Cinderella Made Me Cry

It was the Cinderella Story* in Max Lucado’s “A Gentle Thunder” that I was reading this morning…

I think I wasn’t really reading it intently (adv. with eager attention; concentrated) because I was just actually reading out loud to practice English accent. (hehe) But the fact that what I was reading was the story of God’s GREAT LOVE, my heart felt it and I cried. I just couldn’t escape the reality of HOW GREAT THE LOVE OF GOD IS!

*Let me share with you the story…

Kenny and his family just returned from Disney World. He and his family were inside Cinderella’s castle packed with kids. Suddenly all children rushed to one side – Cinderella had entered!

Cinderella. The pristine princess. A gorgeous young girl with each hair in place, flawless skin, and a beaming smile. She stood waist-deep in a garden of kids, each wanting to touch and be touched.

For some reason Kenny looked toward the other side of the castle. It was now vacant except for a boy whose body is disfigured. Dwarfed in height, face deformed, he stood watching quietly and wistfully, holding the hand of an older brother.

Don’t you know what he wanted? He wanted to be with the other kids, reaching for Cinderella, calling her name. But can’t you feel his fear, fear of yet another rejection? Fear of being taunted again, mocked again?

Don’t you wish Cinderella would go to him? Guess what? She did!

She noticed the li’l boy and immediately began walking in his direction. She walked across the floor, knelt at eye level with the stunned li’l boy, and placed a kiss on his face.

Familiar story? Remember Jesus hanging on the cross with the thieves?

Different names but almost the same story Rather than a Disney princess, we have the Prince of Peace. Rather than a boy in the castle, there was a thief on the cross. In both cases, a gift was given and love was shared. The lovely one performed a gesture beyond words. But Jesus did so much more than Cinderella.

What Cinderella gave was only a kiss. When she stood to leave, she took her beauty with her and the boy was still deformed. But what did Jesus do? Isaiah tells us:

53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities
       and carried our sorrows,
       yet we considered him stricken by God,
       smitten by him, and afflicted.

53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
       he was crushed for our iniquities;
       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
       and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus gave more than a kiss – he gave his beauty.

He paid more than a visit – he paid for our mistakes.

He took more than a minute – he took away our sin.

NO! Actually, it was not Cinderella who made me cry.

It was the Holy Spirit who reminded me the great love of God!

*A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado. pp86-87

Bless The Broken Road (Selah)

Bless The Broken Road

I set out on a narrow way, many years ago
Hoping I would find true love, along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn’t see how every sign, pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were just northern stars
Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
And led me straight to you

Now I’m just rolling home
Into your loving arms
This much I know, is true
That God blessed the broken road
And led me straight to you
That God blessed the broken road
And led me straight to you

The Butterfly Won’t Go…

 I was saddened by my last blog about amber. Hindi na ulit ako magsusulat ng sad blog! San ko ba nakukuha yon? But this morning’s incident made me really happy. 

I was lying in bed this morning when I noticed my two tiny friends on the arc of my bed. My sleepy mode instantly turned to a “laugh trip.”

Then I texted my blog reader.

JackyJeck: Hey! Sbi mo let the butterfly go. Alam mo bng may 2 aq butterfly na magnet d2 s bed q? 1purple,1blue. Ano? “Itatapon ko na ung blue?” hahaha!

FGR: hahaha! Loka… u let t free nman dba? pero it sticks u. nka magnet eh. Kusang loob na magstay sau. Pangitain yan. Hehe..haha!!

WOW! That means even if I let the butterfly go, IT WON’T GO! KASI NAKA-MAGNET!  hahahahaha!!!!! ^,^

Then I realized… Since I moved to this boarding house, my li’l friends always fly (down to my roommate’s bed. It’s been a while (3 months na) na hindi sila lumilipad.

Let the butterfly go…

AMBER,

I know what kind of pain you’re going through right now. I understand why you have sleepless nights. You are in pain because your treasure was taken away from you by your ‘friend.’ No matter how hard you would cry, nothing would change. Good old days would not come back. He is no longer your friend. Stop holding on to those good memories, they belong to the past.

Move on… Save your tears. Is he really worth it? A friend of mine once told me:

"We can’t appreciate a butterfly if we keep it in our hands. We have to let it fly and enjoy. If the rain comes and it flies back to us, then it’s ours to keep."

My friend, I am telling you this because I love you. I have seen and I have felt your pain. Let him go. Move on…

*Jeck*

Goodbye Egypt… Canaan Here I Come!

The Lord destined us to leave the bondages of sin in Egypt and live a fruitful life (John 10:10) in the Promise Land. He wants us to live a life of worship but the Pharaoh of Egypt doesn’t want us to go. God wants us to live our lives fully for His glory but the Pharaoh wants us to compromise.

The book of Exodus tells us how God commanded Moses to lead the people to "journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD." (Exodus 5:1,3) But, the Pharaoh’s heart was hardened (this is because through this, the people will see the many mighty acts of God).

In Exodus 8:28, Pharaoh let the people go but said, "you must not go very far." As if it was the devil saying, "Okay, you may go. But don’t be carried away too much. On Sundays, you may go to church, but during weekdays, I still want to see you." But my dear fellow Christian, the moment we received the Lord, we are called "Ambassadors of Christ." People would come to know Christ by reading the living Bible we are. It’s time to say NO to mediocrity, NO to half-hearted service. A time to say NO to his deceits to bring us back again to being slaves of Egypt!

After some plagues that had come to Egypt, Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the LORD." But Pharaoh answered, "No! Have only the men go." The scenario: YOU worshipping God in your church, while your children are watching cartoons at home; YOU ministering to God through your church while your parents are keeping themselves busy and their relationship ruined; YOU enjoying the felowship of other believers while your brothers/sisters are becoming a disgrace to your community. "AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD."

Okay, the Pharaoh was convinced he had to give in; but there was one more compromise: "Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind." No way satan! My livestock is my offering to the Lord. It is part of worshipping Him. I don’t wanna be like Ananias and Sapphira who died because of robbing the Lord. (Acts 5:1-10) It’s about time that I’ll be faithful serving God with my whole heart and with my whole tithe!

LEAVE EGYPT AND YOU’LL GET CLOSER TO THE PROMISED LAND.
LOVE EGYPT AND YOU WILL NOT SEE CANAAN.

***Excerpt from DFMI Sunday Sermon series.