Faithfully

If God weren't there for me, I wouldn’t be here now writing this post. If God didn’t send His only begotten Son to die for me on the cross, I’d never be with my husband building a home. If God didn’t remain faithful to me, I might’ve committed suicide years ago. These are “what ifs” but these prove the fact that God is working in my life from the day I was conceived in my mother’s womb up to this day and as a song tells, “He knows each and every one of us long before we were formed.”

Each story in the Bible tells what God has done to its characters. Even the renowned parables found in the book of Proverbs speak of wisdom which we believe all came from God.

 Some time in my 24 year of existence, it came to my mind to wonder if God was just an illusion. Is He only a make-up figure formed by the Bible? Is He only a living person whom the writers of the books idolized and they would like to pass their beliefs from generation to generation? Is He really true? Is God really there?

Atheists would say, “How can these so called-Christians believe and pray to this God whom they couldn’t see?”, “How could they be so devoted when all they know about their God only came from this book which they refer to as their Bible?”.

Philippines is one of the Christian countries and was recognized for its account of having different denominations from all over the world. So, clearly in words and in print that not only me, not only my family, friends and relatives believe that there really is a God. It may be in different religions, God may be called in varying names but it all goes thru a narrow road leading to one creditor – still, God.

The heart is the one who’s responsible for a man’s emotions & feelings. Yet, it is one of the most possible entry of infections same as our minds or brains. What this world is giving us affects what we think, what we feel and what we do. When I reached my age of having the capacity to understand bits and pieces of life; God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit is already instilled in my mind, in my heart and in my whole being.  This is not because my parents were Christians, not because I’m a pastor’s kid and it’s already beforehand and because I grew up with people who believed in God, not because I need to follow what was the belief of my family. The sole thing is my faith that God truly exists. If there is no God, there’s nobody writing this.

Do Not Put this Joke on Me

Sinabi  mo pa. Hindi nga tlaga biro ang maging anak ng pastor. Alagad ng Dios at ng simbahan ang ama/ina mo. Lahat ng mata ng miyembro ng simbahan nakatingin sayo. Pag dami mo achievements may napapahanga, meron ding iba sasabihing, ‘anak kasi ng pastor kaya magaling.’ Pag may mali ka ika’y pinag-uusapan na, sasabihin na ‘anak siya ng pastor, bakit ganon ang ginawa niya? Dapat alam niya ano ang tama at ano ang mali.” Tama ba naman yon? Ikaw yata ginagawa nilang center of attraction? O center of ----?

I didn't post this to raise an issue. I’d like to give two thumbs up to my fellow Ministers’ Kids/Pastors’ Kids all over the world. I may not have met each one of you but I believe we share the same kind of sentiments of why we were being treated differently yet very grateful that we are the instruments used by our God to help our parents in ministering unto others.

I am the first-born of a pastor-teacher couple. My mother had given up her teaching profession to be at full-support to his husband, my father, who at that time was being destined from one place to another to pioneer churches. Before I turned two, my father was then set to host the Mother Church of the whole wide-Bukidnon Assembly of God at Kalilangan. The said place is also my mother’s home town so we didn't have a hard time adjusting with the environment and with the people because we were almost all blood-related. Together with my parents & my two younger brothers; we settled, matured & grew up within the portal of the church. I didn't feel obliged but I've been mandated to be always at hand whenever there were activities and events. It’s as if my presence was a must when church affairs were being presented. I was expected to be the leader of those within my age bracket; I was also the one representing my batch and even the juniors and that I must be mindful and always alert of the good conducts of those who were leading ahead of me for me to follow. Well, I guess, and also believe, it was my ‘function’.

Being a pastor’s kid is my privilege, I’d say. I am very privileged to be a part of the continuous works of the Lord Almighty who uses people like my parents & my family to spread His word & to lead His herds. I remember I’ve had always stuck in my head that not all kids have the chance to be called and tagged a ‘PK’ or an ‘MK’. A few were chosen. And, it’s not that easy as some people think it is. Many years ago I read a card given to my father from a visiting Bible student in our church. There was her line saying, “…I pray that God will strengthen your kids as they grow up especially that all eyes were preying on pastors’ kids like us. It’ll be hard at times.” The letter-sender is a pastor's kid too.

Some people think ministers’ kids must come to perfection. That mistakes must be minimal. Or should I say, there should be no mistakes. These people can’t be blamed for they look to the first family of the church as examples, models and next to God. I would like to say that pastors’ kids are not exempted from the Earth’s revolving around the sun. We are like some kids over the streets and kids strolling in the park. We eat same foods as other kids have on their tables; we dress like other kids to go to school and to attend Sunday schools. We ain’t that ‘somebody’ because we are all of the same kind. Yes, we are expected to behave in such a manner that we are cloned to, but to judge us all the way because of our personal faults, I think is irrational and unfair.

On different matters, pastors’ kids are not (all) born rich. My family’s finds all started with my father’s church honorarium, love gifts & offerings and those which were handed to us personally by church members who have seen our needs. Not all churches could give their pastors a wealthy life to live with. It’s a general knowledge that ministers and pastors live within the means of the church and its members. My father was & is doing sidelines (farming, selling, sewing and etc.) to cover up our finances in able to send me and my brothers to school. His honorarium alone would just be solely enough for food on our table. It really grips my heart whenever we have pastors with families visiting us who seldom see better food and clothes inside their homes. Their kids are being forced to work instead of having education because their parents can’t afford to pay for it. Ang iba napapariwara kasi hindi matugunan ng mga magulang nila ang mga demand at gusto nila sa buhay (which I believe is not a valid reason at all para magkaganon sila). When I see a pastor’s daughter having the same body size like mine or smaller, the next thing I’d do is to open my closet and choose among my clothes and shoes which ones I'm willing and glad to give. It still crumples my inner self when I see smiles appearing on the faces of these less fortunate pastors and their families upon receiving help and assistance from people who feel for them. Yes, prayer is the best gift we can give to a person for that person to be blessed. But, let’s be honest with ourselves, without money and material things – one CANNOT survive in this kind of world. Our physical body is God’s temple; it is the dwelling of our soul. Let’s not allow Satan (poverty) to diminish what was being given to us to take care of.

BODY and SOUL should be given priority, it applies to everyone. All pastors’ kids are STILL human. None of them is GOD. Let’s not pinpoint. Every PK or MK has her/his own life. He or she is also prone to stumble while running & walking for life and for God.

Facing My Critics

Living in this world won’t be complete without people tailing your back, tagging there selves intently in your life to nag, to give out vicious feedback about what you did and said and to satisfy their egos by just simply letting you feel you’re being unwanted. Others do it the right way, criticizing to help and reconstruct what was being made and done in ways they don’t approve or they don’t believe is correct. To criticize is to correct, not to destruct. Criticism could be treated one way or another. It may be hard to get along with some people who wish to be a part of your world by insinuating things you had omitted.

Being human with many ups and downs in life, I had tasted sumptuous criticisms from people who saw me incomplete, a mess and not in shape. A few were nice and slow to voice-over and gave reviews and mostly (I say) concentrated on where ‘they think’ I screwed up which made me irate and uncomfortable with them. Constructive criticism should be helpful, does not insinuate and does not insult. Destructive and negative knocker is not a bright idea when one opts to lend a hand by saying hurtful things in an analyzing and nice manner.

Let’s find out how Jesus dealt with conflict when He was on Earth.

*Jesus loved people. “Jesus tried to please those whom He came in contact but, He didn’t try to please in every way. He wouldn’t go with them into evil.” It’s hard to please everybody and we cannot please everybody. Each single person has his/her own standards and one cannot do all the demands and desire of all people - alone.

*Jesus learned the hard lesson of silence and patient endurance. Persecutors are ugly, but Christianity loses when a Christian turns ugly in response. In Matthew 5 Jesus said “Love your enemies. Do well to those who hate you.” I recall the days when I felt I was abused and maltreated by sour words. I had wanted to give them a duel even a dogfight but I chose not to. It’s like, better be silent than to lose control and give way to what Satan desires – hostility and unkindness. I contained myself and prayed. Later, it all went good.

               
“When you refuse to fight with the weapons of your attackers, it seems like shameful defeat to the onlooking world. But the onlooking Christ wipes a tear-trickle from the corner of His eyes and smile for triumph.” Hayaan mo silang magalit sayo, kamuhian ka, i-condemn ka. Huwag kang papatol kasi mas lalaki yung gulo. Let your silence do the talking and let God work in ways and the rest.

*Jesus prayed for His persecutors. Again in Matthew 5 He commands “Pray for those who persecute you.” He practiced what He preached. “Father, forgive them” He gasped between spasms of crucifixion pain (Luke 23:34). The Deacon Stephen, Jesus’ follower cried in Acts 7:60 as football-size stones slammed into His body “Lord! Do not hold this sin against them.” What an act! An act of kindness, an act of consideration, an act of love, an act of being Godly, an act of being a true Christian.

               
I had trouble doing this for people who got me wounded, for those who had hurt me and humiliated me but as I digest the command of Christ I learned how to pray for them.

             

I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. -Booker T. Washington