The Least We Could Do Now

This has been a catastrophic start of October for us Filipinos. Typhoon Ondoy has definately made its mark to the hearts of the Filipinos. It targeted the majority of Metro Manila washing away many lives. While people were still suffering from Ondoy, typhoon Pepeng already entered the country. Houses has been rampaged, cars were ruined, properties dumped, business transactions were interrupted, schools closed, many have lost material possessions because of the typhoon. Hundreds have lost their lives in their struggle for survival. What's even more painful is that a lot have lost their lives saving other people's lives. Mother nature sure was harsh these past few weeks.

Why is this happening to us? What do we do now? How are we going to start over again? When do we get back what we've already lost? Who should be responsible for all these?

These things don't just happen. Events happen for a reason (well, i believe, not for the reason people talk about on Facebook and Twitter). Maybe this is a wake up call. This is a call for us to realize that everything here is just temporary. We must bear in mind that our possessions won't last forever, same with our lives (and we are all aware of this, right?). We are all well aware that we will all eventually lose everything and die.

I know this idea had been stressed a thousand times before because, apparently, we don't seem to live by it because we don't seem to understand what it means to live by it:

The least we could do now is to be truly GRATEFUL.

To be truly grateful is:

* to accept that everything is not truly ours but God's

* to be truly thankful and appreciative of all the temporary possessions lent to us

* to truly care for all that we temporarily own

* to love all that has been shared with us

* to acknowledge God's love

We all have one God. The world may be comprised of different religions and cultures, but I truly believe that we all worship the same God. Now, its the same God who loves us that blesses us with what He thinks we need. He challenges us to seek for wisdom and courage so we'd be able to understand what he truly wants for us. If only we recognize how much we have and h0w blessed we already are to be granted this chance: this chance of a life.

Rick Warren believes, as he wrote in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, that life is three things: Life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment:

Life is a TEST. We should be grateful for the challenges. If we believe that all pains, hardships, and sufferings are just tests, we will never complain about life and the unpredictable. We are constantly being tested to be better, stronger persons; like pencils needed to be constantly sharpened to be used (by God).

Life is a TRUST. We should be grateful for the faith God has in us. We won't be granted with life if God does not trust we could pull it off. We have been entrusted with this temporary life to make great things for Him and so it is just that we take the best care we could give it and everything that comes with it. We are now being called to take care of the gifts we might have taken for granted: for nature and all its life-giving resources, for our fellowmen, their lives, and their same importance.

Life is a TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT. I have been talking about the non-permanence of everything and our existence here on earth. I hope we recognize that this life of ours is a temporary assignment: one that has been assigned for a great purpose, one that has been for His Glory. We are all missionaries. We should be grateful that we are all instruments for the fulfillment of His dreams for all of us.

The very least we could do now is to be truly grateful for all there is. We must be grateful for all that is left of us. We must be grateful for the tiniest possession that we have. We must be grateful that our country is united in pursuit of the nation's well-being. We must be grateful that many even bother to care. We must be grateful for the time efforts of other people to make our lives be even more meaningful. We must be grateful that we are able to be of help to others in need. We must be grateful for the littlest things we could do and share.

I have blogged about how I've experienced and realized how gratitude really works in bad times. Now is our chance to experience what gratitude can give us. Let us take this chance of a lifetime to be ever grateful. ^_^

Gratitude in bad times

"It's not easy being grateful all the time. But it's when you feel least thankful that you are the most in need of what gratitude can give you."

- Oprah

This beautiful quote was sent to me via text message by my friend, Kristine Pantig. Thanks Kristine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^

I remembered my year's dramatic times the moment after I read the text message. Those were the times when I lost my faith. Those were times when I didn't look at the blessings I had. Those were the times I felt so ungrateful. Those were the times I felt like my life wasn't worth living. Those times were when I felt like everything was just so imperfect. People were selfish and I never wanted to trust anyone including myself. I'd been failing myself. I felt like I was stuck in the middle of nothing and I actually considered giving it all up. I lost myself and I couldn't believe I'd experience what I went through. Things were perfect before until I started letting myself down.

Despite all my neglects and doubts, I just couldn't believe how good things still happen to me. Good, amazing people still stayed, loved, and took care of me. My siblings and the people whom I might have inspired before the "great loss" (well, this is how i want to call those down times =p) still respected and looked up to me. The talents He lent me were still there and they'd just be very useful whenever I needed them. That's when I realized (with the help of all the people around me, all the circumstances, and all the self-help books I forced myself upon) how blessed I am. I stopped believing in Him yet he never stopped believing in me. He never abandoned me. He made me realize how meaningful this life could be, the moment I acknowledged all the good he'd still left me with.

As I appreciated everything I was blessed with, I learned how to truly live my life. (The books You Are What You Think by Dr. David A. Stoop and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne were of really great help in making me have this great cognizance.)

The moment I started being grateful, everything turned just right. I learned how to be forgiving of myself for my shortcomings as I acknowledged my being human and understood that it was ok to make mistakes evry now and then. Instead of looking at my imperfections and what I couldn't do I just keep trying and trying to be my best everyday. Facing all the challenges, I give cheers to myself everytime I succeed or learn something and I give myself a reinforcing taunt whenever I fail or couldn't make things work. People are nicer and easier to tolerate. Suddenly, things aren't so upsetting after all. I became really contented with everything else. I feel in control and stable as I am able to convert reacting to acting and just being grateful. All at once, my dreams are just in the palm of my hands. ^_^

My usual tendency after having a great realization is being greatly overwhelmed with it. Learning how to live with gratitude had a huge impact on me. I wrote on a Gratitude Notebook. Everyday I would write all of the things I could be grateful for, even the littlest of the little things like how nice the clouds looked like in the morning and how tiny and cute my toe nails looked like. For days I religiously wrote on that notebook until I didn't need to write anymore to feel good and grateful every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Now, everyday is like a party, with myself always ecstatic, as if high on drugs. hahahaha! ^_^

As I've been living in total gratitude for almost 2 months now, I saw that gratitude is very much helpful in times when I feel the least grateful. Its in bad times when gratitude is in much greater intensity. ^_^

May everyone be hit by the gratitude virus for an everyday life of parteiii and great times!!! ^_^

NYAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!

Thank you! ^_^