Moments with my First Love [UNDER REVISION]

MOMENT 7: Great Encourager

We are so used to being tested by the world. We spend our youth memorizing answers to questions that have a correct answer or solution. Questions like, "What is the square root of 144?", "What is the capital of this country?" "What is the formula for this equation?" 

But life, in its infinite complexity, eventually stops asking us questions that can be solved with a pen and paper. Instead, it starts asking us questions that have no easy answer—the kind that stay with you long after the silence has settled.

Have you ever been forced to face the questions that truly matter?

Questions like,"If everything you've worked for was taken away today, who are you still?" "Are you living the life you chose, or the life you were pressured to accept?" "If you had the power to change one thing about your past, would you really change it, or would it erase the person you are today?"

We are masters at answering the easy ones, but we are often terrified of the difficult ones. We are so busy chasing grades, deadlines, and the approval of others that we forget to ask ourselves: "Am I still okay, or am I just surviving?"

Most of the time, when life asks us how we are, we offer a rehearsed, "Okay lang." We treat our existence like a school exam where we just need to provide the "right" answer so we can move on. But deep down, there is a heavy, unspoken truth... Okay lang is often just a mask for the questions we are too scared to voice even to ourselves.

So, let' stop hiding behind the easy answers. I want to ask you, how are you today? Is there something quietly troubling your heart?

Perhaps there is a burden you have been carrying for so long that even smiling already feels exhausting. Maybe something happened that left you emotionally drained. There are battles in life that people cannot see with their eyes, yet they slowly consume the soul from within. Sometimes, the deepest pain comes from the silent struggles we keep hidden behind the words "I'm okay." And the truth is? Even strong people become tired too.

Maybe right now, you are praying for a breakthrough that still has not come.
Maybe you have been crying out to God for answers, healing, restoration, or peace, yet everything still feels the same. 

And if you are honest, perhaps your heart is slowly asking, "Lord, hanggang kailan pa po?" Waiting can be painful because it stretches the soul in ways we never expected. It is difficult to remain hopeful when disappointment keeps visiting your life repeatedly. There are nights when tears become prayers because words are no longer enough to explain the heaviness inside your heart.

Sometimes, trials make us question ourselves. We begin to feel unseen, small or unworthy. We compare our lives with others and wonder why their prayers seem answered while ours remain waiting. But one painful thing about suffering is if we are not careful, pain can slowly change the way we see ourselves. 

Instead of seeing ourselves through God's love, we begin seeing ourselves through our wounds. Instead of believing God's promises, we start believing our fears. Kaya minsan, habang tumatagal ang laban, unti-unti ring nanghihina ang loob natin.

But this is the Good News! God is a God of encouragement. Isaiah 51:12 says, "I am the LORD, the one who encourages you."  The Creator of heaven and earth personally encourages weary hearts. God does not shame people for being tired. He does not reject people for feeling weak. Instead, He draws near to the brokenhearted. When everyone else expects you to stay strong, God gently reminds you that you do not have to carry everything alone. Hindi mo kailangang magpanggap na okay ka palagi sa harapan ng Diyos dahil kilala Niya ang tunay mong nararamdaman.

When you feel this way, it is easy to let your pain define you. But before you lose heart, remeber these truths to anchor your soul back to the One who truly knows you:

I. Your suffering does not remove your value.
Pain may wound your heart, but it does not change your identity before God. You are still chosen, loved, and deeply cared for by Him. 

The enemy often uses difficult seasons to make people feel abandoned. But the truth is, some of God's greatest works happen in hidden and painful seasons. A seed grows in darkness before it blooms. Gold is refined through fire before it shines.

Sometimes, God allows certain storms not to destroy you but to transform you into someone stronger, deeper, and more dependent on Him. Even when life feels silent, God is still working within your waiting.

Daniel 9:23 says that God thinks highly of you. What a beautiful reminder in a world that constantly measures worth based on achievements, appearance, validation, or success. 

Sometimes, we become so focused on our failures that we forget who we are in God's eyes. We call ourselves unworthy because of our mistakes, but God still calls us His beloved. We see weakness, but God sees a person He is continuously molding and restoring through grace.

II. There is a difference between humility and self-belittling.
Humility gives glory to God, while self-belittling doubts what God can do through your life. Kapag minamaliit natin ang sarili natin, minsan hindi natin napapansin na parang nililimitahan din natin ang kapangyarihan ng Diyos. When you constantly tell yourself, "I will never heal," "I will never overcome this," or "Nothing good can happen to me," you are allowing fear to speak louder than faith.

But remember, God specializes in impossible things. He creates beauty out of brokenness. He brings purpose out of pain. He makes testimonies out of tears. The same God who parted seas and raised the dead is still working in your life even when you cannot yet see it.

Sometimes, faith is not loudly declaring victory.
Sometimes, faith is simply choosing to keep going despite exhaustion.

III. People's opinions should never become louder than God's voice in your life.
Many people live exhausted lives because they spend too much time trying to please everyone around them. Fear of rejection, criticism, and judgment slowly steals peace from the heart. But human approval is temporary. No matter how much you do, someone will always misunderstand you, criticize you, or fail to appreciate you.

That is why fixing our eyes on people will always leave us empty. But when we focus on God, we begin to find peace that human validation can never give. Hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang halaga mo sa lahat ng tao dahil alam na ng Diyos ang tunay mong halaga. The opinions of people may change overnight. But God's love for you remains constant. He sees the real you beyond your flaws. He knows your motives beyond your failures and weaknesses.

Don't ever forget that human is only human. Yet God is greater than all.
He is greater than your fears,
greater than your failures,
greater than the situation making you cry at night.

Sometimes we become so overwhelmed by our circumstances that we forget how big our God truly is. The same God who created galaxies also knows every detail of your pain. Every silent tear matters to Him. Every hidden prayer is heard by Him. Every heartbreak is seen by Him. Hindi ka nakakalimutan ng Diyos kahit pakiramdam mo mag-isa ka lang sa laban mo.

So today, do not give up. Hold on to God's promises even when your emotions tell you otherwise. Faith is not pretending that everything is okay. Faith is actually choosing to trust God even when everything feels uncertain. There are seasons when God may seem silent, but His silence never means His absence. 

Sometimes, while you are waiting, God is also working behind the scenes in ways your eyes cannot yet understand. And one day, you will realize that the delay was not God abandoning you—it was God preparing you.

Hebrews 13:5 says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." What a comforting promise! People may leave. Situations may change. Feelings may fail. And those things are uncontrollable by our hands. But God remains constant. He stays through every storm, every heartbreak, every disappointment, and every unanswered prayer. Even when your strength is gone, His grace continues to carry you.

So let this truth rest deeply in your heart today...
You are deeply loved by God!

Your current pain is not the end of your story. The battle may be difficult, but it is not greater than the hands of the One holding you. One day, you will look back and realize that God sustained you in ways you never noticed while you were struggling. And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things about grace—God carries us even when we no longer have the strength to carry ourselves.

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Highly_FavoreDii
To God be all the Glory!