Mission: Intimacy with God

God calls us to be detached, but attached to Him.

Expecting, voids the trust in God’s plan.

We tend to seek comfort in others or in material things when we struggle or when we are challenged. I keep telling myself that I am not attached to the material world and if something got stolen it would not phase me, because I am not attached to those objects. However, I realized that I was attached to something else and this attachment may be a hindrance to loving God fully. The attachment to others and the feelings of comfort we expect from them.

How many times do we run to a family member for support and guidance when we are distressed and become disappointed when they can’t?
How many times do we ask a friend for advice or need them to be there when we need, but when they can’t we become upset?

But when we dwell on the fact that they, (our family, friends, significant others) are unable to follow through and we become upset, we forget who we should have turned to first; God. Our family, friends, and significant others are gifts from God…and when we do not turn to God first we sometimes forget that they are gifts and we become fixated on the negative emotions. But God does not want this for us!

In reflecting upon this I recognize that I am guilty of this countless of times and realize how ‘affectionate’ our God really is! How He wants me to turn to him first, to run to Him when I am in need. Being in mission reminds us that, it is truly you and God in the end. Away from all things, away from all friends and family…this is where God draws us even closer and where we are able to bring Him tighter.

Mission work is creating intimacy with God. When I am in mission it is the most personal you become with God, the most real. It is when we are real when we are able to fully be aware of Gods love for us. God wants us to fall for Him and to seek comfort in Him…to fall in love with Him.

I am falling more in love with The Lord each day.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (Proverbs 8:17)

Facing Fears; Facing the World

Often times, we find ourselves being judged by others. Whether it is family, friends, peers, co-workers, and even ourselves, we find that our every day is covered with judgements. And because of this, we begin to start changing our lives and the way we are so that we can free ourselves from the world’s judgements.

Today, I realized that knowing God is my greatest blessing. Why? Because at times that my thoughts begin to falter, like the way I have mentioned above (fearing judgement) the Lord always finds a way to snap me back into reality and take away all my fears. As I attended a Confirmation Mass in Windsor, standing as a sponsor, God spoke through the priest by talking about the truth to our faith. That despite of all the judgement we might hold against ourselves and from others; despite of how unworthy we feel, God is the only person that can look at you, smile, and despite of all the imperfections, can look at you and say “My child, come to me.” I laughed because it is true. How often do I look at myself and doubt what I am doing for God? How often do I penalize myself for things that I have no control over? It is not enough to simply overcome this SOMETIMES.

At mass, God reminded me that in every moment, in every second, and in every breath, the one thing that remains and always will is His love for me. If He isn’t judging me; if He is standing there, loving me through it all, then there is no reason to  doubt my worth. For as long as I am loved by the Lord, I must trust that my life and everything I hold dear is in His hands. And through my faith and through its works, I should have no fear for I am serving the Lord. As long as I live for His greater glory in His love, I will have no other fear than fear of the Lord.face my fears with all my strength, and face the world that may be judging me, and bring that same love – His love – into the world.

Blessed are they

I am reminded by a story about a YFC brother in the Philippines.  I was being approached by one of the sisters about this brother who only bought a 1 way ticket to ILC, I believe he was from Cavite and did not have enough money to go home.  What caught my attention is, “why would you come if you can’t go home” and it clicked that this brother wants to be here.  His desire to celebrate with other YFC was stronger than finding a way home because he knew he would be taken care of.  Now it brought me to this…

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” – Matthew 5:6

This brother is filled.  Experiencing that moment humbled me because it reminded me about my desire to be with our Lord.  With our busy schedules we might lose this desire, we won’t be hungry or thirsty for what is right in our lives, instead we try to fill ourselves with things that don’t satisfy for long.  It’s obvious here that as long as we thirst and are hungry for the Lord then we will be filled.  This requires consistency, don’t stop, keep going.  In my discernment for fulltime work the desire is strong and what challenges me is will I have this desire the next day. Like that brother who wanted to go to ILC we should also have his desire to attend our meetings such as our households, our 1on1’s, and our assemblies.  Our thirst and hunger should be focused on the Lord and nothing else.  This is why we keep going, it is because of our desire and I pray strongly that we all continue to be thirsty and hungry for Him through our community of CFC Youth.

@itsmetimmm

Living Classroom

YFC is a living classroom of real life lessons. Here we learn and get inspired from one another, listen and be encouraged by the word of God. We don’t preach, we witness. We strive to live out Christ in the spirit of fun, friendship, freedom and faith.

Thank you Lord for the gift of community such us CFC Youth For Christ. Amen.

This is a happy man

Jesus_crucified

 

I always cry when I see that movie, The Passion of the Christ. To see the amount of suffering our God went through for lowly, undeserving, and ungracious us. It hurts to see someone we love hurt so much.

Sometimes I wonder why I’m still a part of this community – why I still serve to this capacity. It’s tiring work. Many times it’s thankless work. Juggling meetings with people from four different times zones. Mixing all these meetings and assemblies and duties with studying, going to classes, working, spending time with family, friends, significant others. It just seems like too much. You get exasperated.

But then you see that kid who hated YFC before camp become a chapter head. Or that quiet guy you brought to a campus camp becomes a cluster head. Or a girl you met while building houses for the poor goes to the Philippines to become a full time worker for CFC-Youth.

We suffer through our service because of the outcome. We can be the ones who bring others closer to Christ. We can be part of their path that leads them to heaven. We can save souls. But before us, before our suffering, was the One who suffered the most. The One who saved all our souls.

Look at the photo. Our Christ, our Saviour, our Redeemer, our Love, our Strength, our Shepherd and Shield – He looks so pained. He looks so sad. But that isn’t the only thing He felt. His death saved every single person He loves and will ever love. Sheer, unadulterated, lasting, beautiful joy – that is what our Jesus felt when He was crucified on that cross.

Trust in God

“My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of adversity. Cling to him, do not leave him, that you may prosper in your last days. Accept whatever happens to you; in periods of humiliation be patient. For in fire gold is tested, and the chosen, in the crucible of humiliation. Trust in God, and he will help you; make your ways straight and hope in him. You that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy, do not stray lest you fall. You that fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward will not be lost. You that fear the Lord, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy.” – Sirach 2:1-9
Our Lord never ceases to fail us. Through the challenges we may face within the mission, God never fails. He calls each and everyone of us to listen and have an open heart to whatever He has planned. We need to trust in Him and trust that within this battle we face we can only conquer the victory with Christ Himself, for the battle is not ours to be won but God’s. Sometimes we get easily distracted by what we want in our own lives. Over-thinking, overanalyzing, and simply being ignorant of our surroundings. In this year of faith, may God provide us with the strength and humility to be witnesses to His plan and willingly obey His command.
Deo Gratias.

Reminder of Purity

In this mission, forgetting to pray during our busy hours is no longer an option. I myself am guilty at times of trying to figure out as much options as I personally can find in order to find the answer, even before praying when praying should always be the first option. Our lives may be busy because of the events that we plan for the community, but all of these preparations will go nowhere if we’re drifting farther away from our God.

“All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.”

2 Timothy 2:21

Every prayer means a step closer to God’s great plan for us. A plan that only He knows, therefore relying solely on our ideas and not in prayer can bring us farther from His plan. Reminding ourselves that all of these preparations is something that we can use to continuously worship Him. Let our every move be a prayer lifted up to our God. Let us always remind ourselves of purity, because only in purity can we let God consume us with His works.

Lord God, allow us to see your love in every struggle. May You provide us the ability to feel You carrying us during our time of need. To feel joy during the chaos and to find peace during our distresses.  Let us be consumed by your love, in order for us to do your plans with your love and your love alone. Amen.

AMDG