What 2022 has taught me pt. 3/12
(March)
March has been really meaningful for me. Weekly, I get to reflect on various life themes especially on “sacrifice.” Spiritually, I feel like Jesus really made me realize what this really means especially this Lent Season, and I’m grateful how experiential this month had been for me.
For the month of March, these are the 7 things I have learned so far for the year 2022:
1. On Sacrifice:
I have personally written this on my journal, “It’s okay to suffer in conscience and body because this is how I share to Jesus’ sufferings this Lent season”. Be grateful for pain; when the body is weak, the spirit is strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
When convenience is sacrificed, remember how Jesus experienced the most extreme inconvenience for us. Sacrifice.
Thank You for the headaches, the pain in my heart (shortness of breath), the trauma/fear (karma after personal sins & then being victimized), the physical efforts (long walks under the sun, scary drives)… It may be shallow to others’ eyes, but the big lesson learned matters.
2. On Learning & Experience:
After 12 years of dedicated service in church, I get to actualize and notice myself how the lessons I learned from the Bible and the messages I hear from church come into life immediately. Suddenly I realized,
“The more I know, the more I get tested with what I learned and even said. It’s time…or the ‘era’ to learn AND experience has come”.
3. On Motivation:
With the things happening in my personal and professional life lately, I felt underwhelmed and overwhelmed at the same time, which I think is leading me to be stuck. I changed my working space and noticed that the external environment could help improve my willingness to move. And the Lord had surely shown me a reason to feel grateful and to work hard.
Laziness and demotivation kills His purpose for me. Ungrateful Attitude = Decreased Productivity
4. On God’s Faithfulness:
With a lot of things I promised to Him, it just made me amazed how merciful and faithful God is. I have so much things done against my promises to Him; I have been forgetful and consciously ignored it, but still, He remained kind & gentle to me.
Thank You, Jesus for sustaining me in my job despite my shortcomings in fulfilling my promises. Thank You for saving my health despite my sins.
5. On Peace-building:
I have finally achieved being at peace on connecting genuinely to people.
Sometimes, I tend to gossip “for the sake of” building a relationship, but this actually expands the negative energy. When wronged by other people, I’m also too busy not to be hateful but rationale on what effect it gives to me and to their soul as well. In the end, God will do the revenge. Though I still fight as my temporary response, but I do not make it a big deal after.
6. On the World’s Offer:
Our world is full of wild grass that might overwhelm and kill us. Happiness from money offers addiction. Prevent the flame to keep burning. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be. (Matthew 6:21)
One day, we’ll never feel again the calm this world offers. As the good seedlings growing in the wilderness, we are targeted to be corrupted, but God promised of protection and care.
They will be burned, and just in time, God will harvest or pick the good fruits — us. May I grow old flourishing; not fearing of meeting You, but excited and at peace, prepared and courageous to see You when the most chaotic experience comes.
7. On Serving:
Serve to strangers. I am called to go “out” and teach because it felt good to speak in front of a community again.
I also got to speak to scholars community and to upcoming teacher fellows.
Synonymously, when encountering new people, I need to remember to be cautious too. Help those who could help you in the future too. (Sirach 12:1) Evil will always be evil. I have personally welcomed and entertained a stranger in our small business yet deceived me in the end.
In my previous reflections, I initially don’t know how man tend to ignore Him despite His evidences of power. But one thing is for sure, they are lost because they keep on looking for something and somewhere else (Wisdom of Solomon 13:6–8)
Honestly, I am very glad that I was able to capture these lessons into life and actually experience it in reality. Feeling the “lows”, I was able to extract the significant lessons which I will surely bring for the next quarters of the year. Thank you, Lord! My little sacrifices are incomparable to Yours.
