THE NEXT ACT

“Never try to do anything that is outside of who you are. A forced smile is a sign of what feels wrong in your heart, so recognize it when it happens. Living a lie will reduce you to one.” ― Ashly Lorenzana Living with the truth makes life easier. I may have a much simpler life when I don’t falsify.   It is really hard to maintain a façade which makes me more appealing to a circle of people whom I want to belong.   I have learned that living a low maintenance life can be found when I am true to myself.   No façade.   No lying.   I am what I am and that’s it.   I will take the course where I am best at instead of taking somebody else’ course and fake it.   Again, covering a lie is a high maintenance.   Let nature takes its course in my true self.   True people will find true people. I have been in the road where I have been true to myself and in what I am good at and there were people who said otherwise and tried to claim the tru...

The story of Martha and Mary in John 11:17-40 is such a reminder to everyone that there is time to work and there is time to seat still. I have heard it every time and even just in my head that sometimes doing nothing is the best thing one can ever do at a moment. We have been introduced to wisdom that in order to win, we ought to push your limit. Yes it is absolutely true. This wisdom holds true all the time. However the question is what are you winning for? What are you trying to achieve? "I gotta finish painting the whole house until the sunset no matter what and so I gotta work double time," you say. And then you achieved with aching back and sore arms and you began asking, “Why in the world did I finish it wherein I still have all the time tomorrow? Now all I need to do is rest the whole night and I have no energy to spend quality time with my kid.” This reminds me of my fave book First Thing’s First. And it talks about priorities that are put into quadrants...

While my wife and my son were doing usual stuff in the living room, I thought of going to bedroom for some reason. I sat on the bed and saw the bible in the side shelves. I picked up and open a page. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are you when they reproach and persecute you, and while speaking lies, say every evil thing against you because of Me. – Matthew 5: 10-11. O yeah. These verses are what I need to get me going. There is a reason for me to be steadfast in doing good even in the midst of being persecuted at times. The reward is great because I am blessed. And then I prayed and asked God, “Have I done something to harm You or harm anyone?” I stayed quiet for a while. And then I said to myself, “I am ok.” I know that I have been transformed for the better for doing good. And then I went back and joined my family in the living room.

Have I been true to the title of the blog Random Thought? Although my recent blogs came out from my random thoughts, they do not look like they are random but rather well coordinated and most of the time deeper thoughts. Believe me, they came out random in the first draft and some of which have been picked out and organised to put in the blog in a coordinated way with good title. I believe in random thoughts because in writing in unguarded and unsupervised moment is where I know myself more. Again, have I been true? First draft, yes. Second and third draft, not quite. Maybe in order to stay living the title, the final draft should be a collection of variety of random thoughts in which I should not bother too much in how I connect them. Here goes. SUBCONSCIOUS The subconscious plays an important role in our lives even when we don’t know it. it is proven. Why are my fingers coordinated with what I think? What is the matter? Type. Type. Type. I know almost the keys in the keyb...

When someone would ask what the all-time favourite song of mine is, the first thing that comes to my mind is the song originally sung by Steve Green which was taken from the passage Philippians 1:6. “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to fulfil it.” What is my favourite passage? And my answer is obviously that passage. Why? Every time I get to read the passage or hear that song especially in the times that I’ve been tested, my eyes get to dazzle from a wee bit of moisture. It speaks of God of being so faithful that he will never live you till the end. Once you know through your gifts that God has started something for you to fulfil and you obediently do it, He assures you He will make way for you to fulfil it. You just need to be faithful and steadfast no matter what. Never give in. Never sway even in the midst of being tested. Don’t stoop down to the level of the wicked that make your undertaking a wee bit harder. You know what is true. And it is God-given truth. Hold on...

Babies get to consume milk for their sustenance. And then a stage comes when those baby foods which are a wee bit solid are introduced. And then the meat. There are stages in human life where the sustenance gets to be developed according to the ability to digest. Some people even though they are not babies anymore still drink milk. I drink milk. I love milk. I consume almost everyday. New Zealand has heaps of cows which produce milk. I learned from reading that humans are the only mammals who still drink milk in their adult life. Pets are exceptions because people feed them but if they have their choice, they naturally don’t. Once milk weaned, mammals stop drinking milk. Once Mummy (that’s how kiwis spell it) does not produce milk anymore, we got Formula. And then sometimes it becomes a habit forming for some children. Bottled milk becomes a comfort zone to some children. And then some children are a little bit picky with what they eat and parents got to be skilful and creative on how ...

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. Helen Keller I remember reading a book about true happiness. Find happiness in giving and STOP THERE! Period! Don’t expect anything out of giving. Finding happiness on your expectations on consequences of your good deed won’t work. It might lead to disappointment. True happiness is really in giving. And I am beginning to believe that again as I come across Miss Keller’s writing. It is hard sometimes because somehow we are selfish beings. Selfish means trouble and does not connote with gaining true happiness. It is more wonderful to say, “ I am happy because I did something good to a friend today” rather than “I am happy because my friend reciprocated what I did to him.” In the latter statement happiness depends on someone’s action. In the first statement, happiness depends on your action which you have all the choices in the world. ...

I visited Special Word website. This is what God said to me: "Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you."-Ephesians 4:29 I am at present moulding a habit that would find something good to say on anyone I would meet aside from saying “Hello”, “Hi”, “Good Morning”, “Gidday”.“Nice jacket you are wearing.”“That is a neat outfit.”“Congratulation with your presentation a while ago. You did a good job.”Those little add-ons to your greetings are just small nice comments but they might be a big positive impact to the receivers. Putting a smile on someone’s face due to praises can be a permanent file stored on someone’s memory that can be most of the time recalled. Praises can never be forgotten. They are always on the top file of the most visited folder of someone’s memory. File of praises are meant to be pulled out and be recalled when someone is down. Files of praises a...

If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis is one of my favourite authors of all time. The best selling book Mere Christianity has been an eye opener to me in terms of what Christians should be like. He wrote Chronicles of Narnia as a Children’s book but catered for adults considering the allegory behind the story: Aslan the Lion is a symbol of Jesus Christ being humiliated, died and rose in glory, the children (Human beings) who were being lured by the white witch (Satan). If you find the Disney Movie version boring or for kids’ stuff, try watching it again having in mind the allegory, you might appreciate it. The quotation is one of favourite lines in the book. It made me realized something. “So that’s why I have no satisfaction in this world.?” Do you ever wonder no one is contented in this world.? We always long for something. We alw...

An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from . Timothy Dexter Sometimes it’s hard to take it when you have been giving much effort and time to help out someone and still he/she is being ungrateful for the trouble. Yes, there is a good virtue in having the attitude of never expecting something in return on the good deeds you’ve done. Yet, I felt sorry for someone who seldom looks back on the one who’s done him/her a favour because he/she is too preoccupied on how he/she indulges his/her selfish motives. This reminds me a scene in a Rocky V, when retired Rocky disappointedly stared at his protégé who has been caught by too much ego which made him wanting to beat Rocky in a match. You never know what comes up with the human minds and intentions. You were exactly sure in a moment that he deserves your attention. Yet the next moment the wind blows and his attitude is tarnished. Nothing is really certain except God’s love. And t...