grace – Page 7 – Encouraging Treats

So You Made a Mistake

I panicked this morning when I woke up at 7:38 am because I was supposed to be at the office by 7. By God’s grace, our meeting in the morning got postponed to next year, so I didn’t miss it. When I arrived at work, my immediate supervisor told me that I received an award (President’s Star Award – Outstanding Customer Service) during our company’s Christmas party the night before. Because of a family affair, I wasn’t able to go to the party, so this surprise really encouraged my heart. I felt like I didn’t deserve it because I knew my weaknesses in different aspects. It also felt ironic because I was late for work today. But nonetheless, I thanked God for His grace and extended my gratitude to my supervisor.

Fast forward to 5 pm, I found out that my colleague and I experienced delays and miscommunication in one of our tasks. Unfortunately, our mistake led to a terrible domino effect on the other departments involved and we were called to the ‘principal’s office’. From 5 to 6 pm, all I could think of and feel was anxiety, regret, shame, and worthlessness. Immediately, I felt like I was melted cheese or a rotten vegetable in the office. I wanted to fly away and never come back. But, I couldn’t turn back time, I couldn’t linger on my regrets because those were already in the past. All I needed to do was to face the reality that I made a mistake, take responsibility, and learn from it.

While my colleague and I were trying to discuss things and seek help from my supervisor, a hundred discouraging thoughts quickly entered my mind which eventually crushed my spirit. I hurried to the bathroom and cried because I knew that I needed to let it out. I mustered a whisper to God and asked for His grace and mercy in the situation I was in. I asked for a miracle.

By God’s grace, a few minutes later, my supervisor walked in the bathroom and told me that one of our managers could help us out and somehow alleviate the stress and delays caused by our mistake. With a deep sigh, I thanked the Lord, washed my face, and headed back to my table in the office.

Despite the roller coaster ride that I experienced today, one of the things that I am grateful for was the conversation that I had with my supervisor a few minutes after my bathroom break. We sat down in a private room and talked about what happened. She graciously listened to me and comforted me in spite of my weaknesses and it was really a heartwarming time. Instead of adding fuel to the fire, she (once again) graciously and gently rebuked me and gave me a kind of support that only a supervisor can give.

One of the things that she said to me that still gets to my heart was this: “Don’t let that one mistake define who you are. You did a good job this year which is why you were given an award. Even though you made a mistake today, it will not define you.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I silently listened to her words of encouragement. I was keenly listening to her voice, but at the same time, I was listening to God’s as well. It was as if God was embracing me at that time and saying to me that His grace is enough for me and will always be enough for me.

Today was our last working day for the year and God made it as exciting as possible. By His grace, He allowed me to experience His goodness and victory when I received the award today, but at the same time, He also allowed my heart to get crushed and humbled so that I would be reminded that it was, is, and always will be because of Him, His grace, and His love for me. Even if I make mistakes in the future, I know that He never will. My security and hope is in Him and not in my own strengths. And I’m learning to focus on His grace and power and not on my weaknesses.

“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.” [2 Corinthians 12:9]

So I made a mistake. It’s not a big deal because the beautiful thing about God’s grace is that He can turn even our greatest mistakes into our biggest blessings. Sometimes, He may even use our mistakes to bless others too.

Thank You, Lord, for 2014 at work. It has been a privilege working for You this year. I know that You are not through with me yet and I look forward to more adventures with You soon.

Thursday Tune #29: You Are My Rescue by Royal Tailor

As I was crossing the street from our office around 3:30 pm today, I saw four fire trucks quickly driving by and heard their sirens ringing. My heart suddenly beat faster as I and the other people on the street watched them hurry to their destination. It reminded me of the time when our house in Kapitolyo, Pasig city burned down. It happened 10 years and a day ago.

Our helper woke my parents up when she noticed that the house was burning. It was around 1:30 in the morning when it happened. Then, our parents rushed to our bedrooms and gathered us all in the master’s bedroom. At that time, dad tried to fill up large pails with water and he ran to the family den (where the huge fire was) and back to the master’s bedroom to get some more water. After a few seconds, I think he realized that the fire was getting worse so he instructed everyone to leave the house immediately.

The smoke already filled the air by that time, so we couldn’t clearly see our way. My mom, siblings and I lowered our bodies, held each other like we were one big caterpillar, and immediately walked towards the main gate. Dad stayed behind to get a few things and after a minute or two, he got in the car that was parked in the garage and he drove it out to the street. I remember seeing the ceiling (that was covered with fire) collapse and fall to the ground a few seconds after dad got the blue car out. Whew! It took a while (maybe 20 to 30 minutes) before most of the fire trucks came, so the house was pretty much gone by the time they arrived. But, God still allowed this to happen because it was for the best.

Despite the loss of most of our material things that day, one of the major highlights that our family experienced together was the peace that God placed in our hearts while we were watching the house burn and crumble into ashes. It was a different kind of peace. We didn’t cry nor worry. We were just amazed and hopeful at the same time. God was in control and He will always be in control no matter how terrible the situation is.

When I saw the fire trucks drive by the street a while ago, I thought about how difficult it is for those who are experiencing a similar situation today. I still don’t know where the fire came from or what their situation is right now. But, seeing these things again reminds me of God’s love for us and how He graciously sent His son, Jesus, to save us from experiencing eternal death in the **fiery lake of burning sulfur. Jesus died and rose again to save us so we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

**“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

I learned about this many years ago, even before our house burned down. By His grace, I repented, acknowledged my sins before Him, and I asked Jesus to be my personal Lord and Savior. He has changed my life and heart ever since. It says in John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Whenever our family would remember November 19, 2004, we would always thank God for his grace and faithfulness. We could have died 10 years ago, but God didn’t allow it to happen. And maybe one of the reasons why He added 10 more years to my life was because He wanted me to take this opportunity to share His love and grace to you, dear reader.

He loves you and I want you to know that.

He loves you more than you can imagine and wants you to have an intimate relationship and an abundant life with Him too. Don’t wait for a ‘fire incident’ to happen before drawing near to God. Don’t wait for the next day. :)

Before I go to bed tonight, I want to share a song that touched my heart recently. It’s called “You Are My Rescue” by Royal Tailor. :)

Encourage yourself one tune at a time. :)

Simple Sunday Snack: Sweet Orange Potatoes

A few years ago, our family discovered the sweet orange potatoes in the market and fell in love with them instantly! We used to buy the purple and white sweet potatoes before, but because the orange-colored ones had a sweeter and creamier taste, we opted for the latter instead. We have included the sweet orange potatoes in our groceries ever since that time.

Recently, my sisters and I bought a kilo of the sweet orange potatoes and decided to boil them after work. One of my sisters heated the water in the pot and placed the potatoes in when the water was boiling. Since she knew that it would take some time to boil, she went to our room and rested for a while.

At that time, I was also in our room playing with our dogs while surfing the net. About 30-45 minutes later, my two sisters eventually fell asleep on their beds and I was enjoying my time taking photos of our Pomeranian. After taking a couple of photos, I realized that I needed to sleep already, so I prepared my bed and I told our dogs that they needed to go back to their own beds. But before I uttered another word, I smelled a familiar scent and I didn’t feel good about it. Immediately, it registered in my mind that we forgot about the sweet potatoes boiling in the kitchen!

I woke my sisters up, shouted “KAMOTE! KAMOTE!” (tagalong word for Sweet Potato) to them, and ran to the kitchen like a crazy woman! True enough, there was smoke in the kitchen, the pot didn’t have water in it anymore, and the sweet potatoes looked like half-charcoal, half-potato.

I wasn't able to take a photo of the actual burnt potatoes. But, it looked something like this -- only our potatoes weren't sliced. (Photo from www.seriouseats.com) — I wasn’t able to take a photo of the actual burnt potatoes. But, it looked something like this — only our potatoes weren’t sliced. (Photo from www.seriouseats.com)

After turning off the stove and gas, my sisters went to the kitchen too and helped clean the place up. We opened the windows and used our air freshener to help remove the smoky scent. We then brought the dogs back to their beds and my sisters and I went back to our room. Man, were we wide awake! We almost burned the place down! (Side story: A couple of months ago, I was home alone and I fell asleep too while I was boiling eggs. After an hour, God woke me up and it was just in time since there were still a few drops of water in the pot. Oh, boy!).

But, by God’s grace, he saved us from the fire once again.

Experiencing God’s grace again this time was a humbling moment for me. It reminded me of God’s sovereignty. It showed me how important it is to spend time with God, know and listen to His voice, and acknowledge His presence in my life. Also, I am learning that when God flashes red flags in front of me, I shouldn’t brush these off because He can use these to protect me from harm and pain. In the case of the burnt sweet potatoes, God allowed me to smell smoke (red flag!) and by His grace, I listened to His voice and ran to the kitchen.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

That night, God didn’t allow our place to burn down. But, what if he did? What if we got hurt… or even died because of the fire? Certainly, it would have been a difficult event. However, more than a decade ago, I learned about God’s love and grace and it changed my life. Because of God’s love, He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross and He rose again so we could spend eternity with Him in Heaven (John 3:16). I humbled myself before God, acknowledged my sins, repented, believed in what He did for us, and accepted Him as my personal Lord and Savior.

Because of Jesus, I have the assurance of eternal life with Him and my fears/worries about death have been removed (Romans 10:9). As a result, I am more motivated to live a life that is best for Him and pleasing to Him because of who He is.

Tonight, I was reminded of this because I boiled a new batch of sweet orange potatoes. This time, I stayed in the kitchen until they were cooked and they were delicious! Thank You, Lord, for burnt sweet potatoes and humbling moments with you. Your grace will always amaze me. :)

P.S. To my sisters/roomies, ‘til our next kitchen adventure!

Encourage yourself one treat at a time.

25 Things About My Dad

Dear Dad,

Today is the day! Happy 25^th! I mean, 55^th birthday! HAHA. I hope you’re enjoying your special day despite the rainy weather. I thank God because we get to have an extended rest time at home with you today. I pray that God would bless your heart even more as you walk closely with Him each day! We love you! :)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:9]

Oh, and because 55 is quite a special number, I wanted to document 55 facts about you! But, I guess for now, 25 na lang muna. Hahaha.

Here goes!

25 Things About My Dad

1. Dad is an Ophthalmologist, an EENT (Eyes-Ears-Nose-Throat) doctor, a Pastor, and a Christ-committed follower.

Dad's free mug from Discovery Hotel, Ortigas. — Dad’s free mug from Discovery Hotel, Ortigas.

Dad - second row from the bottom, third guy from the left side. — Dad – second row from the bottom, third guy from the left side.

2. Some of his favorite food are kimchi, durian, buko sorbet/macapuno ice cream, potato salad, and sansrival cake.

3. He was part of Kundirana (High school music group) when he was still studying in La Salle.

He's the one wearing the white outfit in the middle. — He’s the one wearing the white outfit in the middle.

4. When we call his name at home, he usually responds with a high-pitched voice saying “yeah?” and then clears his throat and says “yeah?” using his normal, low voice. Haha

5. Dad and Mom have a special whistle. They whistle whenever they call each other from afar.

6. Dad loves music. While we were growing up, He let us listen to songs sung by Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Don Moen, Papuri, Windsong, and a lot more bands, artists, and musicals. He also taught my older sister (Michelle) how to play the guitar and sometime later, my sister taught me how to play the guitar. Yay! Haha.

7. Dad lost 25 pounds (I think) two years ago and he is still able to maintain his weight.

8. He always likes to tell corny jokes. -__- Okay, sometimes, they’re funny. Haha.

My dad's conversation with my sister, Michelle, via SMS. — My dad’s conversation with my sister, Michelle, via SMS.

9. When I was in the second or third grade, I drew a parrot and he posted the drawing in his private clinic. Love it. It looked something like this. Hahaha. Thanks, Dad!

I drew this just now using Paint. hahaha.

10. Dad’s a good sport. Sometimes, he lets the dogs stay on their bed and he lets us take photos of him wearing silly hats and Krispy Kreme donut masks.

11. He loves animals. No wonder we love them too!

12. He encourages us to sing as a family during Christmas, even if we usually don’t feel like doing so. Dududu. HAHA. Peace, Dad!

13. Whenever we would eat fish and have fish bones stuck in our throats, he’d gladly take them out using his special scissor/tweezer-like tools. Yay for our throat doctor!

14. He initiates bible studies at home and conversations over dinner.

15. He sincerely loves his parents and my mom’s parents. And of course, the rest of both families.

16. Dad taught us how to do the L.A. walk.

17. Sometimes, he randomly makes animal sounds/sounds you here in the jungle when we’re at home. (e.g. eerie sounds; sounds of exotic birds, vultures, etc.)

18. He gives random words of wisdom.

19. When our house was burning down last 2004, he instructed us all to go out of the house while he stayed a bit and tried to extinguish the fire using buckets of water. But because the fire was quickly spreading, he decided to leave and get the car out of the garage too, just before the roof fell on the floor. Hooray for our brave Daddy-O! #grace

20. He personally taught me how to save money and be content with what I have. I wrote more about these values HERE.

21. His favorite duet song with his brother is “The Way You Look Tonight”. They sing this song every time we have a family event.

22. Dad is always to the rescue! (e.g. when the car breaks down, when we suddenly need a ride home from a party, when our house in Cainta got flooded during Ondoy, etc.)

23. He loves spending time with Jesus and sharing Him to the people around him.

24. When he plays with our two dogs, he sometimes says “Moo” to them with a deep voice. Because he actually sounds like a cow when he does this, our dogs usually tilt their heads and end up getting confused.

25. He gave us (kids) unique nicknames:

Camille – Camiling

Glenn Michael – Miguelito

Michelle – Mishow

Nicole – Nicholas

Gabriel – Gambrelli.

Haha. He calls mom “Darl”, which is short for Darling. And we, kids, refer to him as The Polar Bear.

10450933_10152305104959565_4697315514771102376_n — Photo c/o my sister, Michelle.

Encourage yourself one treat at a time. :)

Tag: grace

So You Made a Mistake

Thursday Tune #29: You Are My Rescue by Royal Tailor

Simple Sunday Snack: Sweet Orange Potatoes

25 Things About My Dad

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