Gratitude in Every Task: Remember Our Main Goal!

I was sitting in the corner sometime in May 2024 at a beach resort. It was already night, and swimming at the beach was no longer permitted. Some chose to swim in the pool, others feasted, and some gathered to talk. After all, it had been a long time since they had seen each other.

As I sat there, I overheard a mother talking about her son, who was complaining about the hardships of his chosen career. What she said to her son (in Tagalog) caught my attention: "Alam mo anak, matalino talaga ang Diyos. Hindi Niya ginawang ganito lahat. Isipin mo kung businessman lahat na nagpapayaman, sino na gagawa nito?" ("You know, my child, God is truly wise. He didn’t make everyone the same. Imagine if everyone were a businessman trying to get rich—who would do all the other work?") and so on.

Each time I remember this, as I do today, I thank and praise God for His great and infinite wisdom, which cannot even be described as simply 'far better' than ours.

I often hear people complain about many things—whether at work, school, or in life, feeling they deserve better. And, well, there have been times when I have complained too, even if I didn’t voice it out. I’d be a hypocrite if I said I had never complained in my whole life.

Looking back, I realize that most of my complaints were the result of ungratefulness. Yes, life often feels unfair—work can be challenging, chores can be exhausting, and people may treat us unjustly and even talk behind our back. But what can we expect from a fallen world? What can we expect when, by nature, we chose to do evil, as demonstrated by Adam and Eve (Gen. 3)? While it is okay and normal to feel challenged and face moments of hardship that lead to disappointments, frustrations, and a sense of unfairness, we must always remember that all of life is but mercy and grace.

This truth should remind us to embrace our tasks and difficulties with a heart of gratitude, trusting in God’s plan. Ecclesiastes 3:9 and the following verses remind us of the universal truth that each of us has a God-given task that we must take pleasure in. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, we are asked to do all things for God's glory. To emphasize, especially if you are a professing Christian, we are called to work out our salvation by all means—by every faculty and aspect of our lives, such as doing our jobs faithfully and submitting to authority and earthly masters, as long as what they ask of us doesn’t go against God's Word. We are to endure all things, to do everything without grumbling or complaining—not to contribute to our salvation, for it is all by grace (Eph. 2:8)—but so that others may see the light and hope that is in us, . . . in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation (Phil. 2, Eph. 6).

What comfort and peace there is when we learn to fully trust Him, whose thoughts and ways are far higher and infinitely greater than ours (Isa. 55:8-9), with everything; and entrust to Him our everything.

Give it all to Him. As Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Our main goal is to make Jesus shine in all that we do and give glory to Him. Everything else is secondary and should still fulfill the main goal.

Finally, "Remember this: Had any other condition been better for you…", the Lord, in His mercy, would have placed you there. 

Photo retrieved from pinterest.com

A Morning Thought

Once again, I found myself experiencing sleep paralysis. Lying in bed, I felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation, as if someone were trying to take my life. I couldn't move, despite my desperate desire to escape. It was a restless night. As morning arrived, I prayed and reflected on my experience—a morning thought:

Yesterday could have been my last,

Yet by grace, this present day I see.

New mercies because of Christ—

Grant, Lord, that I may draw nearer to Thee.

*** (Ps. 118:24, Lam. 3) 💝 

Photo by Think Positive Power via facebook.com

Thank you, Lord.

Memory of a Friend: A Reflection on Life

About a week ago, I learned that a friend of mine, whom I had connected with since college, had passed away. Although we were only connected online, I was truly saddened. She was around my age. Despite being active and staying positive, her body was too weak to overcome the disease.

For privacy’s sake, I can’t share her face,
But this rubber duck of hers captures our friendship’s pace.

Her passing reminded me of the inevitability of our lives—that at any moment, it could also be taken from us. We never know when our time will be over. Ecclesiastes 9 says that death comes to all, and Hebrews9:27 tells us that it is appointed for us to die once, and after that comes judgment.

While a disease like cancer is seen by many as a dreadful affliction, to die apart from Christ is the greatest misery of all.

However, those in Christ have nothing to fear as Jesus said (John 11:25-26), "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die."