Regrets. I'm sure you have them. Lots of them. Something about the word makes you nostalgic and often times, you cringe. It's like a bitter aftertaste of something you shouldn't have been eating.
Lately, I've noticed that some of the best lessons come from them. For the past weeks, I have been immersing myself in learning from the lives of other people. Often times, what they've learned seem to stem from mistakes, regrets.
For now, let me give you my answers to the most famous beauty pageant question of the year 2010.
I regret...
1. Answering impulsively with harsh words
2. Listening to foolish people
3. Not valuing myself enough
4. Spending too much on clothes, make-up etc!
5. Sharing too much to people I shouldn't have been
6. Experimenting and wasting money on products that didn't work
7. Staying up late for no good reason like aimlessly surfing the internet
8. Admiring some people for superficial reasons
9. Being too shy and insecure
10. Doing before thinking and praying
I am turning 20 in about a month. Regrets or not, it's going to be an exciting life of learning and loving!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Single and Not Ready To Mingle
I am a closet Tagalog chick flick lover. (Or since I'm admitting it now. I guess this means I'm "out.") My favorite movie would have to be Got To Believe starring the lovable Ms. Claudine Baretto and the uber cute late Rico Yan. It's about a wedding coordinator who's almost near the "finish line" a.k.a the line of no return that once you've come past it, there's no marrying for you, honey, and so is "desperate" to get married. Her handsome archenemy, a photographer, then comes into the picture to offer her blind dates in the hopes of clicking with one of them and eventually marry. Lo and behold, the two end up falling for each other. Hey, it's a chick flick, okay!
In one scene, her Titas remind her,"Baka maabutan ka na ng finish line! Alam mo naman ang curse sa family. Hindi na nakakapag-asawa pag lumampas ng 25!" I can't really remember how the dialogue went but I'm pretty sure it was something like this.
Toni, played by Baretto, then daydreams of competing in a race where all the women were dressed in wedding gowns. Possibly, this shows a stereotypical approach as to how singles, teenagers and young adults alike, should live out their years. Like some of my relatives, most people believe that if you're not "playing the field," you're not living your years as a young woman or man to the fullest.
Questions regarding the status of your "love life" from your relatives are usually expected as one nears the first third of their life. Not when you're on the onset of puberty. Ever since I stepped into high school, I have had "romantically" related questions and/or jokes thrown to me from so and so relatives. And I'm getting more of them lately as I am 19 going on 20."May boyfriend ka na?," a conversation would start. "No," I say. "Mag-boyfriend ka para ma-enjoy mo pagiging teenager mo." Or something like that becomes the usual implicit or explicit turnout of these conversations.
"Nag-e-enjoy naman ako ah," I answer my Tita in truth. My personal choice to not be part of the whole dating/flirting/MU/fling game may not be a popular and/or fun decision as others would think. However, the question I seek to answer is not, "What would make me happy?" or "What is the popular choice?" As Andy Stanley puts it, my question is,"What is the wise thing to do?"
Contrary to popular belief, experience is not the best teacher. Do you have to drive off a cliff just to learn that driving off a cliff would entail life and death consequences? No, right? Making experience your teacher could lead to a lot of regrets in life. You may not deem me an expert on this area because I've had no romantic relationships whatsoever in my lifetime but I'd rather spare myself (and my future spouse) the heart aches and wait on God instead.
Honestly, when I was younger, I too had been so caught up on the I-have-to-have-a-boyfriend trend. Good thing, God has taught me a lot of things when it comes to purity and guarding my heart. I could go on and on about it but I won't. For now, let me just say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my teen years. It's a sad notion to consider that no boyfriend time is just idle waiting time. God always gives me something to work on and something to enjoy.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Even I don't know or I don't plan when I intend to be in a romantic relationship. All I know is that God will build me for when that time comes. If God has purposed it for me, then the time will come for romance that honors Him. And so I hustle as I wait. Just not in romantic or seemingly romantic relationships with boys.
In one scene, her Titas remind her,"Baka maabutan ka na ng finish line! Alam mo naman ang curse sa family. Hindi na nakakapag-asawa pag lumampas ng 25!" I can't really remember how the dialogue went but I'm pretty sure it was something like this.
Toni, played by Baretto, then daydreams of competing in a race where all the women were dressed in wedding gowns. Possibly, this shows a stereotypical approach as to how singles, teenagers and young adults alike, should live out their years. Like some of my relatives, most people believe that if you're not "playing the field," you're not living your years as a young woman or man to the fullest.
Questions regarding the status of your "love life" from your relatives are usually expected as one nears the first third of their life. Not when you're on the onset of puberty. Ever since I stepped into high school, I have had "romantically" related questions and/or jokes thrown to me from so and so relatives. And I'm getting more of them lately as I am 19 going on 20."May boyfriend ka na?," a conversation would start. "No," I say. "Mag-boyfriend ka para ma-enjoy mo pagiging teenager mo." Or something like that becomes the usual implicit or explicit turnout of these conversations.
"Nag-e-enjoy naman ako ah," I answer my Tita in truth. My personal choice to not be part of the whole dating/flirting/MU/fling game may not be a popular and/or fun decision as others would think. However, the question I seek to answer is not, "What would make me happy?" or "What is the popular choice?" As Andy Stanley puts it, my question is,"What is the wise thing to do?"
Contrary to popular belief, experience is not the best teacher. Do you have to drive off a cliff just to learn that driving off a cliff would entail life and death consequences? No, right? Making experience your teacher could lead to a lot of regrets in life. You may not deem me an expert on this area because I've had no romantic relationships whatsoever in my lifetime but I'd rather spare myself (and my future spouse) the heart aches and wait on God instead.
Honestly, when I was younger, I too had been so caught up on the I-have-to-have-a-boyfriend trend. Good thing, God has taught me a lot of things when it comes to purity and guarding my heart. I could go on and on about it but I won't. For now, let me just say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my teen years. It's a sad notion to consider that no boyfriend time is just idle waiting time. God always gives me something to work on and something to enjoy.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Even I don't know or I don't plan when I intend to be in a romantic relationship. All I know is that God will build me for when that time comes. If God has purposed it for me, then the time will come for romance that honors Him. And so I hustle as I wait. Just not in romantic or seemingly romantic relationships with boys.
The David Digest, Part 3: I Will vs. God Will
There are things in life that we never expect or never truly want but are relevant in getting where we need to be. The biggest encouragement of David's life that has spoken to me lately is the path that he had to go through not just to build him up as King but to fulfill his purpose as the "man after God's own heart." (Acts 13:22)
1 Samuel 21-31 recounts of David's life when he was "on the run." Imagine 10 chapters of the Bible allocated to a time in David's life when he was devoid of the security and warmth of his friends and family. (And by family, I mean his parents and siblings.)Admit it. This isn't something we plan or foresee as something we'd take along the path to our destiny. And I'm pretty sure "running from King Saul" or a No Permanent Address status was on David's bucket list.
There are two traits I admire most about David - faith and patience. He was so secure on who His God is that He didn't waiver on waiting on His God. Twice already, David had the opportunity of killing Saul. (1 Samuel 24,26) As his companions encouraged, God had delivered his enemy. Once he killed Saul, he would become King and all the running and suffering would be over. However, David knew what would honor His God. He chose not to take the life of the Lord's anointed and wait on God's right timing to place him where he needed to be.
Opportunities. Most of the time, people believe that the most likely and best answer to opportunities is a sure "Yes!" Again, David begs to differ. When David was faced with the opportunity of killing Saul, it just seemed that all the signs were there telling David to just do it, right? Even the people who surrounded him and wanted the best for him were encouraging him to do so. Still, David was so immersed in God's Word. He knew God so well that he knew,even though the action might bring about God's destiny for him, it wasn't what God willed.
So the question is for all of us is this: Is it the right opportunity? Most of the time, we (or maybe just me?) like to ask God for signs. Going back to David's situation, it would seem that the signs were just screaming at him. Maybe it's not really a matter of reading the signs but knowing what would truly honor God.
1 Samuel 21-31 recounts of David's life when he was "on the run." Imagine 10 chapters of the Bible allocated to a time in David's life when he was devoid of the security and warmth of his friends and family. (And by family, I mean his parents and siblings.)Admit it. This isn't something we plan or foresee as something we'd take along the path to our destiny. And I'm pretty sure "running from King Saul" or a No Permanent Address status was on David's bucket list.
There are two traits I admire most about David - faith and patience. He was so secure on who His God is that He didn't waiver on waiting on His God. Twice already, David had the opportunity of killing Saul. (1 Samuel 24,26) As his companions encouraged, God had delivered his enemy. Once he killed Saul, he would become King and all the running and suffering would be over. However, David knew what would honor His God. He chose not to take the life of the Lord's anointed and wait on God's right timing to place him where he needed to be.
Opportunities. Most of the time, people believe that the most likely and best answer to opportunities is a sure "Yes!" Again, David begs to differ. When David was faced with the opportunity of killing Saul, it just seemed that all the signs were there telling David to just do it, right? Even the people who surrounded him and wanted the best for him were encouraging him to do so. Still, David was so immersed in God's Word. He knew God so well that he knew,even though the action might bring about God's destiny for him, it wasn't what God willed.
So the question is for all of us is this: Is it the right opportunity? Most of the time, we (or maybe just me?) like to ask God for signs. Going back to David's situation, it would seem that the signs were just screaming at him. Maybe it's not really a matter of reading the signs but knowing what would truly honor God.
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