“HIGHLY FAVORED ONE”

    “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the] breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:16 (amplified)

          

In my calendar of activities, I think, 2014 was the busiest and pressured year due to series of practices for the major events.  We started preparing in the month of July for the anniversary and ordination in September then first week of October if I’m not mistaken, we had our practice for visayan festival which was really challenging and kind of stressed out.  After the visitation of Patriarch Craig Bates and his wife in November, we only rested for one day and resume our practice again for the St. Nicholas presentation and after that was the Christmas presentation. 

Yes, kind of tired, very tired and if I’m going to evaluate myself, my health condition and my capacity to do all these things, I’m lost.  I know that it is no longer I who work out because my strength already failed me and it was the grace of God that sustained me.  It’s not easy to be pressured in time, to handle conflicts, to reach deadlines and to ignore even sickness.  Sometimes, hard work and patience need to be tested but thanks be to God, He did the rest for us.

In those times, I felt something of giving up, of wanting to rest for at least a week, of not thinking of any responsibility or whatsoever because I felt so crushed inside but no, God has His own way to comfort me.   When Bp. Dick expounded the “highly favored one” in the gospel of Luke 1:26-38 (4^th Sunday in Advent), I was relieved from being restless.   The message that he shared to us, “we are favored not just because we received blessings but because God has chosen us with an assignment” widen my understanding that what I’m going through is an assignment as I was chosen to do the task that is beyond my limitations.  I was overwhelmed of the changes took place and one way or the other, I was kind of confuse.  I was really troubled inside but I have to “trust God who is able to fulfil what He assigns for me to do so” for “He will empower me”.  All I need to do is “to consecrate myself and give myself completely to God.”  

The word of God is powerful!  When God gives us His word “highly favored one”, it is alive and full of power.  It was very timely and according to our need that gives us strength to accomplished things despite all odds.