Tag Archives: godly wisdom

Got cold feet?

Silhouette of a bride standing in a puddle, wearing a wedding dress and sneakers, with soft bokeh lights in the background.

I did… the night of December 19, 2012.

I was all alone in a food court in Ortigas. I didn’t have a bag with me. I had less than Php100 in my pocket and my nearly-drained tablet.

I left my mom with a lady friend in the hotel we were booked in for my DIY breakfast wedding.

I thought things through for the nth time. All details were set. People we invited confirmed they’ll be there.

“Will it glorify God?” was the question.

Will it glorify God if I just… disappeared?

I woke up the next morning, mom and I and my lady friend were even able to have a short devotional. Mom braided my hair with DIY hairpins. I did my own makeup.

For some reason, another lady friend thought it best to lock me in a friend’s car with the aircon off for so many minutes before letting me in.

Perhaps to ensure that I won’t run away?

Anyway, by the grace of God, our small wedding pushed through . We exchanged our vows. Everyone came and went, until it was only my husband and I left.

We got enough cash to settle the restaurant bills.

We had enough to last our first week together.

And we had just enough to cover the first three months of our rented home.

Just enough.

It’s been almost 13 years since then.

The question I have now is: “Is God more glorified in and through me today than He was, 13 years ago?”

Meanwhile.

A bride-to-be disappeared on December 10th this year, just 4 days before her wedding. She fit her wedding dress. Last communication with her fiancé was about wedding shoes: she was going to buy a pair.

She wore a black jacket over black pants, and rubber shoes. She left her phone at home and only had a coin purse with her.

I’m not imeldific – I can’t afford to be one. So it takes a looooot of time for me to find “the perfect fit” by myself. Thankfully, my fiancĂ© back in 2012 mall-hopped with me so I can decide and find the pair that would best fit my dress. (I actually wanted for us to wear running shoes but he didn’t agree.)

Anyway. So where is the bride-to-be?

I can only guess, in the simplest of ways, that perhaps she got awfully tired of looking for the perfect pair of shoes and chose to disappear.

People say there are monasteries in the vicinity where she was last seen. Perhaps she’s there.

The Fairview Center Mall (FCM) is where the bride-to-be was going to buy her shoes. Could she be in one of the three monasteries in the area?
The Fairview Center Mall (FCM) is where the bride-to-be was going to buy her shoes. Could she be in one of the three monasteries in the area?

Will this missing person search glorify God? I have no doubt it will – it does, as we speak.

Proverbs 25:2, NASB: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

To my 19 year-old self

You graduated from university without Latin honors but with a peculiar label: No Boyfriend Since Birth.

A personal achievement, I would say.

More than being chaste however, remember this: purity begins with God, transforms the mind, travels down the heart and is manifested in your choices and relationships.

No, don’t follow your heart. It is desperately sick, deceitful, wicked.

No, you’re not missing out if nobody asks you out.

Make a 5-year plan. An 11-year plan. Or even your plan for next month, next week or… today. List your priorities down. There’s more to life than just being employed in a 9-to-5 job – or a job that rakes in a hefty daily pay.

The Spice Girls are singing, “Tell me what you want? What you really, really want?” – they’re asking the boys. Don’t mind the boys, they’re busy with toys. Some of them still don’t understand the difference between a girl and a toy.

Don’t be a churchgoer. Your body is God’s temple and you are a part of His body. Honor Him.

No, don’t handle things your way – even the things you say you do for God. Get to know Him better. 

Honor your parents, treat them right. Spend more time with your sisters. Friends come and go but your sisters, they’re there for life. 

It’s totally fine if you don’t have all the answers. It’s acceptable for you not to be an expert on anything. We all make mistakes. Celebrate your progress. Perfection is an illusion.

Go out and have fun, drink a little and remember: 1 Tequila, 2 Tequila, 3 Tequila, floor! Alcohol is good for sanitizing hands, but it isn’t a heartbreak’s cure.

Swimming, cooking, martial arts, decision-making and driving are life skills. To thrive, you need common sense and a good EQ.

Keep journaling. You’ll be very busy and you’ll soon get sucked into the reality of adulthood. Write even on days when all you can write (or sing with Eddie Vedder) is “I’m still alive.”

It’s totally okay if the only prayer you’ve memorized is “Our Father.” Prayer isn’t and shouldn’t be memorized. Prayer is our two-way connection, a feedback loop, with God. God IS our Heavenly Father, and while He desires reverence, He also delights in honesty.

Pray God’s Word – read your Bible. Love Him with your heart, soul, mind and strength. Train your ears to know His voice. Anchor everything on Him because He never fails. Never ever.

“How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?” Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬ ‭BSB‬‬

There. I’ve preached on you and you’ve heard what you needed to hear. Believe God for the unbelievable. He says, “I am with you, always…”

P.S. I’d like to remind you that the road up ahead is filled with choices. You’re always free to choose but you can never choose the consequences of your choices. So choose wisely; choose kindly; and whenever possible, choose the road less traveled.

P.P.S. Three decades from now, the world would be outrageously different from what you’ve known. Always keep moving forward towards the direction of your dreams. Follow Jesus. Pack lightly.