A CONTRITE HEART...YOU'LL NOT DESPISE...

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2Peter 3:9

When everything goes right, I sometimes imagine the Lord being so proud and his happiness makes me stronger in Him. But, what happens when thing do not go so well? What happens when, as Paul said: “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”?. I cannot imagine Abraham (The Father of the Faith) lying about his wife to Pharaoh; Solomon (The wisest man on Earth) seduced by the pleasures of the flesh; and Peter (apostle and one of the three Jesus’ closest friends) disowning Him not only one but three times.

As Christians we know the Lord will always forgive us if we come to Him with a repentant and contrite heart and that condemnation does not come from God (John 3:17), however, judgement is a fact which all of us will face sooner or later. God knows the real intentions of our heart, our hidden thoughts and deepest desires. There is a great difference between those who knowing they are doing wrong say “I’ve got time to repent, God will forgive me anyway”, and those whose mistakes lead them to sincere repentance through the Holy Spirit, learning and experiencing a change in their character as so God’s men did.

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases Him”

1Jn 3:21-22

ESFORZADOS Y VALIENTES

“La mano negligente empobrece; mas la mano de los diligentes enriquece. El que recoge en el verano es hombre entendido; el que duerme en el tiempo de la siega es hijo que avergüenza”. (Prov. 10:4-5)

Esto es parte de la entrevista a Will Smith (el príncipe del Rap) para la revista Selecciones:

- No te cansas de intentar?
- Todavía no. No hay peor dolor que no alcanzar un sueño cuando es tu propia culpa. Una cosa es que Dios no quiera eso para ti, pero si tú no obtienes lo que deseas en tu corazón porque eres un perezoso, no existe dolor peor que ese.

Hay una cosa que nunca escucharemos siendo cristianos: "la vida cristiana es fácil", "no es necesario hacer algo, Dios lo hará absolutamente todo por ti".

Dios siempre está buscando gente esforzada y valiente. Todos hemos sido dotados con ciertos dones y talentos que serán inútiles hasta el momento que decidamos desarrollarlos. Como cristianos, hemos sido llamados a vivir como una familia, en el cuerpo de Cristo todos somos miembros con tareas particulares claves para la consolidación de la Iglesia.

En resumen, es un asunto de "planificar-orar-hacer", en el camino el Señor sin duda manifestará su voluntad abriendo o cerrando puertas, dándonos señales a través de situaciones y personas, pero no esperes a que Dios lo haga todo, es un trabajo en equipo.

"Y todo lo que hagáis, hacedlo de corazón, como para el Señor y no para los hombres; sabiendo que del Señor recibiréis la recompensa de la herencia, porque a Cristo el Señor servís" Col 3: 23-24

HARD WORKERS

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
Prov 10:4-5

This is part of Will Smith's interview in Reader's Digest magazine:
- Do you get tired of pushing?
- Not yet. There is no pain worse than not achieving a dream when it's your own fault. If God did not want you to have it, that is one thing. But if you do not get what you desire because you are lazy, there is no pain worse than that.

There is one thing that we will never hear as Christians: "Christian life is easy", "You do not need to do anything, God will do it for you".

God is always looking for workers. We have all been endowed with certain gifts and talents which are helpless until we decide to develop them. As Christians we have been called to live as a family, purposeless if we do not make any effort to bear each other and becoming Christ-like; as the Body of Christ we are all members with a particular and very important task to build the church, useless if we do not do it on solid ground.

Summing up, it is a “planning-praying-doing matter”, on the way the Lord will undoubtedly manifest his will opening and closing doors, giving us signs through situations and people, but do not expect God to do everything, it is a teamwork.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”. Col 3:23-24

"FRIENDLY FIRE": Euphemism of war or everyday truth

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”. Phil 2:1-5


Reading the newspapers and following the news on Iraq and Afghanistan, there is certain military terminology that has caught my attention, such as "friendly fire" and "collateral damage", and I wonder how could "fire" possibly be "friendly"?. Then I found out that the Army started using this term during the Vietnam War to name those mistakes which have harmed innocent people and residential areas in a more acceptable way giving them less importance. Nowadays, this term is widely used throughout the world.

How many times do we try to justify a lie colouring it as "white"? How much could we harm someone and then justify it saying "Sorry, I thought you were somebody else" or "Sorry, you were in my way so I had no choice" and walk away as nothing has happened.

Fortunately, we are far from seeing this kind of behaviour in the Body of Christ, each and every member is considered as an unique part of the whole according to the grace that has been given by our Father in heaven through his only Son and Spirit.

We are certainly human beings who make mistakes more often than we would like to, however, we have been called to name "good" what is good and "evil" what is evil. Making mistakes is only a door that can lead us to two different paths, our freewill allows us to choose the one we feel more comfortable to walk upon.

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing”.
1Peter 3:8-9

WHY ME, LORD???

And Job said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Job 1:21-22; 2:9

As peace and joyfulness are part of our everyday life so are difficult times and challenges. What really matters is not "what" but "how" we deal with them.

I remember that for a long time I kept on asking God why my dad had to go through painful lung cancer treatment, why he had to passed away one day before going back home to Venezuela from his holidays in Italy, at that time I felt my last chance of seeing him alive was abruptly taken away from me.
Nevertheless, seven years later, two friends of mine were going through the same situation with their parents and I had the opportunity of supporting and encouraging them because of how God has been ministering me through these years, I was able to say "I know what it feels like, you are not alone" due to I knew exactly how devastating it can be when there is no one who you can identify yourself with at those times. In other words, I could relate to their needs and help them. This experience has endowed me with a particular sensibility to intercede, comfort and encourage people in similar situations.

I cannot say "I know what you feel" to someone who is going through a divorce because I have not been married yet and my parents remained together until my dad passed away. That is why we are a body with different members and backgrounds, do not miss any chance of using your experiences to give a hand to somebody. We have been called not only to seek the presence of the Lord but to help others to find the way and keep on going, especially when it requires extra effort.

At the end of the tunnel you will surely be enlightened with:

1) Spiritual growth: do we really believe that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him? Then, this will be the perfect time to show and strengthen our faith.
(James 1:2-4; Rom 8:28)

2) Testimony: overcoming adversity according to the Scriptures will make us sympathize with those who are dealing with similar circumstances. The way we handle our personal struggles affects not only us but people around. (Acts 16:24-25; Phi 1:13-14)

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"A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all”
Psalm 34:19

Cómo puedo describirme a mi misma?

Las personas dicen que soy valiente
pero ellos no saben cuan asustada puedo estar en las situaciones que no controlo

Hay quienes dicen que soy inteligente
pero no saben cuanto tiempo me toma llegar a la decisión final

Dicen que yo soy perfeccionista
y lo soy, aunque no me gusta reconocerlo

Algunos dicen que no soy tan sensible como debería
pero sólo Dios mantiene en secreto cada una de mis lágrimas y escucha mis oraciones más íntimas

Mi amigos dicen que debo creer más en la gracia que en la ley
pero me es imposible olvidar que "la fe sin obras está muerta"

Otros piensan que soy sabia
pero solo pasa cuando me pregunto: “Que haría Jesús en mi lugar?”
Debería reflexionar en eso más a menudo.

Mi familia dice que soy la más fuerte entre ellos
pero ellos no saben cuan débil puedo ser en mi lugar secreto

Quisiera aprender como ser feliz en mi imperfección
reconociendo que perfecto sólo es Dios.
Cómo ser paciente y más compasiva
cuando no recibo de otros lo que lógicamente espero.
Cómo mantener la fe y creer que toda experiencia implica crecimiento.
Cómo mantenerme humilde en medio del éxito,
corriendo lentamente o caminando a prisa
no importa "el cómo" mientras no pierda el rumbo.

Estoy en camino, de eso tengo plena seguridad,
esta montaña es la más alta que alguna vez haya visto
y me observa con ojos desafiantes y falsa sonrisa
pero hay alguien detrás de mí,
Siento la calidez de sus manos sobre mis hombros:
"Sigue, tú puedes hacerlo" Él dice, mientras me sostiene firmemente
Doy vuelta y miro esas inconfundibles cicatrices en sus manos
y eso me da el valor que necesito para seguir adelante y decirme a mí misma:
"Escala a la cima... sí vale la pena!!!”

HOW CAN I DESCRIBE MYSELF?

HOW CAN I DESCRIBE MYSELF?

People say I'm brave
but they don't know how scared I can be
when something takes away my stability

People say I'm smart
but they don't take as long to make a decision as I do

People say I'm self-confident
but they don't realise I’m shaking when I finally take the next step

People say I'm a perfectionist
and I am, though I would like not to be

Friends say I'm not so touched by things
but only God keeps account of my tears and hears my deepest prayers

Some say I should believe more in “grace” than in “the law”
but I do trust that "faith without deeds is dead"

Others think I'm wise
but it just happens when I ask myself what Jesus would do in this moment
I should reflect on that more often

My family says I'm the strongest among them
because in difficult times I remain conscious and give support
although I am the youngest one,
but they don't know how weak I can be in the intimacy of my room.

I want to learn how to be happy in my imperfection
acknowledging that perfection belongs to the Lord
how to be patient and more merciful
when I don't get from others what I logically expect,
how to keep the hope alive that when I'm in darkness
someone will come and turn on the light,
how to strengthen my faith
and believe that everything works for good
when I'm surrounded by the most dreadful moment of my life,
how to be humbly successful
being a great influence by feeling powerfully touched
running slow or walking fast
it doesn't matter while I don't get lost.

For sure I'm on my way,
this mountain is the highest I've ever seen
and it's looking at me with defiant eyes and a tricky smile
but there is someone behind me
I feel his hands placed on my back
"Go on, you can do it" he says, holding me safely
I turn around and look at his unmistakable nail marks
and that gives me the courage to command myself
"Climb to the top...it is worthwhile"

Itala D’Ambrosio Silva.-