Last August 4, 2017, the moment I woke up early today was a gift and blessing from God, and today being a Friday was a bonus since its day off! It was 5:50 in the morning, for some reason I still wanted to sleep more but since I was invited, I felt guilty to reject the invitation since it was not the person who invited me but our dear God who did. I quickly hurried getting ready and was even picked up from the place where I was staying. Together with me was Ate Shane, Ate Phiel, JJ and Aimee. So before going to the “retreat”, we had a heavy and big breakfast at McDonalds first then we drove to St. Mary’s Muhaisnah. Then we were brought to the place and where we were warmly welcomed by the St. Paul sisters. The place was very peaceful and calm. They even offered and prepared breakfast for us which we had for the second time. So we had a short discussion / briefing about what we will do that day and then we went to their chapel to pray.
After that, each of us had to share something about ourselves and answer the question “Who Am I?” The question made me think deep and I prayed to God for me to be honest with my answers. Before answering the question, I introduced myself. I am Sarah, from Capiz and nearly 6 years as an OFW here. I am 2nd from the 5 children. Currently planning to get married next year but I have emotional baggage that I need to clear for me to be able to face the next chapter and have a clean fresh start. We were ask to describe who we were through anything like animals or things we prefer.
So I think again and I realized I was like a dog in a cage. I am man’s best friend, I can be there whenever you need me and surely you can depend on me. Though I may not talk or complain, all my feelings are kept hidden. You can see when I’m happy through my tail and when I’m not, I will just stay at one corner, waiting for you to notice me and cheer me up when I’m down. I am loyal to my master and I treat them in my own special ways. There are times when I can run and play freely but most of the time, I am left in a cage or chained. I desire freedom, the freedom from past hurts and emotional baggage. I desire healing, openness and forgiveness. I feel that now is the best time to free myself from the cage or break the chains that prevents me from experiencing God’s ultimate grace and overflowing love. I will be going home soon and I am excited for God’s revelation and his leading for me and George. I know in my heart that this is his great plan for the both of us.
After our sharing, we wrote our journal then had a light snack and went to the chapel for it was the Holy Hour. The very thing I offered to God was not my achievements, my money or what I have or earned but for him to accept my broken and sinful self. God never left me in times when I needed him the most and he even accepted me despite and in spite what I have done and what I’ve become. Truly God does not look at our physical appearances but through our hearts.
The retreat was one way of assessing and instilling awareness on one’s purpose on earth. It was an instrument of God for us to ask questions and in return hear the answers. Attending this retreat made me realized how blessed I am to know my purpose. It is very important to discover your purpose so as to live your life fully with God’s grace. I then remember when I was younger, I dream of being able to help others. When I got to college, I dreamed of being a nurse and pursue that degree of helping the sick. When I entered the YFC community, I dreamed of being a missionary to evangelize people and bring them back to the Lord. When I came to the UAE, I dreamed of excelling in a different career to provide for my family and seek greener pastures. As I slowly matured, God allowed me to join in the SFC community where I continued to dream of leading more people to be close to God. I desire to become an inspiration and proclaim on how God has blessed and worked in my life with the experiences I have been to. Then again, God blessed me with a new dream, a partner and an answer to my ultimate purpose and realizing my deepest desire. Now I am dreaming to be a best partner, a supportive wife and soon to be a mother to our future family. With God’s blessing, I continue to dream big and trust his great plans for me.
It all started with a simple invitation, an invitation to do good or do bad, an invitation to follow or ignore and an invitation to either say Yes or No to him. We are called in many different ways and how we respond is what matters as long as it is pleasing our God. In saying your YES, it may lead you to different places where you can’t imagine, allowing you to meet different people, fulfilling various roles, pursuing or sharing Christ to others and enjoying the smooth yet sometimes rocky but worth it journey towards Heaven. I thank the Lord for continuously calling and inviting me to be part of the community, for allowing me to witness his transformation in my life, to be able to listen to his words and by following Him to where he wants to lead me. I am blessed to be invited and I in return will also invite others to discover that there’s more to life and there’s more in store for us when we accept and say Yes to God’s sweet invitation and when we do, then our life won’t and will never be the same.
For all of this, may God be praised!
