There is an article I stumbled upon at Kicker Daily News which featured Anderson Cooper’s recent CNN video about Typhoon Yolanda and the Filipino people who are, in every sense, “weathering the storm”, and the resilience of our spirit.
In the video, he says “Maraming salamat for showing us all how to live.”
This made me cry. I wish to share it with all of you, too.
For those who may have hurt us in any way, past or present… I forgive you.
For those who may have spoken ill of us at any given time… I forgive you.
For those whom we once thought to be friends… I forgive you.
For those who indirectly inflicted pain to us… I forgive you.
For those who hold grudges and cannot let go… I forgive you.
For those who have selfishly placed themselves ahead of others… I forgive you.
For those who are consciously inconsiderate to every concern… I forgive you.
For those who refuse to understand… I forgive you.
For those who take pleasure in other people’s suffering… I forgive you.
For those who just simply refuse to cooperate… I forgive you.
For those who can make a difference but refuse to do so… I forgive you.
For those who won’t take responsibility… I forgive you.
For those who simply point at others… I forgive you.
For those who find it difficult to look in the mirror… I forgive you.
For those who simply won’t do anything… I forgive you.
For those who won’t forgive… I forgive you.
For those whose lives are riddled with compromise… I forgive you.
For those who politicize everything… I forgive you.
For those who always expect something in return… I forgive you.
For those who deceive others… I forgive you.
For those who just don’t care… I forgive you.
In forgiveness there is peace.
In forgiving… I, too, am forgiven by God.
May those whom I have forgiven be able to find inner and spiritual peace as well as they ultimately learn to forgive themselves as well as others.
I really really hate it when some people refer to the Lord merely as “Him”! Like when people (for example, in a birthday message) say… “Always remember to thank Him”. Yeah… I get it! I know you meant GOD, but is it so difficult to say His name? At least say His name once before using the pronoun!
Sometimes, others would use terms such as, “the man up there” or something similar to that.
It’s not like you’ll turn to ashes when you say “the Lord” or “Jesus” or “God” or “Savior” or “the Father”!
He’s not Voldemort, you know!
Address Him properly and use His name with reverence.
Do not resort to euphemisms when mentioning the name of the Lord, for the Lord’s name is not offensive but redemptive.
What reasons could you possibly have not to mention God’s name… especially if you are a Christian? To be politically correct? To not offend non-Christians? To be safe?
As Christians, know in your heart that Jesus never played it safe or became politically correct in order not to offend the powers that be in Israel.
So to should we, as Christians, imitate Christ…
1 John 2:6 – “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
John 13:15 – “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
By playing it safe and being careful not to offend the world, you end up offending the only One that should really matter in your life.
God.
The past few days, GMA-7 has been slowly revealing the contestants for the upcoming celebrity edition of “Survivor Philippines”. All I can say is, “Thank God I chose NOT to take the offer”.
You see, a few months ago I was rung up by one of GMA-7’s execs asking me if I would be interested to join the upcoming 3rd season of Survivor Philippines. They further elaborated that for this celebrity edition they’ve been planning to put me in if I was “game”. They told me to come over to their office to discuss the deal in detail.
After the call, I pondered upon the prospect of being away for countless days in an isolated island away from the Philippines. Then I imagined myself stranded in a deserted place, amongst individuals who will do anything to win a coveted prize and title.
And though, the prize is tempting enough for anyone to blindly pursue… the thought of being away from my family for a month with no communication at all was too heavy a trade for me.
I turned down the offer.
Some may say I made a stupid choice… others may think I had cowardly forgone an opportunity that many could only dream of. Possibly. But still… no dice.
If I probably was still single with no kids to look after… maybe I’d reconsider. But that’s a big maybe.
I’d still have to wrestle with the idea of us contestants being a spectacle to millions of people akin to a goldfish inside an aquarium. Not to mention the possibility of compromising my morals and character to “survive” if need be. Do I really want to subject myself to such circumstances?
Nuh-uh! No thanks.
I’d rather be on the other side of the television set, if you know what I mean. :)
Nevertheless, I wish all the castaways the very best.
Besides… aren’t we all participating in our very own “Survivor”? Vying for a reward much much more valuable than millions of dollars?
The mechanics are simple: Love God. Love your neighbor. Serve the needy. Spread the Good News.
The prize?
“Eternal life”.
Earlier this evening, I came from the hospital where my grandfather was admitted. He was in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and was pretty much in bad shape when I came to see him. Most of his immediate family were there to get word on his condition… some offered prayers and made sure the doctors were tending to him competently.
You see, my grandfather has been suffering from Cancer for quite some time now… Cancer… the Big C (as some would call it). What’s interesting to note, however, was that my grandfather was still talkative and in high spirits just last week when he was also admitted to the hospital but for a different reason… (hernia surgery).
Now he’s back in the same hospital… but this time, doctors say he might not be able to leave that place anymore. His entire body just isn’t responding to any of the medications that are being given to him anymore. He was given a plasma treatment which he so desperately needs to recover but was ordered by doctors to immediately suspend treatment since his body couldn’t take it any longer and was just damaging his heart all the more. His kidneys have already shut down just yesterday and has completely deteriorated. His dialysis costs roughly P50,000.00 (equivalent to about $1,250.00) per session.
