The Lord giveth (work). Blessed is He. :)

"I guess he figures since he gave me my career, he can take it away."

"Hey. He didn't give you anything.
You get hired because you've got drive, talent and love for what you do.
That's a gift from God, not some video director."

Happy to watch Honey again this morning :)
First saw this as a college senior. It's even more resonant now that I'm actually working in a neighborhood that's indeed in the heart of the streets.

Glory to You.



To underline the point: I just got an email from JobsDB.com:


Dear Maria Teresa Pulido,
We noticed that your resume(s) has not been updated for the past 6 months and hope this is because you have found a nice job!
...

Yes, I did. I "found" the best job for this season on the last line of the last page of their job listings. :) So I wouldn't be updating my resume (for the next job hunt) any time soon. Thanks to JobsDB, to Rye my colleague/church-mate, to FEU - East Asia College...

... and to my Heavenly Father, the source of all that's good and perfect. ♥

Easy to follow (or, "Decisions, decisions")

Today I'm just thankful, for the times God makes it easy to follow Him. ♥

I remember my first "major life decision" as a Christian: contemplating the path to take after graduating from college. I prayed for neon signs pointing to just one path, God's will for me.

Sure enough, then and now, clarity arrives, things do fall into place, with criteria being met by only one option.

Even Jesus prayed, "Father, not My will but Yours be done." [1] "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in heaven." [2]

Following God doesn't have to be a painful (if I may say so) hell. True, there are sacrifices and hardships, but the bigger picture is simply wonderful.

Jesus endured the most painful kind of death "for the joy set before Him." [3] "God's will is good, pleasing and perfect." [4]


Dilemma no more, head and heart united, His will becomes my own. There's no other place I'd rather be. Wouldn't you agree?

Worship God, not objects

Last Monday, classes in many Manila schools were suspended. Not because there was a natural disaster, nor because we wanted to extend the Christmas vacation for just one more day. Nay, it was the feast of the Black Nazarene.

This statue is the object of weekly masses and three annual processions [Wikipedia]. The January 9 procession is attended by millions, so much so that scores get injured or even killed in stampedes, and the government even took measures this year to avoid a potential terrorist attack.

Though some of my relatives are devotees of the Nazarene and are proud to have touched the statue themselves, the magnitude and cultural significance of it all hasn't really affected me until now. ("Really? Classes suspended for this? Terrorist threat?")

Which is why, I am all the more glad to see this reminder on our campus Facebook page:

 
"Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God." - Leviticus 26:1


IDOL = image, statue, object. Anything, anyone that is not God Himself.

Some people argue that they are simply "honoring" or "venerating" these reminders of God's presence. That sounds well and good. But:

(1) God Himself said, "Do not MAKE, do not SET UP."

(2) God Himself said, "Do not BOW DOWN."


Let me ask you: Why fight your way to see and touch a "reminder" of Someone who is already with you, who already saved you?


If we want to worship God, let's follow what He says. "Do not worship idols."