Author: Danielle Lape

Just recently, I got into a situation where I felt like I was not being listened to. As I was sharing a story with my peers, I was constantly interrupted to the point where I felt very discouraged to carry on with what I had to say. Although they told me to finish my story, I felt like there was no point in doing so anymore. I thought: “well, if you did not want to listen to me the first time or the second, what is the point of repeating myself again?”

If you know me, I’m a pretty open book. I share my thoughts, my emotions, and my heart quite easily with those I feel most comfortable with. It does not take much to share whatever is on my mind. This can definitely be a blessing, but it can be a curse as well.

So as much as I wanted to hide the fact that I was upset, I couldn’t. My body language and the look on my face surely gave it away to my friends. As much as I tried, I couldn’t hide the fact that I was hurt.

After I took the time to calm down, I immediately felt a sense of guilt.
I thought to myself: Am I being dramatic? Is it wrong for me to feel this way? Am I not important enough that people do not want to listen to me?

I know that these were very petty and childish questions to ask however; I could not stop feeling this way.

At the very root of it all, I was just upset because I felt like I was being ignored. I was so excited to share my story, a story of God’s love in my life, but I was disappointed because it seemed like no one wanted to listen. I felt like I was not worth the time to be heard by my peers.

And then it dawned on me.

How many times have I done the same thing to God?
How many times have I ignored Him, when He so badly wanted to speak with me?
How many times have I been so distracted during my prayer time, during mass or during a household meeting because I was so busy thinking about my own life before taking the time to listen to the words of my Lord and saviour?

On another note, this situation made me realize that I too, am not perfect. I have personally made the mistake of making God feel unimportant; simply not giving him the time that He so rightfully deserves as well. I also reflected on how I need to better my listening skills. Often times I am in rush to figure out the perfect thing to say that I completely disregard what is being said to me.

Listening should not be like this though.

When we listen, we must learn to be attentive; to be fully present with the people we are conversing with. I still love my friends and know in my heart that it was not their intention to hurt me. And instead of holding a silly grudge on the situation, I look to God as a role model as He is someone who constantly forgives me whenever I (unintentionally) ignore Him.

I am quite thankful for this situation, as it has opened my eyes to realizing that I need to: one, improve on my listening skills and two, that I make mistakes and must be willing to learn to forgive as well.

I pray that I may learn to be more present in my conversations with God and that I be more alert whenever He speaks to me. Listening takes time and good self-disciple therefore, I hope that I practice these things so I can better respect God and grow to be a better listener for Him.

Amen.

Danielle Lape

“The first duty to love, is to listen.” – Paul Tillich

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”

 This past year has been about learning to do two things: Letting go, and letting God work in my life.

If I were to be completely honest with myself, I’ve struggled to do both due to my stubbornness and lack of trust in Him. So, when I heard these words during the gospel before I left the Philippines to go back home in Canada, I could not help but chuckle and thank God for this much-needed reminder.

If you read my previous blog post, you would know just how scared I was to travel to the Philippines. As funny as it may sound, I was afraid of going to ICON and GLS because of what I thought the Lord was going to reveal to me while I was there. I was worried that He would say something that I was not ready to hear or worse, not willing to hear. (This of course did not happen – check my latest post, hehe) This negative mentality made me very selfish. I told myself that if God were going to ask me to do something that I was not comfortable with, I would tell him to “wait,” and that I could not do it right now.

It was not until the very last week of my trip where I realized how silly this all was.

Before Mama Mary said “yes” to carrying Jesus in her womb, she was afraid of what Joseph, her family and her friends would say but she did it anyways because she BELIEVED in the TRUTH and was AFFIRMED in her calling.

When the disciples said “yes” to following Jesus, they knew that their lives were not going to be easy, that people would judge them and make fun of their decisions, yet they FOLLOWED Him anyways because they were FAITHFUL to Him.

And when each saint lived their lives, they PRAYED, FOUGHT and DEDICATED their entire being to God because they LOVED Him dearly and KNEW He’d carry them through it.

As a household head and Catholic, I tell my sisters and friends all the time to trust in God, to let Him into their lives completely but here I was, doing the complete opposite of what I would preach.

If we, sons and daughter of Christ, are called to live a life that is pleasing to God, one that Mama Mary, the disciples and all the saints lived, then we too, must then learn to SURRENDER our lives to Him. We must learn to let the Lord take control, to be obedient to his words and to follow Him every step of the way in life.

With that being said, we are called to also let go of all the things that bear no fruit in our lives. Yes, they may seem good at the moment and may give us comfort but without realizing it, these can also become the things that bring us further and further away from Christ .

Therefore, we must remove them so that we can make space for the things that bear rich, good fruit. Fruit that cultivates more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.

“You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.”

The priest’s homily that Sunday could not have come at a better timing. His words of wisdom made me reflect on all the things the Lord has asked me to let go off this past year. However, instead of thinking negatively on the situation and seeing it as if I had lost something, I felt like God was encouraging me to see this as an opportunity for me to grow so that I can become a better daughter and Catholic woman of Christ. But of course, this is only possible if I allow God to work fully into my life and if I continue to pray and discern His will for me every day.

My prayer this week is that I strive to be more open towards Christ. I pray that I learn to be more fearless, more patient, more faithful and loving towards Him. And that I learn how to not be so afraid of letting go of what gives me comfort, but eventually become more courageous in knowing that God’s got my back! Lastly, I pray that I no longer be frightened of the uncertainties of life, but more so embrace the journey that comes along with it.

Amen.

Danielle Lape

I was never one to find joy from nature.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional hike with my friends or driving down the scenic route with my family whenever we go on road trips but that is pretty much it. I never really took the time to stop, reflect, and take in all of nature’s beauty that is around me until I went on this trip to the Philippines.

After attending ICON and the Global Leader’s Summit in Makhati (downtown, Manila), my family and I were able to go to Lobo, Batangas for a mini-vacation. Even though I was born in the Philippines and have visited several times before, I never had the chance to visit this part of the island yet. Which is why I was super excited to go; everything was going to be new to me.

While we were there, we were able to do many amazing things but the one thing that stood out to me the most was actually the scenery around me.

Every day that I was there, I could not help but feel so joyful. I was in awe of how beautiful everything was – the bright green leaves on the palm trees, the large mountains in the distance on the beach and the amazing sunsets that I saw every night that filled the sky with beautiful hues of purple and red.

As I was looking at all of this, I started to reflect on how creative God is. I mean look at the nature around you! Every colour, every creature, every design that we see in the world around us was thoughtfully discerned for and created by God. How crazy is that?

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. – Psalm 19:1

Living in Canada I am not able to see a view like the one in Batangas every day which is why I wanted to take everything that I saw in. I kept saying to my family and friends, “wow, God is so good! I can’t believe I get to see this.”

The perfect scenery that surrounded me made me appreciate even more how amazing God is. God could have created the world in anyway He wanted. He could’ve rushed the process but instead He took His time, making sure, that everything He made was perfect and would reflect His image and likeness. God took his time cultivating the beautiful masterpiece that we call Earth.

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. – Genesis 1:31

I am beyond amazed at what I was able to witness and see while staying in Batangas and I am more grateful for the view that came along with it.

Thank You Lord for the blessing of being able to see the world in a whole new light. May I learn to be more considerate and respectful to the land you created. May I protect what you made and continue to admire Earth for the way it is.

Amen.

Danielle Lape

After months of waiting and days dreaming of what ICON would be like, I finally got the chance to attend my first ever YFC International Conference. (Insert happy face)

If you asked me how I felt days before I left Canada, you probably heard me say something along the lines of: “Oh, I don’t want to leave. I’m not ready to go just yet… I don’t think I’ll survive.”

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I was ungrateful about going to ICON but rather I was so scared to leave in fear of what was waiting for me in the Philippines. Deep down inside, part of me did not want to go because I was afraid of what the Lord would reveal to me while I was here.

I wasn’t expecting any extravagant messages to be proclaimed per se, it was just that I really did not know what to expect going into this conference. For all my family and friends that have attended an ICON before, they always spoke so highly of their experiences and would share grand stories of how God shared something special to them that I started to question what exactly God would reveal to me.

When I reflected on the possibilities, I often thought of something extreme like God is going to tell me: “You’re going to be nun!” (Still a possibility, but obviously if that’s the case I need to continue to discern more about it) or “You’re going to become a missionary (again, still a possibility, just need to continue to pray about it – well, basically for my vocations overall haha).

But instead of all of that, God reminded me of something so simple; something that I already knew but forgot.

At ICON, God told me that I am loved.

“My daughter you are loved. You are so loved.
To the depths of the ocean, to the highest peak of the mountains –
That is how much I love you.”

For the past year, I have forgotten how much God loves me that it started to affect how I treated others and more importantly myself.

For if I knew in my heart that I was 100% loved by God, I would not have questioned God’s plans for me or doubt my self-worth, or be so hesitant to go confessions nor would I choose to run away from Him whenever I felt angry or ashamed of myself.

As a Catholic and as a YFC leader, I know that this shouldn’t be something new for me to learn however, with all of the personal struggles that I have experienced this past year, I guess I forgot that to remember this simple but important message: that I am totally and completely loved by God.

Realizing this now, I see where I have failed God. I hope that I can learn to be more accepting of God’s love so that I may be able to let His love shine through me so I can spread God’s love to everyone I encounter.

I know that it may become difficult sometimes but I pray that I can look back at this ICON and remember the few words that God said to me.

Thank You Lord for this simple but beautiful reminder.
And most importantly, thank You for loving me!
Your love is truly everlasting.

Amen.

Danielle

Just a year ago I made a personal declaration statement at one of my area’s Leaders Assemblies.

At that particular leaders assembly many people from my household were not present because they were attending the 24th YFC international conference in the Philippines. I distinctly remember feeling so sad that I was not able to attend and be there with my friends to experience God along thousands of YFC members all around the world. I felt like I was missing out on something so good and to top it all off, I had a huge case of FOMO.

Despite feeling this way, I knew in my heart that it was not the right time for me to go. At the time I was still in school getting ready to write my 3rd year exams; I was not financially stable as I did not save any money to travel to the Philippines, and my heart was not in the right state at that moment.

AIlthough I really wanted to go I felt God whispering in my heart: “Not yet, my love.”
This was definitely not easy for me to accept but I knew I had to listen His voice and to be obedient to His words.

After the assembly, my friends (the ones who also were not able to go) and I turned to each other and declared that “next year, we ARE going to ICON.”
I didn’t think much after I made that statement but I told myself that with God’s grace, I was going to make it happen no matter how difficult the process was going to be.

Fast forward to a year later, here I am sitting in my uncle’s car on the way to the 25th YFC international conference. I can’t believe that I am actually able to write those words out in this post because it’s still all so surreal to me. Just a year ago this was all a dream, a wish, a prayer to God.
It hasn’t fully hit me yet but since being here all I can think about is just how good God has been to me leading up to this moment.

When I declared that I would be going to ICON last year I did not realize how fruitful of a journey this would be.
Of course, the preparations of coming here was not always easy ( I had to work 6-7 days a week during my Christmas break, I had to fast track my studies to ensure that I would graduate on time, and I had to sacrifice attending some events back home so I could come here) but I can’t complain because God has never left my side, in fact He has carried me through the entire journey.

Since I’ve been here I have been so amazed at how great God is.
I know now that it was the right decision to wait and to continue to lift up my desires of going to ICON to Him.
Now, a year later, I can truthfully say that I am at peace with this decision and that I am in a state where I am able to fully accept God and His love for me more lovingly and faithfully.

I cannot wait to join the other international and local delegates in just a few hours. Praise God for this opportunity to be able to attend ICON and to visit my first home with some of my close friends.

God you are so good.
God you are so great.
God you provide.

May I continue to bring You the glory you deserve this weekend. May Your name be lifted high forever and ever!

Amen.

Danielle M. Lape

Since November of 2017, every time that I find myself at an adoration chapel or I am in a quiet place of reflection, this hymn keeps popping up in my mind as I pray. You may be familiar with it. It goes something along the lines of:

“What do you want of me, Lord? Where do you want me to serve You?”
(The Servant Song)

Hmm. Serving God.

Where does God want me to serve Him?

This has been a burning question that I have been asking God and myself for the past several months. And every time I asked or sought out an answer from Him, all I would hear was pure silence.

Does God want me to serve Him in the church? For the church? In my family? In CFC-Youth or on campus only?
These were questions I kept asking God and because I felt like I was not getting an answer, I grew quite impatient and frustrated with Him.

However, just recently (literally earlier today) a dear sister of mine shared an inspiring quote that has answered, or at least has opened my eyes to understand where the Lord has been calling me to.

The quote says: “Instead of having to try to figure everything out, try to figure out this: How am I going to serve the Lord today? How am I going to make the most of this moment, with what He has already given me?” (Morgan H. Nichols)

As soon as I read this I realized that maybe the reason why I did not get an answer from God was because I was asking all the wrong questions. Instead of asking where does God want me to serve, I should have been asking Him, how.

As disciples and followers of Christ, we should not become so fixated on where God wants us to serve because frankly, God calls us to serve wherever we are! If we keep worrying about the “where” when it comes to service, we will eventually make excuses to not serve in that particular area anymore telling God “oh, it’s too far; too scary; it’s out of my comfort zone,” and so forth.

Rather, we should be taking the time to reflect on how we can serve God to the best of our abilities. We should also try our best to use what we already have and own to serve Him more fruitfully. Such as using our God-given talents, exercising our strengths and even taking the time to develop and work on our weaknesses when serving Him. At the end of the day, we should be continuously lifting all of this up to God as we serve.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:10

There is no specific requirement that we need in order to become a servant of God either. God calls all types of people to serve Him but only if we are willing and open enough to accept this calling of ours.

With that being said, let us ask God for the wisdom, compassion, and faith that we need to be the true servants God calls us to be. Let us also not spend so much time focusing on where God is calling us to serve but rather ask Him how we can serve Him better every day.

Thank You, Lord for this simple reminder and for calling me to serve You in the big and small ways! May I continuously grow in courage so that I may be able to serve you more faithfully, especially as I begin this new journey of becoming an MVA (Omg, I’m an MVA!)

Amen.

– Danielle M. Lape