/roles where He has called me to use my giftedness. He wants me to shine His light. He reminded me that I should not hide my light under a bushel. That the light in my life is not for me alone or mine to keep. The light that God gave me is for me to share so that others would find Jesus and be drawn closer to Him. That He did not give me the gift of words to simply keep them in my journals like what I used to do. But that He asked me to write my thoughts and reflections so I can inspire and encourage and lead people to Him. That He did not give me the gift of gab for me to be silent. Instead He gave me the gift of words so I can speak comfort, hope, encouragement and wisdom to those who need it the most.

 

2 Timothy 1:7 says that God did not give us a spirit of cowardice or timidity; but of boldness, of power, of love and wisdom. 

As I look back at my life, I noticed how God thrust me repeatedly into positions of influence I didn’t even ask or imagine for myself. I thank the Lord for His confidence and for those opportunities. So, in true humility I choose to embrace again my destiny and God’s unique call to me. I choose to say yes to all that He asks me to do even if these entail that I’d be very visible and more people would get to know me. I choose to serve not according to other people’s agenda or my agenda. I choose to serve God based on His agenda.

 

Inspired by the words of our Mother Mary, I say: “I am the Lord’s servant. Be it done to me according to His word.”

Minister to Me, Lord Series: Day 2 - Reserve me the best

 

 

"There are times in our lives when we feel left behind... I had felt I gotten left behind. But after patiently waiting, working and praying, I now have my dream... All the while, God was reserving the best seat I could ask for." (Didache, April 26, 2013)

 

I read this reflection a couple of days ago and I felt that God was speaking to me through it. I could relate with the writer of the reflection. I also felt left behind in my current projects and honestly I've been struggling to keep on going because of this feeling. I feel like my deadlines and competition are giants staring and looking down at me while I look down feeling defeated.

 

God however used this reflection to change my perspective. I felt God's assurance through the Bible verse featured in that reflection.

 

"I am going to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

 

God assured me that He has gone ahead of where I want to go. That He has made a way for me. He has prepared a place for me. He has reserved the best place for me.

 

I read several inspiring posts from different sites in the past days and the same message resonated. God is behind me, with me and ahead of me in all these adventures of mine. God Himself has sealed my victory and is waiting and ready to hand it to me. I only need to keep moving forward with faith believing that as early as now I am already victorious.

 

This message served as a follow up to God's message to me on Day 1 of this Minister to Me, Lord Series. He used the song below (Who Your Are by Gateway Worship) to remind me that I need not live in fear and that I am not alone for He is with me always. I need not fret whenever I have needs in my projects even when they seem so big for me. I was reminded that nothing is bigger than God and that because of His great love for me, there is no good thing He will withhold.

 

 

 

 

God used this song to keep the fire in my heart burning for the dreams He has planted in my heart. He reminded me that these God-sized dreams of mine with God-sized needs requiring God-sized abilities is not mine alone to accomplish. God is bringing it to pass with me as collaborator. I am working on these projects therefore with God on my side.

 

I watched the movie Facing the Giants last night with my husband and I was reminded of the story of David who triumphed over a giant, not because of his own ability but because God was with him, because He had faith in His God to deliver him.

 

I also remembered the story of the Israelites who felt intimidated just before they entered the Promise Land. They also felt that they are no match to the giants occupying the land that God has promised to them. But God proved them wrong.

 

I claim that I now stand at the threshold of my God-sized dreams and that I am about to give birth soon. I claim that the fulfillment of my God-sized dreams is just a stone's throw from where I am now. I choose to focus on God and my dreams. I choose to take my eyes off the giants standing in front of me.

 

I claim that I will walk past these giants and march towards my victory because my God walks with me and has won the victory for me. I will walk with certainty for I am certain of God's love for me. I am confident that my God-sized dreams will be fulfilled because I am confident in the God of all my dreams. He will enable me as He has called me. All I need to do is give my best to Him. He will supply the rest.

 

Do you also feel that there are giants standing before you now and hindering you from moving forward? What are these things, people or circumstances that intimidate you now? Take your eyes off those giants and focus your eyes on God and on the dreams God has planted in your heart. God has granted you and me the victory. Let us march victorious and claim what He has reserved to be ours. We are almost there! Let us boldly step out in faith for our victorious God walks ahead of us! He has reserved the best seat for us! Let's walk confidently towards that seat! Let's not keep God waiting!

 

It Takes Time

There are days when you feel proud of what you are doing as a wife and mom.  But there are also days when you feel ashamed of your mistakes and shortcomings.  I have my share of those difficult days, too.  I have uttered words I wished I didn't say.  I have done things that I wished I didn't do.

 

There are days when I feel disappointed and frustrated with myself.  I thank God that He blessed me with a husband who constantly reminds me not to be too hard on myself and to just keep on trying and growing.  He once told me, "When you learn to accept and expect that you will make mistakes, you'll be less disappointed and frustrated when you witness the mistakes of those around you."  I know that there is truth to what he said.

 

Today, I reviewed chapter 5 of the book I wrote when I was still single.  I read some lines that I think I should post in our house to serve as a reminder to me.

 

I thank God for this timely reminder.  Although I strove to prepare well for marriage and motherhood, God reminded me that I'm still bound to make mistakes.  He assured me that it's okay.  I'm still a work in progress.  Even though I have spent years trying to follow the example of the Proverbs 31 Woman and many other women of the Bible, there's still much that I need to work on in my character.  My husband knows this very well. 

 

Today, God reminded me through my own book to give myself TIME TO GROW.  He reminded me that IT TAKES TIME TO GROW IN CHARACTER.  I learned and understood this as a single woman.  I need to learn, understand and embrace this now as a wife and mom.  I need to constantly apply this truth in my new challenges and circumstances.

 

It takes time... We moms can be impatient a lot of times.  We like to be in control.  We like to be on top of things.  We like things to be in order.  All these are good.  But we need to recognize that imperfections and unexpected developments are part and parcel of our lives.  That sometimes it's best for us to let go of outcomes and schedules.  That we should pick our battles with our husband and with our kids.  That we are not failures even when we make mistakes and have shortcomings.  That we can find gold in unexpected places and incidents.  That though we can barely see similarities between us and the ideal wife and mother in Proverbs 31, there is hope as long as we keep on trying. 

 

Are you also a wife and mom who is disappointed with yourself lately?  Did you also utter words or did things that made you feel guilty?  You are not alone.  I am with you in this journey.  More importantly, God is with us in this journey.

 

Let us find comfort and encouragement in these lines from Philippians 1:6:

 

"He who began a good work in you

will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

 

God will complete the work He began in us.  He will continue to mold and form us until we are perfect.  But that perfection will not happen today or right away.  It will happen on the day of our Lord. 

 

In the meantime, let us continue to be open to His grace and allow His grace to flow in us and through us to transform us and move us closer to becoming perfect for our Lord Jesus Christ.


* This post was added to the Catholic Bloggers Monthly Link-up Blitz for April 2013.
 

Sharing my recent Breakthrough as a Parent

"Gifted children often do not respond to the types of parenting techniques that  neurotypical children do."

I read this line yesterday from one of the articles in the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GHF) Facebook Page entitled Diagnosis: Gifted.  I was comforted and relieved somehow to read this line; for I had been challenged in the past years parenting my now four year old who has been consistently assessed by his developmental pediatrician in the past years to be potentially gifted.  It helps to be reminded of this fact especially on challenging days at home.

 

I'm blessed to have discovered the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum through the internet.  I have been reading their resources and I'm learning a lot, not just about my son but also about myself.  I think one of my most recent blessings through this group came when I asked a question in the yahoo groups of GHF last March 15, 2013.  I was surprised and (positively) overwhelmed by the support and inputs shared by the members as a response to my question and my concern about teaching my eldest son the virtue of obedience.  I still have much to learn, much to read (books on parenting gifted children) and try other ways to teach him this virtue.  But I'm so glad I asked my question out of my desperation because it led me to find people who undertands what I'm going through as a parent of a gifted child.

 

I was comforted when most of them said that being strong-willed, not obeying right away, negotiations here and there or challenging things/people is common in gifted children and that gifted kids eventually become more cooperative and obedient as they grow older and mature.  I was happy to be reminded that these traits in gifted kids are strengths as well when used in the right place and time and when kids learn to argue or express themselves respectfully.

 

I've been pondering these things in my heart since then and been reading as much material on giftedness as I could.  I was desperate and I really wanted to understand my son better and have a better relationship with him.

 

Then, I saw this picture posted in GHF in Facebook.  It caught my attention.  I know that my eldest son is different from most children I know in my circle.  He behaves differently.  Does it mean that he needs to be fixed?

 

 

I carried this thought in my mind and heart until my husband and I attended a two-day Holy Week Retreat.  God spoke powerfully to me through our retreat master (lay preacher and best selling author), Brother Bo Sanchez.  He discussed, in one of his talks, the anatomy of a breakthrough.

 

He said that a breakthrough has 3 parts:

 

1. Humiliation - He said that humiliation is the birthplace of a breakthrough. One needs to experience this to get to the point of desperation.  I went through that.  I was at a loss on what else to do to manage our eldest son's behavior.

 

2. Hope - He said that we need to believe that God has a better plan for our lives.  When he hope, we move closer to our breakthrough instead of simply breaking down.

 

3. Humility - The third part he said is seeking wisdom and doing things we've never done before.  In my case, I went out of my current circle and searched for people who can understand more my challenges in raising a gifted child.  I have never shared in the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum before my March 15 post. 

 

I was desperate for answers and support in being a parent of a gifted child.  I humbled myself and acknowledged that I'm searching for answers and I have not figured him out.  I recognized my struggle to understand how God has made him.

 

On the second day of our retreat, Brother Bo talked about our inner movies.  He said that if we really want changes in our lives, we have to change our inner movies.  Last night, my husband and I talked about our son and he reminded me that maybe I need to change my inner movie about my son so that I would not be struggling so much in parenting him. 

 

The teachings in our retreat and my discussion with my husband led me to remember the picture posted in the Facebook Page of GHF about being different.  I felt God telling me to recognize everything that makes him beautifully different from typical kids and to embrace my son's traits completely.

 

I was also reminded of the other things preached by Brother Bo at the Grand Easter Celebration of our community. 

He said:

"We love to fix things.  But we can't fix people.  We should not attempt to fix people because we can't.  We'll simply end up frustrated.  There are even things that we can't fix." 

Then, he shared about his current difficulty -- his aging mom who is now bedridden.  With much emotion, he said, "I can't fix old age."

 

What he said are true. 

 

I thank God for reminding me how uniquely different and beautiful my eldest son is and that I should not attempt to fix him.  I'm changing my inner movie so I can behave and respond differently to my son's behaviors that challenge me as a parent.

 

During the retreat, we were invited to pray big prayers to God.  One of my big prayers is that I'd be able to understand and embrace my son's giftedness so much that I will not only have a great relationship with him but I will also become an advocate/champion for gifted parents and children in the Philippines.  I have actually emailed the Philippine Center for Gifted Education, Inc. before Holy Week to ask if they already have support groups for parents of gifted children because I want to be part of one.  I have yet to get an answer from them.  My husband suggested that I volunteer to help them organize if they have not organized one yet.  I'm seriuosly considering his suggestion.

Here's a worship song with the same title as our Holy Week Retreat.


 

 

Let me end this post by sharing how God gave me so much hope and joy on Easter Sunday.

 

More than a year ago, my family and I attended The Feast (our community's weekly prayer meeting) in PICC.  My eldest was almost 3 years old then.  The worship was led by a young preacher who was leading the singing by playing his guitar as well.  That scene had an impact on my eldest son because his favorite musician at that time was Tommy Walker.  At that time, my eldest son loved watching Tommy Walker's videos over and over especially the video where Tommy Walker plays his guitar with a strap while leading worship and singing Only a God Like You.  When my son saw the young man on the stage with a guitar leading worship, he got so excited.  He rushed to side of the balcony, pressed his face on the glass and watched with awe (mouth open) as the young man on stage sang his heart out in worship.  Then he said to me, "Mommy, when I'm bigger, I'll be on that stage too leading worship and playing my guitar just like Tommy Walker in the video."

 

 

 

I almost forgot that incident.  Maybe I had been focused more in my difficulties with his ways (hyperactivity, insatiable curiosity, intensity, oversensitivity) instead of focusing on his positive traits (like his very advanced reading ability, math skills, giftedness in music, prayerfulness, thoughtfulness, helpfulness).  There are times when I forget that his traits that challenge me are also good but can be tiring or draining to caregivers of children like him.

 

But last Easter Sunday, God reminded me of that incident/scene and that conversation with my child.  God used the same young preacher who inspired my eldest son to prophesy his future to resurrect that moment in my mind!  I was so amazed!  What perfect timing!  God has just given me a new movie to play in my mind!  I felt that God did not only give me hope but He also gave me a picture/vision of what my son can/will do when he's older.  So, after the celebration, I shared my story briefly to Brother Audee and had our picture taken with him.  I want to look at this picture often, everyday even, to remind me of that conversation that I had with my son more than a year ago and to sustain me in hope that all these challenges I'm experiencing in parenting him are temporary.  All these shall pass.  I claim that we are moving towards our victory one day at a time.

 



With Brother Audee

 
* This post was added to the Catholic Bloggers Monthly Link-up Blitz for April 2013.