Back on Reality Channel

All flesh is grass,

and all its loveliness is like

the flowers of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it,

Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.

Isaiah 40:6-8

I arrived from Manila a week ago. Has it really been just a week? It certainly seems longer than that.

Actually, it has only been 18 days since Ernie and I left Thailand.

But by now, Chiang Mai seems like a far away dream.

My season in Chiang Mai was like a grand vacation. God pulled me from my life here and decided to give me an unexpected treat. He brought me and my husband to a place of beauty and rest, gave us a brand new set of experiences and friends, and in that place revealed to us a different aspect of His character.

He is indeed a God of wonder, a God of many surprises.

Surely my heavenly Father knows what He is doing. I know that He used that time to prepare me for a new job description, another kingdom assignment.

But I am still waiting to see where this new road I'm on is leading to.

Meanwhile, I'm back on Reality Channel.

Honestly, I wanted to delay coming home to Bacolod City because I wanted to remain in a dream. I didn't want to go back to reality.

There were many concerns awaiting me, and these days, as I have been trying to work on these responsibilities, I have been feeling overwhelmed. It feels like there are too many urgent and important things to attend to, and my hands are full.

A few times, I have felt like I want to be a little girl once more, and just let my father and mother take care of things. Bedtime scenes come back to me and I remember my dad either reading me a story or playing a soft tune on the piano, and my mom humming a song as she puttered around the room, putting things in order. Yes, somehow, everything always seemed to be in order with mom and dad around.

A week ago, a person whom I dearly love asked me, " So, how many hundreds of lives have you impacted while you were in Thailand?"

Something in the way it was said made me sense that it was not a kind remark. Maybe it was meant as a joke, but it did not sound funny to me. It is even possible that it was just a thoughtless remark, and that she didn't really mean anything by it.

For a few days the comment kept coming back to me. But at this point God has given me a change of heart. For whatever reason it was uttered, I have chosen to overlook it, and not to give it another thought.

However it did make me realize that these days I am surrounded by people with deep needs. And God is calling on me to minister His love and kindness to them.

The enemy wants me to lose my focus, to let myself be weighed down by my heavy responsibilities, and to miss out on the more important things that God wants me to enjoy.

These past days I have been sensing the lack of joy in my heart, when I know very well that God wants me to see yet another facet of His heart that I have never seen before!

Any day now, our first grandson, Matthew Miguel, will be born. Indeed, this is a major event that our family is looking forward to!

This baby's birth will be the start of a third generation, and with his birth, we know that God's goodness will continue to be poured out before our eyes!

This is God's word to me regarding this baby:

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 40:5

I took the picture above a few days ago while my daughter in law, God Given, and I were having an early morning walk around our neighborhood. The sky was a clear blue, a beautiful backdrop for the grass flowers.

When I took it, I knew it would be a perfect photo to post with this blog entry. What I didn't know then was what God would speak to me through it.

"Yes the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put childish things away. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:11-13)


God is whispering to my spirit: "Don't lose your eternal focus, My child. Hold on to faith, hold on to hope...above all, hold on to love. When the enemy tries to overwhelm you, like a flood I will break through for you. True love will always break through. My love will help you see your circumstances from the right perspective. Receive the love I am constantly pouring into your heart, then you can give it to others who need it. Let My love be the oil that flows from your heart to others. Let My love cause your words to be as refreshing waters to a weary soul."

Yes, I hear what the Father is saying. I want the love of God to be my main motivation for everything in my life, especially these days as I find myself surrounded by many needs. May my heart never be hardened by offense, pride, wrong focus or misplaced priorities. May my heart be tender, kind, and understanding, ever willing to go another extra mile. May my words be kind and timely.