Anong Gusto mong maging? Tatay Eric: A man of dreams and purpose

Throwback article. I wrote this for our Human Resource management magazine project, the KWADERNO magazine two years ago (2011) that featured my father, not knowing that his dream for our family would come true (agad-agad) the next year (2012). All thanks to our God! Part 2 of this article, SOON.

After asking all the members of our HR magazine team about what they want to be someday (we are talking about dream careers here), smiles came to their faces. Most of the members said, "I want to be a finance manager and a Chartered financial analyst." It wasn't surprising because our major is financial management. But what I've observed in this situation was that this kind of dream affects your entire life because your dreams give you a sense of hope to live life full of purpose.

Some people already knew what they want to be at the age of four, but others haven't discovered it yet until they are old. It follows no particular time frame. Inevitably, it may be simple or extraordinary, but it doesn't really matter because people were made to be different from each other.

Photo from Ptr. Naeem Callaway's Spiritual Inspiration

At an early age, my father already discovered his life's passion. He was interested in traveling and mechanical equipment. He dreamed to be a seaman someday to travel around the world. Strongly driven by his financially unstable life, he promised to himself that his life's situation would not be a hindrance to reach his dreams. From grade school to high school, he was a newspaper boy. Before the sun rises, he delivers newspaper to houses and earns a very small amount of money, but he strive even harder.

In college, he studied in Philippine Maritime Institute College, Manila and took marine transportation. Fortunately, after studying he became a seaman for many years. Amazingly, he was able to fulfill his dream to travel around the world and see many beautiful places.

I asked him, "How did you fulfill your dream career?" He said, "Simula pagkabata nakatatak na talaga ang pangarap ko sa aking puso't isip, hindi ito nawala and I achieved that by just focusing on it and trusting God." After fulfilling his dream, he decided to settle back in the Philippines and lived with his own family. But that's not the end of his successful career. Now, he works in an international company called Team Energy Corporation as a coal plant operator and continues to use his abilities and skills.

Did he stop dreaming? No. But what is his next step? He wants to go back abroad not just by himself, but he wants to take his family with him. He joyfully revealed, "I want to experience God's blessings and goodness to the fullest with my family. Hindi na ako ngayon nangangarap para lamang sa sarili ko, nangangarap na ako para ikagiginhawa ng buhay ng aking pamilya." That's why I call him a man of dreams and purpose.

This man's life story is just one of the thousands successful career stories in the world. Do you want to be one of them? If yes, DARE TO DREAM. DON'T GIVE UP, instead, TRUST GOD.

You, what do you want to be someday?

100 meter dash mode

Naranasan mo na bang sumali sa isang 100 meter dash? Kung hindi pa, nakapanood ka na ba ng paligsahang ito? Anong mapapansin mo? Hindi ba’t bawat manlalaro ay nagmamadaling tumakbo para makarating sa finish line? Madalas, ganito din ang mga kabataan ngayon pagdating sa buhay pag-ibig, parang laging nasa karera—nagmamadali.  

Mayroon akong nakakwentuhang isang nanay. Sabi niya, 17 years old daw siya nung sila’y nagsama ng kanyang boyfriend. Apat ang kanilang naging anak. Ngunit ngayon, sila’y hiwalay na dahil sa biglaan pag-iwan sa kanila nung lalaki. Simula noon, hindi na ito nagpakita sa kanilang mag-iina. Kitang kita ko ang galit sa mga mata ng nanay na ito sa kanyang dating ka-partner. Sobra siyang nasaktan maging ang kanilang mga anak. Nakakalungkot ang ganung pangyayari. Siguro napa-isip din siya na sana hindi nalang sila nagmadali. Napakaraming ganitong cases na ang aking nakinig dahil sa pagmamadali ng magkasintahan.

Ang iba naman ay kung ano-ano pang ginagawa para lang magka-BF/GF. Minsan, si babae pa ang gumagawa ng first move. Si lalaki naman, dahil estudyante pa lang, humihingi pa ng panggastos sa magulang para lang makipag-date. Gusto nyo ba talaga ay agad-agad? Hindi ba pwedeng maghintay muna sa tamang panahon at tao na nilaan talaga ng Diyos?

Ito yung 100 meter dash equation: Rush in love = Severe Heartache. Sobrang dami ng puso na ang nagkasugat-sugat dahil sa pag-aapura ng pagbibigay ng emosyon sa isang tao na hindi muna sinuri at pinanalanging mabuti. Yung iba, alam na hindi pa naman talaga panahon, sugod pa din sa maling relasyon at emosyon. Maraming makukulit kaya tuloy nasasaktan at napapahamak.

Isa sa mga paborito kong love team sa Bibliya ay ang tambalang Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29:1-30). Jacob waited 14 years for Rachel. Napakatagal nun. Kung hindi siguro wagas ang pag-ibig ni Jacob para kay Rachel, hindi siya maghihintay ng ganun. Love is patient (1 Cor. 13:4). Hindi ito nag-aapura.

Sa totoo lang, alam na naman ng marami kung anong magiging resulta ng padalus-dalos sa pag-ibig, sakit sa puso (emotionally speaking). Apektado din nito ang ating hinaharap. The Bible says, "Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do" (Ephesians 5:17). Huwag maging mang-mang. Kung alam na mali, huwag ng gawin. Kapag sinabi ng Diyos at ng mga magulang o spiritual leaders na huwag muna, huwag muna.

May tamang panahon din para sa love life. Ang challenge ay matutong maghintay, unang una, sa Panginoon. Grow in love with the Lord first. Huwag sayangin ang buhay sa mga bagay na alam nating tama pero mali naman talaga. But make the most of your time to fully serve God in love.

Tandaan, ang buhay pag-ibig ay hindi katulad ng 100 meter dash na kailangang dali-dali. Manalanging mabuti at pagbulay-bulayan ang Salita ng Diyos upang malaman ang Kanyang kalooban. Hindi madaling maghintay. Nevertheless, let your heart be still and just be excited to His perfect plan. Di na dapat mag-alala dahil lagi namang may tamang panahon ang Diyos sa lahat ng bagay. Trust Him. At kapag alam na Niya na handang handa ka na, He’ll give you the “GO” signal.

God Chasers for teens Book Review

This book is full of God’s presence literally. As I read it throughout the night, I started to feel God’s presence also as if I was one of the people in the church in Houston. With the author’s clear description of the whole situation, I thought I was there too. He put an emphasis on knowing and chasing the real God. This book will prepare the young generations to fully experience mighty supernatural breakthroughs across the globe.

It teaches readers to seek God for Who He is and not for the blessings that they will receive from Him. Tenney emphasized that real hunger for God is totally running to Him no matter what.

Before I read this, there was a big question that was playing around my mind. I was wondering how the gospel will be spread around the world if it is full of satan’s dark schemes, if people’s heart have really grown cold and if everything in the world seems not right. I’d sadly say that I doubted Him. But as I went through the pages, God opened my eyes of what HE CAN DO. He was telling to me that night that surely there is nothing impossible for Him. God is active everywhere and He is saturating every land to come to His feet. His power is limitless and He wants everyone to experience it.

The book was full of true stories about how God moved mightily in unusual but powerful ways. As I kept on reading, the presence of God became stronger and my tears fell down on my cheeks in an uncontrollable manner. It gave me a desire to search and know Him more and to be with Him more in my everyday life. The author also showed that Christian walk is not a joke. It costs us our lives.

Each amazing event the author wrote was packed with supporting Scripture verses which helped me see that God’s works in the past are still happening today. Those Biblical truths also keep me in track with God’s voice. The “Chase in God prayer” reminded me to pray harder for God’s divine intervention in every people around me, in every community, in my country, in my church and family. In addition, I really like the “Catch phrase”. It keeps the readers remember what they have read every chapter in order to apply it in action.

Finally, God Chasers for teens addresses the readers to be world changers as they live a life full of God’s presence. I found this book really heart and soul touching. It shares a deeper passion for our Lord Jesus, a faith that can move mountains and a life that shares His presence to bring people to God’s Kingdom in an extraordinary way.

I strongly recommend this to all youth who want to have a deeper walk with God and who have a heart to saturate this generation with God’s presence. This book will certainly encourage us to be God chasers.

The chase is on!