Working with all your heart:)

This is an excerpt from the book, Now what? God's guide to Life for Graduates by John Ortberg. I got this copy from Ross, one of my favorite stores in L.A. The moment I read the first few pages, I knew that I shouldn't let go of this book. Why? Because it transformed my perspective and attitude towards my work and why my work truly matters to God. It instilled the values of excellence and joy in what I am passionate for.

Read on...

Work in itself is a part of what God does. God creates and he made us in his image to do work, to create. That's a real good thing. And God says over and over again in the Scripture, "I want you to excel at what you do. I want you to abound. I want you to take the gifts and talents that I've given you and develop into the fullest potential you're capable of. I want you to discover the deepest passions that are hardwired into you, and I want you to fan them into flames. I want you to make a difference in this world."

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" -Ecclesiastes 9:10.

The very best thing we can hope for is, when we get to the end of our lives, to be able to say to God, "I abounded in the work you gave me to do. It may or may not have looked impressive to other people. It wasn't perfect by a long shot. But whatever my hands found for me to do, I really did try to do with all my might..."

"He sought his God and worked wholeheartedly, And so he prospered"- 2 Chronicles 31:21.

(Ortberg, 2004, p. 11-12)

One at a time.

I am the Lord your God,
who
teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go
Isaiah 48:17

I marveled at the beauty of this creation.

In the same way, my heart is in joyful anticipation of how God will use my life as He fulfills His great purpose.

His faithfulness and stillness captures me, again and again...

:)

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.
It will not lead you astray."-Rumi


Today marks a month after I submitted my thesis and finished all my coursework for school. Parang kailan lang.
I am still overwhelmed how time flew by so fast and that after a year and a half, I am finally done with grad school.

I am learning that as we go through the motions of life, we sometimes forget to dream and to again, believe in those dreams.

Since I now have more time in my hands, I found myself rediscovering my passion in life.

It's refreshing to again remind myself of what makes me come alive and furthermore, where my heart truly belongs. :)

:)

Thank you Lord for such breath-taking creation...


and most of all,

Thank you for letting me share it with someone...

In my dreams...

One of the places in California that I have always wished I could visit someday...

Napa Valley

There is something about this place that draws me to it. The scenery? The tranquility it exudes? The taste of wine and cheese? Its good reviews? Perhaps, perhaps.

That, I would only find out when I get to experience it myself. :)

Stillness..

"With your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He causes me to stand on the heights." (Psalm 18: 29, 33 TNIV)

I always go back to this verse, whenever I need to be still during uncertain situations.
It amazes me how the Lord could give you so much strength that no wall is ever too high to be reached.
What overwhelms me even more is how He could lead your every step so that you could not just stand on the heights but admire the horizon beyond it.

I only have exactly 9 days to work on my thesis. With April 1st deadline growing nearer each day, and with my other adviser still not being able to give me her feedback, I am slowly becoming restless as to whether I could finish everything on time. Yet, the Lord continuously comforts me through prayers of family, encouraging words from mentors and friends- that nothing is impossible with Him.

Every 4:30 pm, I turn off my laptop and begin my afternoon run. I take my mind off my thesis and use the time to settle my fears with God, wrestle my anxieties with Him and to simply thank Him for each small task that I accomplished for the day. Every afternoon, I am reminded of the Lord's faithfulness as I feel the cool breeze that touches my face on every stride, as I see those towering mountains behind the trail, and as I behold the sun that sets, because all of these signal that the Creator is in control of everything- no matter how big, or how small it could be.

So as the days progress, I resolve to take it one at a time.
Being still and knowing that my God is bigger than my thesis.

My thesis chair sent me an email the other day, where she wrote these words:

"Tanya, remember He has brought you this far. He will not let you down. Remember that."

I used to be...


a "walker" (if there is such a term)...I could walk for miles-uphill, downhill, from one block to the farthest block and even for hours...(especially if the next bus for class and work was taking so long). I found it to be a very relaxing form of exercise.

But, summer of 2008, I challenged myself to become...



a "runner", since I was looking for an activity that could energize my body, soothe my mind, as I work on my thesis. I started with running a few blocks from the house, and then I wondered how it would feel like to run uphill. So, I tried it out...

At first, It wasn't easy, since I also had to deal with extreme weather conditions-either it was too hot during the summer (blame it on Global Warming Phenomenon), or it was too chilly during the Fall season, which meant that I was either sweating profusely or I was having brain freeze. And not only that, I had to set time to do this amidst the demands of being a graduate student, an intern, and living independently.

My initial attempts grew from failed attempts, to more attempts, and soon, I was progressing to having more successful attempts. A mile became two miles, and so on, and so forth.. A thirty minute run around the village became twenty minutes, and then less...

What's my point, here?

I am encouraging you to try something new and challenging. I've always thought that I could never go beyond walking. I've always believed that running is a task beyond my own capability. But my recent experience changed such notions.

I realized that it begins with taking a step of faith outside your comfort zone. Whether it is learning a new skill or saying sorry to someone, or even, as simple as listing your 2009 goals, what matters is that at least once in your life, you challenge yourself to do one thing that will actually move you forward:) It is never too late.

This year, I look forward to joining my first ever marathon. (Lord, kaya ko ba to? hehehe).

Special thanks to Ate and Papa for giving my first ever pair of running shoes. For the longest time, I've been using a set of shoes that was unfit for running. (Dati, wala. Ngayon, more than what I asked for. Tig-isa pa sila. Thank you, thank you:)