The Positives

Around summer before senior year in high school, I started a list in my journal which I called The Positives. This list is a list of good things I received in the day, and this list started when I was compiling the happy things that happened during my 5-day trip in Cebu ((Okay, the list mostly contained “moments” with my current crush, but that’s part of good things :P)). I started listing them everyday, but I got tired writing them, especially on bad days where nothing seems to be good.

My point? Mae tagged me days ago to count my blessings, and this meme reminded me of that list I used to write. To be honest, I’m not on the blessing-counting mood (but I should be, like, always), but I will list them here before Mae’s tag gets too old (is there such a thing?). :) This list goes from general blessings to specific, and I hope I don’t start listing up to 100 blessings (but I’m sure I’ve been blessed more than 100 ways today).

  1. Obviously, my family. We’re not exactly the most close-knit family but we’re all good. The occasional moodiness and spats get to us, but we always get back together since we’re family. I would never trade them for anyone else in the world. Todo para la familia ((Everything for the family)). :)
  2. My wonderful community, both in YFC and in SFC. I will never ever forget being a YFC, and I’m starting to feel really at home in SFC. I know I shouldn’t put too much importance on my community since what really matters is my relationship with God, but I am really grateful to be part of the family ministries of CFC because if I wasn’t, I bet I wouldn’t even know God as much as I do now. Last Saturday at the SFC MMLA reminded me that my being part of the community is a blessing itself, and not a way to receive more blessings.
  3. My other friends — college, high school and other people who I crossed paths with. :) Cheesy as this sounds, you made my life more colorful. Yeees.
  4. My work and my officemates. It may not be my dream job, but at least, I have a job. And I have people to talk to in the office. And I earn, and learn and I know this will bring me closer to God. So…there.
  5. The Moleskine notebook that I won which arrived yesterday. =) Enough said. Thanks again Pinoy Centric!
  6. This is really shallow and soooo teenybopper, but finally getting a copy of BSB’s latest album is a blessing too. :P I’m sorry, the BSB/Boyband phase is not yet over. :P I can’t believe I’m actually seeing how some of their songs can be sung to God: I’d go anywhere for You, anywhere You ask me to, I’d do anything for You, anything You want me to…Your love as far as I can see is all I’m ever gonna need…there’s one thing for sure I know for sure…[baby] I’d go anywhere for You. Okay, omit the “baby” please. :P
  7. Being single. Yes, that’s something to be thankful for, believe me. :)
  8. My new earphones to replace my just-broken-down iPod earphones. Goodbye white earphones, hello, black.
  9. For the difficulties I’m experiencing right now, especially all the confusion and whatnot I wrote about yesterday. Yes, that is also a blessing. :)
  10. I’ll stop here. Aha, this is kind of a late remembrance, but I’m blessed that our DSL is back since last week. Thank God. That’s 13 days of DSL outage.
    .

That felt good. =) This reminds me of one of the songs we sang last Saturday during the SFC MMLA worship. Kuya Cocoi said that the Israelites started complaining in Lamentations because they feel that they’re not blessed enough by God, when to think they are the chosen people. What more can you ask for? When they’re hungry, God rained food on them. When they need to escape their captors, God parted a sea for them. Not blessed?

I’m also a lot like the Israelites, who fail to see the blessings that God rains on me everyday. I often find myself complaining why things are happening to me this way, and I fail to see the way these trials are making me stronger, blessing not only me but also the people around me. The truth I (and everyone else) should remember here is that God is never selfish with His blessings. He blesses us every single day of our lives, and there’s no condition to that. No if, no other conditions — He just does. And yes, those blessings include the hard times, because God’s ultimate goal is to bring us to oneness with Him, which is what Jesus prayed (John 17:22). :)

Okay, since this is a meme, I am tagging: Jun, Jomar, Noemi, Wacky, Chris. If you think you’re blessed, consider yourself tagged too. :)

Blessed be Your Name
Matt Redman

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s ‘all as it should be’
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Be blessed. ♥