Hunger Games

(This one's raw. Forgive me for my writing.)

I'm happy God does not rule over our lives the same way Seneca did over the lives of the Tributes. 

Seneca wanted to see them kill each other.  God wants us to live harmoniously and love one another. 

Seneca wanted to control the tributes. God gave us the gift of choice and willpower. 

Life is no hunger games. Unfortunately, the world has become one big arena without us noticing it. We are so full of ourselves that we only want to end up being the victor through our own efforts -- even hurting other people and pulling each other down. We tend to forget that the evil one only wants to put up a good show by turning us against each other. We forget the innate goodness of our hearts. 

Life is a precious gift meant for us to keep and share with other people. It is not just a show. It flows according to how we choose to live it. But the odds are according to how God wills it. May the odds be ever  in your favor.

Hey, check out Alexander Ludwig (Cato) and Liam Hemsworth (Gale). Handsome, eh?

Two points

I was humbled by the result of our midterm exam in Advanced Accounting. I prepared well for it and I asked God’s blessing for it. My classmates and I knew it was the type of exam we really have to prepare for. I did my best during the exam but my best was two points away from passing. It was just devastating for me.

 I realized, though, that if I humbly asked for God’s help, then I have to be just as humble to accept whatever it is that He will give me. I don’t have to rebel against His will. I have to believe that there is a purpose for it.

Now that I think about it, I realized that it has been quite some time when I prayed for God’s will to be done. I was always asking for whatever I wanted.

I know now what Tim LaHaye meant when he wrote that being filled by the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event; we have to ask God everyday under any circumstance that we be filled with His Spirit. Right now, I need to ask for the Holy Spirit’s gift of meekness for me to be able to humbly accept the result of this exam.

I don’t have to wallow in depression and ruin the rest of the semester. I don’t have to feel bad about it because I did my best. I don’t have to feel good about it, either. I just have to be humble enough to accept it. Seriously, I’m tired of crying; time to move on.

Blue Moon

It’s a Blue Moon!

Blue Moon is a phenomenon wherein we experience two full moons in one month. It happens only once every three years, thus, the word ‘blue’ meaning rare.

The moon was shining bright, alright. But what could have been a beautiful night turned out to be one experience which could not be easily forgotten by anyone.

As UPians flocked to witness two events simultaneously held that night, a huge earthquake disrupted the night’s entertainment. It lasted long enough to scare people away and drive them out of the buildings. The 7.9 magnitude quake’s epicenter was in Eastern Samar and it was too strong that it reached my hometown in Mindanao. Tsunami alert levels were raised in Eastern Visayas and parts of Mindanao. My family back home already left for evacuation along with many of our fellowmen.

Meanwhile, in downtown Tacloban City, darkness reigned as power was still out. My housemates and I were told to prepare emergency things including blankets, clothes, flashlights, food and other valuables. So we did. We prayed and I know many other people out there did the same. We stayed up until electricity came back and the alert levels were lifted. Before going to sleep, we were warned of a possible aftershock, but as (kind of) expected, it did not come. There have been a number of Tsunami warnings in the past and, thankfully, it all came to pass without an actual Tsunami.

So, I guess, it is a reminder for all of us that sometimes a quake is just a quake. Maybe someday we’ll look back at this night and realize how little faith we have when we panicked instead of praying or how selfish we were when we prayed only for the safety of our loved ones and ourselves.

I hope we don’t flood heaven with prayers only once in a blue moon because every day we’re alive is reason enough to call on to God, thank Him for the gift of life and ask for His constant guidance.