As a mom, it is but natural for me to want to give my children things. Nice things. Of course I give them lots of love & attention, but my spiritual gift is giving. I am happiest when I am giving. To others, but especially to my children. I love seeing the delight in their eyes when I am able to give them gifts even on no special occasions.

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In Christianity, spiritual gifts are endowments which may be given by the Holy Spirit. These are the supernatural graces which individual Christians need to fulfill the mission of the church. They are described in the New Testament, primarily in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. 1 Peter 4 also touches on the spiritual gifts. The gifts are related to both seemingly “natural” abilities and seemingly more “miraculous” abilities, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

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I want to take them places & travel around the world. I want to give my babyson a new car, my Ate a condo for a halfway home. I want to give my Lovey a great 18th birthday party. I want to invest in properties to take care of our family so Kap doesn’t have to work so hard. Want, want, want. I want so many things that I was becoming materialistic. And my goal was not to store riches in heaven anymore, but on earth.

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Someone is turning 18 this year & I was really dead set on giving him something wonderful. But God has other plans. And this is maybe.. too much too soon? One day..

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Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal”; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

A couple of weeks ago, I really thought we were set for life. All my hopes & dreams were laid in this one basket. I was already counting on what I would get for each of them & for the family, so we can take it easy. So Kap can finally take it easy. But things don’t go as planned. Sometimes, God has a way of pulling you back down to earth when you’re so high & full of yourself that what really matters takes a back seat to what’s in your line of vision.

Even until now, the kids still catch me staring into space from time to time, dumbfounded. Still shell-shocked with how fast my plans have crumbled into nothingness. It was so real that I could taste it. So the fall was pretty painful, the cut deep.

Last Sunday at church. God talked to me..

Isaiah 55: 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”—

Dear God, I don’t ask You to make my life easier. But I ask You to give me the strength to face all my troubles. In Jesus’ name.

In my ambition for my kids & my family, I got derailed. I saw blessings in another form when in fact God’s ultimate blessings were right in front of me. Kap, even though I always went head on without his knowledge & blessings, always stood by me & saves me unceasingly from myself. He is the calm to my storm, and is always there ready to pick me up when I fall. A ready shoulder to cry on. He is my biggest blessing.

The kids, even though I couldn’t give them the things I promised, still pointed out to me that our family is what matters. They didn’t play the blaming game, instead, they lifted me up the best that they could & comforted me. Last Sunday in church, as they always do, they gathered around me & took me in their arms as we sang the hymn of praise. I cried. Why did I ever think that what we had wasn’t enough? I can live without material things, but I can’t live without my family. And God pointed this out to me.

Proverbs 3: 5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;” 6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”—

Coming from a strong-willed, female-led family, I always took it upon myself to do the right thing, do what I think is best for our family when in fact as a wife, I should follow, and not lead.  This is Kap’s constant struggle in our relationship, and yet he always forgives & understands. I was making plans FOR him, not WITH him. And now, God has humbled me.

Ephesians 5: 22 “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” 23 “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” 24 “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

I am still smarting, I am still hurting. But like my Lovey told me amidst my sea of tears, “Mommy, your hopes & dreams aren’t gone. They are just put on hold. God will give it to you in His perfect time.” She then sent me this..

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When did you get so smart, baby of mine? Thank you for being my rock. <3

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Father, I believe that through my frustrations, my failures, my mistakes, You are doing something in me. You are making me better. I will bless more people. My story is not yet done. You are at work in my life. I declare my dreams will come true in Your perfect time in Jesus’ name.

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So now, hard as it may be, and even though I don’t seem to understand, I just have to lean back & let God do the driving. To learn to trust that God will never leave me nor forsake me. That He knows what’s best, and His best will come in His perfect time.

I Corinthians 2: 9 “but just as it is written, THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

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Trust & Obey. For there’s no other way..

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Lord I surrender to You every need, every problem, every dream. I ask You to be my Provider. My Miracle Worker. And I declare that Your dreams for my life will come true. In Jesus’ name. 

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Do I really need that bigger house when I already have a perfectly good home filled with love & laughter? Do I really need a new car when what we have serves the purpose? Do I really need to travel far & wide when I am already being blessed with opportunities left & right, getting me to places I’ve never been & letting me experience things I’ve never even expected in my wildest dreams?

I am thankful for eyes that can see the beauty of each & every day. I am thankful for the life that I get to spend with loved ones. I am thankful for the good health, the many blessings -big & small. And most of all, I am thankful for my family who loves me for ME, not what I can give them in exchange.

Thank you God for all Your grace. And forgive me for the times that I don’t see what is right before my eyes. <3

DO NOT WORRY..
Matthew 6: 25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

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Happy Mother’s Day! Congratulations to the winner of a Lunch or Dinner for 2 at Vikings Luxury Buffet!

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Congratulations RAIN MARASIGAN! 🙂 Please expect my email. I will send you your GCs as soon as possible. Enjoy your lunch or dinner with your mom any day of the week including holidays! Thank you for joining my raffle. <3

As for the SHORBS by Shorts Gourmet Manila raffle draw, CLICK HERE to see the names of the winners. I will contact you for a meet up. Thank you all so much for participating. :-*

I have a 1-year supply of coffee giveaway tomorrow. Thank you for your continued trust & patronage to SSEN. <3