What Would You Do In Heaven?

I bare my nakedness
To the world,
That the world may see who I am;
Not the mask that hides my flaws,
Not the mask that hides my beauty.
I bask in the light
And I take off the mask!

You can never find true happiness until you become true to who you really are. Many people wear masks to hide even from themselves. They do not like who they are. They fool themselves into thinking they are the masks they wore. And so they try to satisfy the mask instead of satisfying their true selves.

Throw away that mask!

No matter how beautiful it is, it can never be you. It cannot give you happiness. Even if somebody learns to love your mask, you’d know that it is only the mask he loves, not the real person behind the mask.

People who are most truthful about themselves are the most happy. They accept themselves. They allow themselves to be loved for who they are.

It’s true that not everybody will love them. Others may even criticize them and reject them. But there are people who will like them. They will be able to see their true beauty. They will admire their courage for standing up for truth.

Before any acceptance or healing can take place, one must face the truth. No matter how painful, the truth must be exposed. Otherwise, people will always remain in the shadows of their masks and never get to see the Light.

This Light is freedom, not only to be yourself, but to be the BEST of who you are!

There is only one YOU. The world deserves that person. So live an AUTHENTIC LIFE!

UNIQUE

We learn to love each other when we begin to realize how truly unique and wonderful each one of us is. Like seashells along the shore, no one is entirely alike, each is crafted with an imprint of God’s hand, each has something to share, and each has something to admire and long for in another.

People often see me as a quiet person, one who rarely cracks a joke, one that can comfortably sit in a corner and have a good time reading a book or listening to good music. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t engage in good conversation. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t comfort a grieving soul. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t share the kind of happiness that comes from things the world hardly notices in its race towards unreachable dreams. I am the kind of person God has masterfully and lovingly made me to be. I am happy. I am beautiful. I am unique!

THE SMALL SEED

Let a seed
be buried deep down into the ground
deep down where there is nothing
but darkness
and the smallness of the seed,
let it wait
let it face its greatest fears
for only in being buried
can it sprout forth with new life
only in the truth of its smallness
can it realize its power
to grow
to bear fruit
and to reach the highest heavens!

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“The road to salvation
is the road to faith;
Seek now the answers to your questions,
ask for guidance and whatever it is that can fill your doubts.
God cannot save you.
Only your faith in God ever can.”

What do you believe in? Is your faith strong enough?

Some people believe in God, some people don’t. Some people believe in the law of attraction, others don’t.

But not all people who say they believe in God truly put their FAITH in God at all times. Not all people who believe in God believe Him to be a good and perfect God of unconditional love. That is why when moments of trials come, these people can easily blame their own God. Why blame God when you believe God is good? Why feel helpless when you believe that the All-Powerful God loves you? Why be afraid? Why be unhappy?

Without faith, man is like a lost leaf being tossed about by the wind. With FAITH however, man can do the impossible!

With faith, mountains can be moved, miracles can take place. And even when all else seems dark and hopeless, the man who has a strong faith is happy. He is happy because he believes that things will turn out in his favor.

“I have faith in my abilities,” a man says. And so he remains confident no matter how many people try to persuade him against his dreams.

“I have faith in my beloved,” a woman says. And so she remains happy and at peace even if someone says bad things against her husband.

Faith heals. Faith makes a way where there seems to be no way.

For a man who believes that God gave us all the power and the freedom to reach for the deepest desires of our hearts, there is nothing that cannot be achieved. Success and happiness will be with him always. He will not sabotage his own victories. He will not feel unworthy of all the blessings being showered upon him. His faith has opened up for him the gates of prosperity and joy and no one can steal his happiness away from him.

A man who believes in the abundance of the Universe will never be poor. THE LORD PROVIDES, he proclaims. Even when robbers steal his money away, he will not remain penniless. His treasures will come back to him and he will be even richer than before.

Such a man’s faith is not anchored in the material things that he possess. His faith is in heavenly riches that no thief can ever take way from him.

Where is your FAITH? Would you like to believe in the goodness of life? Would you like to believe you can be happy and victorious? Choose your faith, forge it, and then be blessed!

‘According to your faith, be it done unto you’, Jesus said.

HOW DO WE OVERCOME OUR UNBELIEF?

A child is having a seizure, he foams at the mouth and gnashes his teeth, he is thrown to the ground and lays as rigid as a rock. Meanwhile, the disciples of Jesus gather around him, praying, laying their hands and shouting words of affirmation, trying to cast away the evil spirit that has possessed the child. Still, the child rolled around, foaming at the mouth. The disciples couldn’t drive away the malady. After all the miracles they’ve seen through Jesus, after all the miracles they have performed themselves, they stand defeated and confused.

Just then, Jesus arrives and is quickly approached by the boy’s father, asking for the healing of his son. Jesus asks the man if he believes. The man answers, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Jesus commanded the spirit to depart, and at once, the boy was healed!

After the crowd had left, the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t drive out the evil spirit. Jesus replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

But wasn’t it prayer that the disciples uttered when they tried to heal the boy? Why didn’t it work? Did they not have enough faith? And why was their faith lacking? What prayer finally drove out the spirit away? It isn’t just the prayer of Jesus, but the prayer of the father’s child when he proclaimed that he believed.
But what’s the difference between his prayer and the prayer of the disciples? Shouldn’t the disciples know more of faith than the suffering father did?

The disciples may have had more experiece in their work, but when they came across a difficult case, they themselves started to doubt. And when their hearts were gripped by fear and worry, there was nothing within them that urged them to persevere in their work. They lost their faith, and then they lost their hope, and they had nothing more.

But the father of the child, though he admittedly lacked also in faith had something more. Something that urged him to persevere. Something that urged him to come to Jesus and to try once again. He couldn’t just give up. He couldn’t bear the sight of his very own son suffering that way. No, he will do everything he can so he can save the boy he loves so much.

And alas, through the hands of Jesus, his son had been saved. Through the hands of Jesus, his prayer had been answered. His was the only prayer that prevailed, the only one who was able to overcome his unbelief. And what prompted him? It was his unquestionable love for his son. It was love.

If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing… Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:1-2,8)

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“Who are my friends?
Are they the ones
Who never hurt me
And never let me down?
Are they the ones
Who are always there
And will never leave me alone?
Let me not seek my God
In my friends
For I shall only be disappointed
Only this I know:
That friends are precious gifts
And despite all their weaknesses,
They have claimed me
As their own.”

He who has found true friends has found a real treasure. By finding people he could draw close to his heart, he has already divided his sorrows and multiplied his joys.

His friends open up to him another world, a new world to discover, to cherish and to explore. He learns new things from them. He discovers new things that can make him happy.

When he opens up his own world to them, his happiness is also multiplied because he sees the joy in the eyes of his friends. He is able to share to them something new. He is able to impart a significant part of his life.

Friendships are therefore like bridges. We go back and forth to draw out happiness and to share our own happiness in return.

Friends help one another grow. By constantly trying to understand the other, friends extend themselves and become better persons.

Why be alone when you can be with another? Why grow alone when you can grow together?

Even in business undertakings, having a core group of people you can trust and depend upon creates a big impact to your success. You don’t have to think of everything on your own. You don’t have to do everything yourself. In times when you are too weak to perform your task, you know that there will be another hand to help you out.

Friends also reveal to you who you are. They are like clear mirrors reflecting the person you have become, the person you have grown into. Do you like what you see? Ask the people who truly know you. They may see things you often fail to see.

Your friends see your strength behind your tears. Your friends see the greatness of your dream behind your seeming defeat. Your friends believe in you even in times when you cannot believe yourself.

Some people ask what is the difference between a family and a friend. All I can say is that you can never have a true friend without considering her as a real part of your family.

Together, your family and friends give you a home to come home to, a warm place where you can just be yourself and be loved for who you are.

Happy are they who know where their home is. They will never be lost. They will always know how to find their way back to joy.

MAKE FRIENDS

When you have found true ones, you will find how blessed you really are!
I’m glad I was able to reach out to you. And I’m glad you were able to reach out to me. I’m glad I was able to break free from the walls that surrounded me. For indeed, the world is more colorful, and life is more beautiful when shared. Knowing another person is like knowing another world. It is learning new things, engaging in new adventures and finding new places within your heart!

IF I CAN ASK GOD ONE PRAYER

If you can face your God at this very moment, what prayer would you ask of Him? A solution for a grave personal problem perhaps. Riches that would help you serve other people better. An end to the world’s problems on peace. Forgiveness for the many sins you have committed. What would it be?

I used to think of it as a very difficult decision, on what prayer indeed I would lift up to my God. Until one night when one thought struck me, a prayer I would desire not only for myself, but for every man trying to make it in this life.

It’s a very simple prayer, nothing as grand as peace and prosperity for all, nothing as glorious as mansions I’d like prepared for me when I get to heaven.

If I can ask God one prayer, this is what I’d pray for: I’d pray that for each and every man that journeys in this road called life, there be at least one person who’d stay beside him, at least one person who’d make him feel he is not alone.

And by such a person I don’t necessarily mean a lover or a soulmate as everyone seems to be looking for, just one person, one friend who’d sincerely care, one person who’d love another as though that other is a part of his very own life: a child who’d write you a birthday card saying how much she really loves you, a mother who’d stay through the night and take care of you when you are sick, an aunt who’d listen to your heartaches when you’ve got no one to tell it to, a sister who’d treat you to an ice cream parlor when you didn’t make it to the auditions you went to, a friend who’d take a leave from work just so she can keep you company whenever you feel so far from home.

This is what I would pray for. This is what I believe would help each of us face whatever difficulties we are going through.

It is true that we meet a lot of people everyday, and it may be true that we even call many of them our friends. But who is your friend really? When things go wrong and the going gets tough, who would stay with you and stick around? Who would sacrifice their comfort just so they can comfort you?

Perhaps if there is one such person we know who truly cares for us and takes accountability for our lives, we’d all feel a little better, and we wouldn’t feel so afraid. Because in truth, what many of us fear the most is the fear of being alone, the fear of having no one who would care for us, and of having no one who would expect the same kind of concern from us.

We will never be content in being loved as part of the crowd, as a mere part of the group, not even in the collective sense of being all children of God. For though we are part of one body, each of us is a unique person who needs to be recognized, appreciated and loved

We have to know that God knows our name, and that He has written our name in the palm of His hand. We have to know that He would leave the 99 sheep behind so He can look for us and make sure that we are found. We have to know that we matter as a person, that we are seen, and that somebody’s going to miss us when we die.

Won’t you be God’s warm hands today and hold just one trembling hand, keeping it from turning numb and stone-cold? Won’t you be God’s ears today, attentively and patiently listening to someone who would like to believe nobody cares anymore? Won’t you be God’s voice today, speaking words that empower and uplift, making another person feel how important he is to you? Won’t you be God’s heart today, inviting somebody in with whom you will be responsible for, devoting and even sacrificing your life so that you may bring him healing and love and joy?

Won’t you let another person know that somebody enjoys her company, somebody delights in the way she laughs, and somebody looks forward to seeing her again? For these indeed are the things we need, simple things most of us often find so easy to ignore and to forget.

Much as we desire to be noble and to claim an undying love for all mankind, maybe what the world needs now is just one person, fully devoting oneself to another, making real the manifestation of God’s immeasurable love for each and every person He called His own. We cannot measure that in numbers, but in how well we were able to reflect unto another soul God’s deep, sincere, intimately personal and all encompassing love.

FRIEND

I may not always be by your side,
but my prayers will be with you.
I may not always help you,
but deep inside you know I want to.
I may not always do what you like,
but I will do the best I can.
I may not always understand,
but we can still walk hand in hand.
I may not be the perfect friend,
I may not be the best out there,
but in spite and despite all these,
you can be sure somebody cares!

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While faith
Is that steady hand
Your spirit holds on to,
HOPE is that burning fire
Kept alive in your own heart.

IS THERE NOTHING BEAUTIFUL IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE?

Is there nothing beautiful in this world anymore? Is there nothing at all that can delight us and give us hope? How many times have we felt we’ve seen it all, and there is nothing more that can inspire us the way things have inspired us before? How many times have we felt there is nothing more that can move us, that there is nothing more that can touch our hearts and bring our eyes to tears? [...]

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Sometimes,

it isn’t only the fulfillment of a dream that counts.

Many times,

the DREAM

and the DREAMING itself

is already a GIFT.

Do you remember a dream of yours that came true?

Do you remember the first moment
that you dreamt it,
or the many moments you labored
in its pursuit?

Do you remember the PEOPLE you dreamt it with?

Do you remember their surprise
when they first heard of your dream?
or their encouraging words
when they saw you losing hope?

How much were those moments worth?
How much the worth of those
who walked with you,
who believed with you,
who blessed you with their company
as your eyes remained focused only
on distant stars?

Sometimes,
when I look back,
I couldn’t help but think -
that during those moments,
I’ve already had everything I’ve ever wanted to have.

Which is the real dream?
and how much is it really worth?

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I don’t need stress
I can finish my work calmly and smoothly
without stressing myself or worrying about things that may or may not happen at all.

I don’t need stress
Stress is like a rocking chair
that gives me something to do without getting me anywhere.

I don’t need stress
Stress is a burden to my health and my well-being
and the money I earn while stressing myself may only be spent in restoring the health I lose

I don’t need stress
Stress isn’t faster or more productive or more efficient
Stress creates errors and wasted efforts that could have been avoided early on.

I don’t need stress
I can very well perform the job I love in such a phase and rhythm that soothes me
I create balance and wholeness and stress wouldn’t prevent me from living the life I choose!

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100 Things To Be Thankful For

1.The gift of life
2.My job
3.My opportunity to look for another job
4.A roof over my head
5.A bread to eat
6.A few dollar bills to catch a ride back home
7.A few more bills to visit a dear dear friend
8.A song that inspires me
9.A good book to read

10.My ability to adapt to change
11.My courage to face whatever life brings me
12.A family to love
13.My coffee brewing in the kitchen
14.A bench to rest and watch people walk by
15.A courteous fellow I met this morning
16.My laptop to connect with the world
17.My laptop to play my favorite games with
18.A funny joke reminding me I could still laugh
19.A clean sheet of paper to start writing my novel
20.My favorite jeans

21.Sun shining through my window
22.A rose blooming in my garden
23.A new recipe I’ve learned to cook
24.My badminton match with my sister
25.A cozy library
26.Candles sending my prayers to heaven
27.Church music bringing heaven down here on earth
28.Laughter
29.Tears that release my heartache
30.Jogging around the corner
31.My favorite mushroom soup
32.Fried chicken
33.An old photo album
34.Watching funny home videos
35.Exercising and feeling good using my treadmill
36.Singing my heart out via karaoke or videoke
37.Seeing my favorite actor in person
38.Gathering around a bonfire and listening to ghost stories
39.My faith in God
40.My belief in the immortality of the soul
41.Experiences that give me wisdom
42.A cute teddy bear I hug at night

43.Being able to help other people
44.Dreaming
45.Waking up to another brand new day
46.Seeing fireflies for the first time
47.Riding an airplane for the first time
48.Watching my favorite theatre play
49.Having lunch with a friend
50.Walking
51.Being able to walk
52.Being able to see a rainbow
53.Seeing a rainbow early in the morning
54.Watching birds build a nest for their young

55.Planting a seed
56.Bowling
57.Thinking of a good business venture
58.Receiving earnings from my business
59.Reading previous entries from my diary
60.Being able to reach my age
61.The hope of living many more years
62.Quirky people I’ve met
63.Wisdom gained from teachers and parents
64.Time to do what I want to do
65.Hands to reach out to other people
66.Freedom
67.The blue sky ( glad it wasn’t bright red!)
68.The sound of crashing waves
69.Gravity (it keeps things organized down here)
70.The smell of my favorite perfume
71.A worn out shirt I’ve always liked wearing
72.Being able to repair an old gadget
73.Camping
74.Getting lost, and then finding my way again
75.Powdery sand beneath my feet
76.Halloween costumes
77.Shopping
78.Acoustic music
79.Watching old couples still loving each other
80.Seeing a newborn baby
81.Pimples. (Because at least I know I have skin and I don’t look like a living skeleton!)
82.That humans know how to talk and how to express what they truly feel
83.Being able to dance
84.The ability to think positive despite all the negative things around.
85.The ability to IMAGINE.
86.The ability to learn and to rise from my mistakes.
87.Uncertainties. It makes life more exciting.
88.Risks. Overcoming them gives us a feeling of victory.
89.That humans only have one pair of feet. Imagine how two pairs of shoes could cost these days?

90.That there are no gigantic dinosaurs roaming the earth right now.
91.That humans can swim even though we have no fins.
92.That humans can fly up a rocket ship even though we have no wings.
93.That we don’t have to command everything our body should do. Imagine what would happen if we forget to breathe!
94.That wounds heal naturally, and that we grow without being repaired like robots.
95.Being human.
96.Consisting of both body and soul.
97.That we get hurt, because getting hurt alerts us from dangers that could harm us more.
98.That we remember.
99.That we can love.
100.That we exist in the very moment that we are who we are.

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