in the name of love

ben

"Why can't you love me fully? Why is it that you've been living with the ghost of your past? He will never come back anymore. Here I am giving my heart and my everything. Please, open the other side of your heart," Ramon begged like a captive man in front of his girlfriend, Blessilda.

Ramon had no idea who took Blessilda's heart for almost 5 years now. He had no clue as to the real identity of this man whom he believed had sliced out a half of Blessilda's heart. 

"He's coming back to town. He is the one who calls me often at home but I never answer him even once. I respect you so I never pick up his call. I heard from a common friend that he's arriving in town 2 days later. He said he would visit me. Is it possible?" Blessilda looked at Ramon's eyes with much sincerity.

The day had passed and finally, Blessilda met the one who owned the other piece of her heart. Clandestinely, Ramon went to their rendezvous. His energy plunged down as he saw the man who captured the other half of Blessilda's heart. He couldn't believe in his eyes that he saw this very familiar man. With mixed emotions, he went back home thinking  of how to win over his competitor--his brother, Rodrigo.

If you were Ramon, would you still pursue Blessilda? Would you fight against your brother in the name of love?

pastoring

ben

When pastors or ministers go abroad or shift to another vocation, they think of their own family or cause. It is maybe a personal desire wanting to have a better life for their own sakes and families. Sometimes, they go abroad also because of a personal issue they have towards their members or organization. They flee from issues thinking that these could bring chaos in the church which they would not like to see or happen.

On the other hand, other ministers go abroad for the purpose of ministering to other Christians. Moreover, there are pastors and ministers who change their jobs which is not pastoring a church because they want to penetrate into the secular world spreading the good news about Jesus Christ. Some pastors go into politics aiming to at least introduce Christianism. Some enter in companies so they could share the Word of God to the businessmen or their colleagues. 

Pastors and ministers may go into other lines of duty but what matters most is their intention to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to many.

do we hide failures?

ben

This morning I was able to learn a business scandal. It is about  this Olympus which has been 'hiding losses' in the market for almost 2 decades already. This camera builder firm is now heavily clouded by revelations and is worried of delisting because of its plunging shares. This is business. Now, how about in real life? Do we hide losses?

Life is full of battles. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. We rejoice over our winnings but we hide our loses. It is easier to manage life when we win, therefore, it is difficult to cope with life when we lose. How do we manage loses?

Always think that in life, not in everything we do we win. Sometimes, failure comes our ways and we should learn to accept them. We should acknowledge failure as a part of a battle. We should owe ourselves to failure because this is our drive to pursue more and better. In failure, we should feel the urge, determination and inspiration to aspire more in our chosen path or career, or maybe in a different path we want to tread on . When we are weak we know the value of strength. It is also safe to say that when we experience failures we know the importance of success.

Sometimes we hide failures but as we hide them we should learn from them at the same time.

unchangeable

ben

When I was younger, I used to jump so high believing that I would stand taller than now but still, I am the shortest in my clan. I always think, "What if I were taller, would it make any difference?"

Maybe, when I stand higher, I would be doing many things. I may be in the fashion industry, or a basketball player. I also dreamed of being on TV or in commercials. I may not be doing what I am doing right now. I may be in another field.

There are things that you want to change in your life but you cannot simply because they are unchangeable. There are things that you wish to do or become and they only reside at the back of your mind. In life, some things look so impossible and you just need to live with them.

Insecurity arises when you think that others can do things and you cannot or others have this and you don't have the same. You feel it when you compare yourself to others minding that you are lesser than them. Sometimes, you even question your Maker why you were created like what you are now.

Insecurity is worthless. There is no problem with who you are even if you are short, flat-nosed, or thin-haired. The problem lies in the way how you think and react to it. You are unique. You have your own potentials. There are things that you can do while others cannot and vice versa. Focus on your 'goods' not on the things that make you feel self-less and shabby. Stop thinking of any problems that don't really exist.

check your attitude!

ben

Stereotypes are ideas we hold onto people whom we think different from us based on observation which tend to become oversimplifications especially on attitude and appearance. The feeling of being superior over someone which leads us to coin some words or thoughts to him or a group-- that is also stereotyping . Most stereotypes are bad which disregard the uniqueness of someone by painting everyone in a group the same brush. Meanwhile, let's test if you do stereotyping often. Here are some and if you do one of these, you may be stereotyping:

***You read news and you associate the topic to someone.

***You look at someone ugly and you associate him to an animal or a scary entity.

***You see a funny and grotesque gesture or action and you associate it to someone who likely does sometimes or often.

***You crack a joke which is associated to someone whether in a small or big group.

***You label someone badly because of his attitude without giving him another chance.

***You only look at someone's color especially on your preference of the whites or the fairs and not the blacks or darks.

And more...

Which of these is true to you? Do you often stereotype? Do you label someone, whether in words or in deeds? Check your attitude!

sanity

ben

Looking at the ceiling...
There is something missing...
Cannot understand my feeling...


Bring me back...
To the times when love was strong and staunch...
Don't leave me in this haunt...

Let this blanket soothe my loneliness...
Let this room steal my blueness...
Let this silence swallow my sanity...

hand-to-mouth

ben

When it rains, it pours.

Yesterday, food was really extravagant. I was alone yet the food I prepared was good for more than a dozen. I had this eagerness to cook so I excitedly put all the food ingredients in the pan. After dinner, I had a big burp that even my neighbors could hear.

I don't have a refrigerator. The left-overs were literally left on the table. Today, as I come home from work, the food's smell has turned sour. Too bad the food stinks and is inedible. As I throw them to the thrash bin, suddenly, I think of the people in my hometown who can't afford to eat even just a meal.

Food is scarce to these families who live a hand-to-mouth existence. Sometimes, the mothers collect some decent left-overs from fast food chains to be served on the plates of their children for dinner. I can imagine some happy little ones biting fried chicken left-overs.

I really feel bad. It is not my fault why they don't eat what I eat. But it tears my heart into two when I see myself throwing away the food which maybe the same food being served on the dining table of these families. I don't want to think that I am lucky and they are not. What if I am on their shoes, can I afford to eat their left-overs?

ending means learning

ben

Many people ask me how to end up a relationship. I believe,  in most cases, relationships that turned sour have bad endings. Though it really hurts but sometimes, ending a relationship means learning--to grow and mature. Here is an excerpt of a breaking off letter given to my ex-girlfriend:

...I don’t mind about all my efforts and sacrifices. As long as I have shown you the real me, I have nothing more to say; I have nothing more to prove. Starting all over again is not that bad. For when I restart, I get another chance to make things right. I had become a better person when I was with you. I learned many things from and with you. I am going to cherish everything about you and us. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for once, twice, many times, making my life more colorful...


P.S. Don't be bitter.

a good leader

ben

A good leader knows prudence not violence.

A good leader magnifies solutions not problems.

A good leader takes no side. If he does, he should keep it surreptitiously.

A good leader accepts defeat and retreat.

A good leader respects mediocrity but aspires excellency.

not all people are like you

ben

"If people only think the way I do..."

But no.

People are diverse. They have their own ways of thinking. They have their own personal points of view toward something. No matter how hard or detailed we explain things, still, people have their own perception about a matter.

Meanwhile, the good thing about diversity is that we could use it in unity. When diverse views are gathered together, it would be fair and wiser to decide on a matter. Unilateral decision is avoided when diversity is present. 

Not all people think like you. Not all people are like you.

exodus

ben

Exodus?

It is the second book in the Bible. It means a departure of people from a hostile environment. It also connotes an escape or a withdrawal.

I have my own.

When I first knew the meaning of this word, I couldn't help myself from asking: When would I get out from this self? 

There are times that I feel breathless like I am immersed and succumbed in water that I cannot get air to breathe. All I do is to please the people around me. I make them happy as they instruct me what to do for their own sake.  I play the role they want me to be. 

People are selfish. They don't consider the feelings of others. They just want to extract other's pulp until it dries up.

Why people always want to get what they want from me? This is not me. I want to take off the mask they mount on my face. Let me have my exodus. Let me dress the one that I like not the costume they want me to wear. I want to be myself. I want to be me.

forgetfulness sent a couple to jail

ben

A  pregnant mom and her husband were arrested because they forgot to pay their snack while grocery shopping. The couple was charged with fourth-degree theft and a petty misdemeanor. They were also summoned by the court at the end of this month. Their ordeal lasted for 18 hours and were allowed to be released with a bail of $50 each. To top it up, their 2-year-old daughter who was in a state custody spent a night without her parents.

Can you imagine the repercussions of forgetfulness? 

When you are at grocery stores, never forget to pay for whatever you buy or eat inside. It would really be horrifying if the guards handcuffed you just for something you forget to pay. It is embarrassing to people especially to your loved ones who would know the incident.

Do you want to get to jail just for a small item in a grocery store? Well, if you want to exchange an item to a night or two behind bars, it is up to you.