How Far Faith, Hope, and Love Could Go

13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  

And there I just showed you, dear reader, the whole of  1 Corinthians 13. I love the Book of Corinthians of the New Testament. Maybe because some of it talks about love and relationships. But nevertheless, I was captivated by it. :) Most especially of this chapter. Love. Love. Love. Sa isang movie that I had watched a couple of days ago, it said that love is the most abused word in the English language. Maybe, this world lost what love really means. Dahil sa iba't-ibang situations where love indeed is abused, it thus somehow lost its meaning. But this afternoon, I was somehow reminded by these three faith, hope, and love. This might be the post that I wouldn't dare publishing but I would still share it to you reader. :) 

Me and my mentor, Ma'am Nette, were in Gotti's. It was actually a bonding between me and her. Bago pa lamang ako sa primary twelve niya and bonding like this would help a lot for the two of us to know and understand one another for a lasting spiritual relationship and growth for the two of us. 

From Left to Right: Camille, Ate Lenny, Ate Love, Ma'am Nette, Me, and Ate Mai.

No, this is not Gotti's. This is a picture of us way back March 2014 at KFC after Pastora Geraldine's Mentoring. I am just letting you see Ma'am Nette. Hindi ako nakapag-picture sa Gotti's, haha. Anyway, that is her. And this group is her primary twelve, with some missing of course. I had that permed hair in here still. Sorry if it's somehow blurry.

We were talking of a matter that I don't know why I've opened last Monday during our cellgroup. Haha. We were talking about my heart. Usapang puso ito kapatid. Haha. I was quite uncomfortable because sharing her my secrets is uncommon to me. For me kasi, my condition is manageable pa naman. But, I've learned this one virtue that we should tell our mentors anything that involves our emotions especially if we know they are not right at the present time. And minsan akala natin kaya pa natin kaya hindi tayo hihingi ng tulong tapos sooner, lalaki yung damage, saka palang tayo hihingi ng tulong. Eh, malala na 'yon. Mas mahirap na siya ngayon remedyuhan. 

I knew the answer to my queries. I know what I should do. But I believe God wanted me to hear it as a form of reminder from people I know is concerned of me. And it helps because, Ma'am Nette would pray for me. Because I was again falling. And I don't know if that is a good idea. 

I was falling for someone I should not fall for. The verse is correct "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires". (Songs of Solomon) Love is not itself wrong. But being "poisoned" by the wrong idea of love and be a slave of it is wrong. And for my condition, it would be wrong if I would insist it and be controlled that I would not focus on what God really asks me to do at the moment. 

The hardest thing, I should say, in this journey is the part of waiting. Love is a decision and I should say, should be done by mature people. But God, as through anything that we are going through, He promised that He will be with us. Kaya mahirap man maghintay, He gave us the gift of praying. And as for now, praying is the only hope that we have. Love is not a joke. It is not a form of past time too. When we decided to commit ourself to someone, we should be able to see that person together with us in an altar, saying I do's before the Lord. So, I know, that what I should do at the moment is to surrender this feeling to God, let Him do what is proper, and be focused on discipling people, and practicing my profession. 

My Faith Letters

Nobody knows that I had been doing these except for a few people. But I think, I should somehow share these. :) These are my faith letters. I had been writing since September of 2011. Faith letters, because by faith, I believe that one day, someone will be reading these. The letters don't have a particular name in which it is addressed. I was just writing and telling him my hopes, dreams, even my downfalls, my childishness, anything. And I write just about anytime I feel like doing so. Haha. 

I do these because it strengthens my faith. It gives me hope. Because I know I am writing my other half and it is all because of love. I don't know kung gaano pa katagal or gaano na kadami yung masusulat ko before I could write his name and be sure he is that person. But I am willing to wait on God and have Him transform me into the woman that He wants me to be. And I shall be indicating a name, the moment I am sure I have met him. Whoever he is. Haha.

And no one could really measure how far our faiths, hopes, and loves could go, literally. But it could be somehow measured by the distance of our knees to the ground. And bakit daw magkakasama ang faith, love, hope? Dahil kung hindi mo mahal ang isang bagay, hindi mo ito pag-uukulan ng faith na nagbibigay sa atin ng hope. :) God bless readers. :D