Faith Forward

FAITH

starts with you and ends with you.

FAITH

starts with you and ends with somebody else.

-Ate Nikki

For years, CFC – Youth for Christ (YFC) has been molding the youth to become more faithful. This year, we are encouraged to put that faith into action and take advantage of the passion and boldness of our young hearts.

"It's so easy to say 'God bless' but have you been a blessing to the other person?" -Ate Nikki

We are called to be fearless in proclaiming our faith.

To not fear rejection and reach out and continue being good.

To not be afraid of defying the standards of being cool by living a 100% free lifestyle and stand for what we believe in.

To not be afraid of being “corny” and vulnerable to our household members by sharing with them our everyday joys and sorrows.

To not be afraid of actually caring for people.

To not be afraid of failure.

“We are called to be fearless because God is fearless. And God is in us.” – Kuya Eric

Faith Forward is the theme of the Regional Youth Conference (RYC) 2012. One thousand two hundred and sixty six young people gathered in Bayugan City for the Northeastern Mindanao RYC. In other parts of the country, roughly the same numbers of young people gather for the same event. Magpapahuli ka pa ba? Actually, yeah it just ended yesterday. But it’s not yet too late. There’s something bigger in the summer of 2013 – International Leaders’ Conference (ILC) Manila. Be there. Start saving.

Magastos ba ‘ka mo? Let me tell you a story. This happened on Facebook. There was this brother or sister who posted “The best things in life are free… Pero ang RYC hindi free.” Kuya Eric, the speaker for the third session, just laughed at it.

Sabi niya pwede namang free yung mga conferences. We can do it on the side of the road or in any venue which can be used freely. The speaker can just step on a rock where he can be seen by everybody. We can still reach out and conduct the social action like we did last weekend. However, we won’t enjoy the food that Jollibee is serving us. We won’t have IDs and conference kits to be part of our YFC collection. We can’t have Ablaze T-shirts. Pwede talaga siya free and it would still be a complete conference pero “showbiz” tayo, eh. Sosyal pa.

“Showbiz” tayo because we cannot show the world how great God is when we settle for mediocrity. We want the best in proclaiming God’s greatness. By spending on these conferences, we can show the world that financial difficulties cannot stop us to experience an all-out worship to God. We can show the world that there is a better way of spending our sem break and our money. That’s being “showbiz”.

Instead of saving up for that newest gadget which you’ve always wanted but would sooner or later be obsolete when developers come up with a new model, save up for YFC conferences where you can experience real joy of worshipping the Lord; where you can meet new friends who share the same passion as you; where you would want to change to live a better life for God. The joy it brings would last longer than does a new gadget.

And even when we don’t get that newest gadget, we are still sosyal. We are social beings! We can’t share God’s love when we isolate ourselves. Reach out. That’s something I need to work on. I’m not anti-social, I’m just shy. Have you ever thought that being shy could be an indication of fearing rejection? ‘Coz I thought of it just now. I’ve read that being shy indicates that one fears being embarrassed. But I am called to be fearless, am I not? So I should be friendlier.

During the RYC, I was reminded and reassured of God’s great love. Yung feeling na just a few moments ago you could remember all your sins and feel all this unworthiness but when you come before the presence of the Lord, you would suddenly feel the need to let all of it go and just continue moving forward and never give up in striving to live a life that would please our King. The RYC is a fresh start.  How we continue the momentum after it would be a challenge.

“Every day is a temptation.”

“Temptation is not a sin unless entertained.”

I had a great weekend. I got the sem break I needed. Ikaw, how did you spend your sem break?

The Bigger Picture

I remember telling myself that this is going to be the best two years of my stay in Leyte. Well, it has just begun. I pictured having the most fun, building the best relationships and getting really good grades. But God’s way of making it the best is far greater than I imagined.

I’m pretty sure I did not get really good grades this semester. After I failed in the midterm exam of our major subject, I got discouraged, I lost confidence and I became lazy and unexcited and fearful. Thankfully, I passed my major subject. My grade is not very impressive but, hey, I passed. Praise God! I actually thought I wasn’t going to make it. I even feared going through college for six years. Now, I there is new hope that I won’t.

Tin2x, a YFC sister, was right when she told me that maybe the reason I’m not getting really good grades is that I haven’t really learned everything yet and that maybe the reason I fear failing is that I haven’t forgiven myself for my previous failure yet. What exactly is it that I need to learn?

More than just the lessons in the subjects that I took, this semester has taught me a lot. I experienced being at the lowest and no one can relate better with those having a hard time with their studies than one who actually had some difficulties herself. So, I guess, next time, when I won’t be at the bottom anymore, this experience should remind me that I may have friends who need me and whom I can’t neglect just because I am content with my performance.

Some might disagree but I believe it could happen sometimes that no matter how much effort you exerted (not that I gave my all because, honestly, I was being lazy for most of the semester) and no matter how confident you are (not that I ever was) when you took the exam, you still may not be able to ace nor pass it. It’s a very humbling experience, really. It’s one of those times when you would really get down on your knees and ask that God’s will be done and that you be blessed with a humble heart to accept it. And when it doesn’t happen to you, it could happen to your friend(s), so, be sensitive.

Now, I have gained a new way of looking at failure and a new attitude towards my studies. I have learned how not to take failure against anyone – not by being easily irritated by my friends, not by questioning God, not even losing self-confidence. I never would have learned such had I completely given up and just drifted away. I’m glad I decided to continue fighting until the end of the semester. Whatever you’re going through right now, remember that it is just a piece of a puzzle. In the end, it all fits together. Those little things that brought me down this semester could be just a preparation for more challenges.

There will be greater challenges for sure. But I know that when I come face to face with those challenges, I will always have friends like Tin2x to help me see the bigger picture and I always have God to make it the best picture ever.

I thank God for another wonderful episode of my life. I thank GPP for another semester of friendship. Happy sem break everyone!

SOLVE

In doing Accounting problems...

S  strengthen your foundation
O   overcome panic
L    love what you do
V    value time and details
E    expose yourself to more problems