THANKFUL THOUGHTS

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
—Philippians 4:4

Years ago, I was a huge fan of Oprah Winfrey. I stayed up late at night just to watch her talk show and tucked nuggets of wisdom with me as I went to bed. One of the lessons I learned from Oprah’s program was keeping a Thank You journal. My diary has since transformed from a record of angst, pessimism and complaints into a list of gratitude, blessings and graces.

At first, it was a challenge to hit the target of at least five things to be thankful for. It was especially hard on a bad day with quarrels at home or misunderstanding with friends or getting trapped with the grouchy supervisor at the office. But the practice of recalling the day’s good events rather than focusing on the bad eventually became second nature.

Surprisingly, the spirit of joy and optimism sprang with the thankful thoughts. My gratitude antenna’s reception grew stronger each day. The positive aspects of people got more pronounced rather than the quirks, sticky situations turned into blessings in disguise, even the routinary jeepney rides became sight-seeing trips. Somehow, counting the reasons to thank the Lord made life lighter and it was easier to find a reason to smile.

I realized that the secret of joy and happiness lay in the simple things: watching a daddy tagging along his little tot at the mall, a group of teenagers having a hearty laugh, the usually rough jeepney driver trying to be polite with the passengers, a guy offering his seat to a pregnant woman in an MRT train, a troubled friend managing to be more concerned about you than his problems, a dedicated and hard-working officemate. Such gestures and characters give a sneak preview of the Lord’s gentleness, love and creativity.

Just yesterday, it was such a bliss passing by the quiet, tree-lined Plant Industry Street. I love the peace and quiet of the place. It seems to hold new surprises as I walk in that neighbourhood to work everyday and ask the Lord to make me feel His presence. I have yet to develop the art of listening to God’s voice but on second thoughts, He actually communicates with me in a different manner. He knows I’m a visual person and He gives me joy by opening my eyes to his beautiful creations: the forested area made magical by the sun’s rays seeping through the canopy of trees, a litter of native puppies peeping curiously from behind a half-opened gate, one of them having the courage to trail behind me, a furry white canine wagging his tail and trying to be friendly then barking furiously to put a brave front as a guard dog.

Coming home from work, I find my mother-in-law enjoying the tabloid puzzles before dozing off, our househelps’ warm welcoming smiles and the long chat and giggles with my husband before snuggling up to dreamland. Truly, life is a bundle of blessings especially when we downplay the dark side and choose to see the beauty around us. Have a happy day always. 

TOUGH TRIALS

“Jesus Christ came not to remove our sufferings but to give meaning to our sacrifices… We must embrace our cross.” Yesterday, I was struck by Fr. Alex Balatbat’s words during mass at the Feast, the Light of Jesus Community Sunday Catholic get-together, at the Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig City.

Indeed being a Christian does not guarantee fool-proof protection against tough trials and difficult people. Almost a year ago, my husband was offered “forced” retrenchment because his manager was bent on kicking him out of the company with the threat of filing one case after the other. This, despite being one of the top collectors of his team.

Just a few weeks ago, a brother from the young couples group was sacked unceremoniously from his work and had to consult a lawyer to face the accusations hurled against him. Thankfully, by God’s grace the company cleared him from all the allegations.

I, too, was short-changed. At her whim, the boss deducted a certain amount from the agreed compensation and turned a deaf ear to my disagreement. This happened when my husband and I were in a financial fix.

It’s one thing to get penalized for neglect and a job done in badly but quite another to receive undeserved punishment for a work done professionally, whole-heartedly and with a clear conscience.

What is a Christian to do in the face of such injustices? Suffer in silence? Stifle brimming anger? Face the offender in a shouting match? Engage in the battle of legal wits and patiently wait for the slow wheels of justice to turn? Just give up without a fight?

Jesus did not think twice as he overturned tables of peddlers in righteous anger for they turned the house of His Father into a market place. He gave frank and honest opinions much to the chagrin of the judgmental Pharisees, Saducees and scribes. They all came together to connive for the greatest injustice of all and crucified the blameless Jesus. Still, with His overwhelming love for mankind, Jesus managed to ask forgiveness from the Father in their behalf “for they know not what they do.”

We may wallow in self-pity and “righteous” anger for all the undeserved pain and sufferings, all the right things may have been said and done and still, the unrepentant offender still goes on seemingly victorious in his wiles. We have but one path to follow. Hard as it is, we must embrace our cross and by the grace of God’s genuine love forgive those who have hurt us. Just as Jesus did.