My Thoughts, Exactly.

God Fills Up the Little Spaces Too

I came home from the Christmas party last night feeling a little empty. I don’t understand it myself..I mean, it was definitely fun, and even if I messed up a little (or a lot), we were still able to somehow pull through with the singspiration (thanks largely to Nikki, Jo Mari, and Harvin. Much love to all of you), plus I was surrounded by people who I really enjoy being with. Maybe it was because I didn’t win in the raffle. Maybe I’m looking too much into this feeling of empty-handedness. Um, yeah, maybe that’s it. No, not really.

I swear, this thought process that comes with being a girl is such a bane sometimes. It must be something bigger than that, you fool.

I woke up this morning forgetting it was my father’s birthday. It’s just too easy to forget because sometimes when you don’t want to remember some things, you end up forgetting everything altogether. So me and my sister drove up to the flower shop near A. Boni and picked out a basket of yellow mums and another one with a huge white…thing in the middle. It reminded me of a big fat goldfish, except it was white. (Don’t ask me how a flower can remind me of a goldfish, defected thought process, remember?) Then we went to Dad’s and I couldn’t help wondering where he was at that particular moment. Could he see us? Does he smile everytime we remember him? Or is he like, sleeping until we meet again? Or is he at that other place…(at that point I decided to just stop thinking about it.)

I attended the service at CBCP today, where Pastor Danny Balete gave a message entitled God Rest Ye Merry. I’ll tell you about it later. The title reminded me of our chorale contest during the fourth year of high school (the one we won, right? Hoho.) And while we sang the song as a precursor to the message, I couldn’t help softening my voice at the beginning (God rest ye merry gentlemen…) and then get louder at the end (let nothing you disMAY!) Hahaha. Memories. Ryan Uy, our conductor, insisted on it at the time, see.

Pastor Danny focused on Joseph and Mary this morning, after which I realized that they may, perhaps, be my favorite characters in the Bible after all.

PASTOR DANNY’S THREE OBSERVATIONS ON THE BIRTH OF JESUS:

• GOD DOES NOT ASK FOR PERMISSION - God has a pre-arranged plan for our lives. God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Mary the news, didn’t he? Not to ask permission. Sometimes we make plans and are well on our way to accomplish them, then suddenly “God comes into the picture.” He “messes things up.” (Bet Mary and Joseph were planning on a happy married life together and weren’t counting on immaculate conception and giving birth to the Savior and all that.)
• GOD’S PLAN IS NOT EASY - God does NOT make it easy when we obey. Christians cling to the grave misconception that that we can have it easy so long as we obey God. It’s not true. Mary and Joseph had to confront their inner turmoils, give birth in a manger far from home, flee a King once, you get the point. The Christian life is full of trials. And darkness. But, like Psalm 23:4 says, “Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” Meaning, through the tough times, God will never leave us. He promises to be right there with us when we take that uneasy road.
• GOD BLESSES IN TOUGH TIMES - God’s plan is always good for us and for others. God’s plan for His only Son was to have a short life, but this was so He could save the world.

Note: Look up biography of Fanny Crosby and Horatio Spafford.

Have a nice Sunday, everybody <3