Take Advantage while you have 'Now'

When I talk about pain, I must say that it is truly painful, it means that it has already reached the edge of what I can bare. In my growing years, I have a very high tolerance in pain. Since I am inclined into sports and I love playing hard, hence I don’t care if my knee got scraped against the floor, or my leg or body get burn due to a long try out. I remember there were times that I have a very high fever but because I need to take the examination, I still went to my class, finish the test and stayed until noon. I don’t know why it seemed that there were those times I never noticed that I’ve been dealing a lot, it is surely because of the overflowing grace of God in my life, that if his grace is a body of water, I think I am drowning so bad.

But I won’t be dwelling on the painful part of the story. I might say that it could be the most painful event that happened in my life by far. That is why it took me years before I write it down.  Amidst of those hurt, pain and disappointments it is the Lord Jesus that enabled me to see the beauty and mystery of his glory. And during those dark times, I am not saying that I’m still running strong, because seriously there were days that I prayed to God that if I could breathe my last. However, if evil and destruction was in the mind of the enemy during those uncertainties, God always has a thousand resolve so that it will still end up for my good and bring him glory.

Most of the people say that I am the female version of my father. He’s an active man, always has full of ideas and never-ending stories, ask him anything and he always have the answer, as if all are correct? Lol. He loves outdoor, swimming, watching movies, arts, music, cooking and many more. When I was grade school sometimes, I was not in the mood to finish my art project because due is on the next day, I just leave it on the dining table so that after he ate dinner, he can start crafting, then in the next morning. Wallah! Done, then I got A+.

He always appears strong and up, as if he can do everything even just a snap. I know that I got from him the tenacity to fight harder especially on the battles that seemed to be unbearable. First day of September of 2014, I woke up, then my gaze laid on the black and white curtain in the room, after prayer, I grabbed my phone to browse on my Instagram, then together with the bold post that says “Better Days are Coming” that phrase hits me, so when I read it, looks as if it gets real on the inside. Then suddenly I became expectant, full of hope, after all, its September only few months before Christmas. All goes well, but after twelve days, Papa got a heart attack, so we rushed him to E.R and found that he also has an infarct on his brain. He could not even move from his waist downward, and his sight don’t give him enough senses just a ray of colored light on his right. We’re all there for him, but seemingly loss of what happened, because we know that he is strong, as if the worst headache is just one sleep away for him. Even in the ICU, he still has lots of “kwento”, and sometimes crack a joke. I was assigned to look after him in the evening while Mom and sister stay with him in the morning.

In faith, we lift it all to God, knowing that He never fail us. I even texted a prayer chain to all our church mates, friends, pastors, family and even in the prayer center where I used to work before, it also reached the 700 Club Prayer Center U.S our prayer request for healing. Gratefully, my Heavenly Father grants our prayers, day after day Papa shows an improvement, he starting to see a bit clearer, the headache subsides but still there’s a little. Less hassle on his movement and his appetite gets back to normal. In short, he is recovering quickly. In just less than seven days he was transferred to an ordinary room. Several visitors came by and he was truly amazed how God works in our lives. One Sunday, while watching the telecast of the Jesus Is Lord Church, I was bowed down to pray but suddenly on my peripheral vision,  I saw Papa little by little wanting to get up on his own, so I come closer, then when he is seating on his bed, he suddenly raised his both hands up high and cried. I was surprised, then I never noticed that the Pastor is already praying the prayer of Salvation. I heard Papa praying out loud in clear words, trembling sound with tears. Accepting Jesus as His Lord and Savior, he only brings down his hands after he prayed the whole prayer. My eyes burst into tears while whispering to his ears, “Papa, Jesus loves you and he's healing you, he's now replacing your strength with his...” Then Mom and sister arrived, and they saw us crying. The next morning his doctor told us that he can be discharge from the hospital on the day after next. Amen! Truly an answered prayer.                                                                                

Tuesday night, I prayed intentionally, praising God for being so kind and giving us another miracle, I only sleep so little that I almost prayed the whole night on the couch and when mom wakes beside Papa, we switched place, I embraced him and then I fell asleep.

That morning of 24th everyone was so jolly, excited to go home! The four of us encircle to pray and thank God because he even cleared the remaining charges we have in the hospital. I led in prayer, but before I close, I saw again Papa, looking up smiling and waving up his both hands. He was so happy. He went from being fine few minutes while waiting for the doctor's release order. He asked for a kiss on the cheeks when he heard that my sister and I are going out for a quick lunch.  It was about 12:30 in the afternoon, and then after we ate, we received an unexpected call from the nurse saying that they’re reviving my father, so we need to hurry. We rushed back to the hospital which is few blocks away. Then I saw Mom sitting at the hallway crying out loud. I went inside and they’re still pumping him, so I go straight to the comfort room, and all of a sudden, I knelt down on the floor, crying, praying, interceding in a loud voice, stretching out my hands through the wall where Papa is, begging God to intervene. But on 1:30pm God said, its time, and he stepped out of history into eternity and that moment my father went back to his Heavenly home.

This truth dawned on me that we do not know the day nor the hour and that our Creator calls us home. Since we do not know when we look at the face of our Savior and give him an account. We better get busy living fully the adventure to which he has called us. And when these disciples came to Jesus he basically said, "Well Done" and he acknowledge them, fully engage in the task. Mark 6:12, says he recognized that the disciples had done “the thing”, that they had been busy following hard after the assignment to which they had been called.

The power of God almighty brought his Son here on earth, so that we could behold the glory of God in the flesh. And with this, we could hear the voice of the Father in the person of Jesus. All that deity called in humanity so that he could meet us where we are, he made it so that we could hear him. He is closer to us in the pain more than we can imagine. 

When they hear the call of Jesus they laid everything else down to pursue what it was that Jesus had asked them to. Many times, Papa went with us in church, he even followed several prayers of acceptance. I know he means it; he supports some activities in our church, but he never had a chance to serve in the ministry with all his might. After the funeral, while packing all his things, we saw a small piece of paper in his wallet written in Tagalog; “Lord Jesus, I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior, come into my life and please bless my family, Osang, Ariane and Anna.”  Folded and taped. I don’t know when he wrote that, but for sure, he means it and on his last days, he reminds his soul again where he belongs.

Today, may his calling in your ears and in your hearts be like a fire shut up in your bones to where you cannot do what God has called you to do. And for those that will say “Yes sir,” he will equip you with exactly what you need to sustain you in the calling that you have been given, the Lord will give you power to do it. Do not let yourself get to the end of your days only to look back and realized we had that power but never took advantage of it. Always remember that every believer who respond to that call advances His Kingdom one step closer here on earth.