In the Eyes of Faith

September 01, 2014

It was the end of second semester,. Bigayan ng grades. I never knew what happened. I never knew what I did or what I did not. I just had the worst semester of my college life. I never cried though. But I felt like I died a bit inside. Muntik na kong nawalan ng scholarship. Isang grade na lang na mababa, tapos na. I couldn't do anything anymore. Bawi nalang next time. But I never know those grades robbed me out of an award. The cum laude award. It was suddenly summer of 2013. Bilis noh? It was late night, close to ten o'clock. The phone rang.

"Hello, is this Miss Michelle Ann Agustin? Congratulations you are our Florence Nightingale for batch 2013..."

I was stunned. Did I hear it right? Florence Nightingale. Lord, papano po nangyari yun? Was the first question that sprang my mind. I had been through the roughest semester. But ako daw yung Florence Nightingale? Meaning, I got the highest grade among our batch on the clinical area. I was just amazed.

I love that story. Kahit ngayon na naaalala ko siya, it still gives me shivers. I may never had a photo of me being the Nightingale, buti napreserve yung invitation nung araw na yun.

I love that story because it reminded me of what faith could really do.  Minsan darating tayo sa point na kung saan  faith nalang panghahawakan natin. At that semester, walang wala na ako. Lowest point kung lowest point. Mahirap mangarap lalo na kung nasa pinakamababa ka nang point ng buhay mo. Maiisip mo kung worth it pa ba na ipaglaban yung mga pangarap mo. Sa puntong walang-wala ka na, maiisip mo nalang kung may mangyayari pa ba sayo. Pero andyan ang Panginoon na nagsasabi sa ating mayroong mas malaking mangyayari at kailangan nating manalig sa kung anong gagawin Niya. Dahil  pag nakarating ka na sa puntong suko ka na sa pag-abot ng mga pangarap mo, dun mo makikita yung milagrong kayang gawin ng Panginoon para i-twist yung mga pangyayari at ibibigay parin sayo yung success, basta sa process, inuna mo parin Siya.

Minsan, naiisip ko napaka-irrational na ng faith ko. Like I was hoping for something so big that people started laughing. Especially my mom. Oh I received loads and loads of, to my horror, discouragement from her. But I love her, dont get me wrong. :) It was hard fighting for your dreams when encouragement from the people you love are absent. Siguro they are at peace that I could make it naman. They never knew that time by time I needed encouragement. Parang fuel. Ang Diyos nalang ang pinanghawakan ko ng mga panahong iyon.

God removed from my hands what I thought could take me to my dreams. But He did left something. He left me with faith. Lots of seeds of it, partnered with the soil of action.

And faith did take me to be one of the blessed nurses of the recent May 2014 NLE. I was 0.20% away from being a top notcher. Praise God, He did control my pencil while shading the answers on the exam. Hahaha. Kidding aside, this would not be possible without God by my side.

Now, I believe people would ask me, "May trabaho ka na ba?" Wala pa po. Kapag usapang faith, ang karaniwan kong nasasabi is about what God did on my student days. Wala pa akong gaanong nasasabi ngayong magtatrabaho na ko. Wala pa. I know, nag-iipon pa lang kami ni Lord ng matinding story of faith. :) He made my student days glorious, I believe He can, again, make miracles on my employment days. Kaunti pa lamang ang mga ito compared sa kung anong kayang gawin ng Lord pag nasa field na talaga ako. :)

God bless you kapatid! Get a good grip on your faith. :)