40 Years
"Life begins at forty." Madalas mo din bang naririnig ito? Para sa ilan, nagsisimula palang ang buhay at 40. Para sa iba naman ay pagpapatuloy ito ng kanilang nasimulan. "Ano pa nga ba ang mangyayari sa akin sa 40th ko?", iyan ang tanong ko sa sarili before I turned 40. Gusto kong ihanda ang sarili ko holistically, especially my mind and emotions. Ang goal ko is to live up to my calling and create a good legacy for the young and future generations.
Human development is my favorite topic noong kumukuha ako ng units sa Education. I realized, it is important for a person at the early age na madiscover ang God-given purpose niya and not to lose a sense of purpose habang tumatanda siya. Losing a sense of purpose may lead to regret, anxiety and dissatisfaction, while understanding God-given purpose will give us joy, peace and fulfillment. Sa iba't ibang life stages na ating pinagdadaanan, mahalaga na we live according to our purpose to have a meaningful and fulfilling life.
As I study the word of God, I believe that our general purpose is to love God first, and second, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Knowing this, kahit na sa anong life stage tayo at anoman ang ginagawa natin, we should honor God in all we do and we should tell others about Jesus, the source of our hope and salvation. Sa bawat life stage natin, God designed a specific role for us to fill in, a specific purpose. Maaaring ito ay sa family, in the church and in the community. God will make His purpose in our lives clear to us as we seek Him and trust Him and obey Him.
On my 25th, I desired to have a successful 30th. That's why I bravely followed where God was leading me that time, and that was to emerge into teaching. From working in a very promising career in telecom kung saan naapply ko ang kaunting knowledge ko sa engineering, I became a teacher teaching preschool, elementary and high school in a private school. Nagturo ako ng Values and Computer subjects. Nakatapos ako ng modular course sa Early Child Education and units sa Professional Edcuation. Naging licensed teacher when I was 33, at nakapagturo for seven years. Yes, nagkaroon ako ng sense of fulfillment. And it was a dream come true, pero hindi pa pala doon nagtatapos ang lahat. May purpose pa ang Lord sa buhay ko.
Ang galing lang ng Lord dahil kahit hindi ko pinangarap maging teacher noon, naging preparation stage pala sa akin ng Lord ito para mangyari ang plan niya para sa akin in the future.
2020. Taon na nagsimula ang covid pandemic, nagkaroon ako ng 20/20 vision na God is calling me for a full-time capacity. I believe the call is from God. Sa tulong din mismo ng Lord nagawa kong sumunod sa Kanya. I thanked Him for giving me a husband na naging katuwang ko sa journey at sa mga parents ko for support and understanding. Nagkaroon ako ng time for discipleship at opportunity to help the ministry. I started kids and youth outreach din in Paliparan II. I never imagined na ang pag-surrender ko sa will ng Lord din ang magbubukas pa ng doors para lalo kong maranasan ang grace ng Lord sa buhay ko. I realized, gusto ng Lord na sumunod tayo sa Kanya dahil gusto Niya na pagpalain tayo at mangyari ang magagandang promises Niya sa buhay natin.
Ito ang mga hindi ko makakalimutan na nangyari sa akin years before I reach my 40th.
37th. God answered my prayer about my marriage and family. Then, we got connected to a local church who discipled us as a couple and where we can grow and serve Him together.
38th. I was connected to Kids Outreach again and nakapag-volunteer sa Every Nation Campus.
39th. I became part of a GMRC Book project of ThelAChild and Triumphant Publishing, and of the pool of external Proofreaders of the Philippine Bible Society (PBS).
Kasama ng lahat ng prayers and hopes, on my 40th year, I finally got the opportunity to hold our GMRC book and read it. Glory to God!
Is it true that life begins at 40? Baka, a time na we should begin to be closer to God and know more of Him and His purpose in our lives. Anoman ang edad natin at kahit kailan man natin maramdaman na we want a reset or to restart, let us seek God dahil siya ang pinagmulan ng buhay natin at sa Kanya rin ito magtatapos. Siya lang ang magbibigay sa atin ng life's fulfillment. Let us also remember na it is not about how long we live our lives, but how we live it. Alagaan din ang sarili, because minsan lang ang buhay. We cannot give our best to God when we are not at our best. So, we need to always abide in the Lord.
In my 40 years, yes, hindi madali lahat at hindi ko pa rin naman talaga narating ang peak. Maraming challenges, at hindi ko alam ano pa ba ang mangyayari, but I continually put my trust in God. Salamat sa Panginoon kasi He is so patient and loving. Hinayaan Niya pa din ako na maranasan na masaya din mabuhay, lalo na in His presence. Siya lang, fulfilled na ako. Thankful ako sa wisdom and courage na binibigay Niya para clearly kong makita ang vision na galing sa Kanya and to fully surrender and obey His plans in my life, especially sa panahon na ang pagsunod ay hindi ganun kadali.
Balloon Illustration by InkDropCreative
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