A Life-time for a Promise?!

“A Life-time for a Certain Promise?!”

by: Gail S. Montero                  

Please read Luke 2:29-32.

How long should it take for us to believe

that a certain promise will still be fulfilled?

That day: December 31, 2013 @ Josephine’s Restaurant in Tagaytay, in an unexpected moment -- God sent an angel that made me recall “a promise” …

– that one which “no voice” told me back then,

yet I believed in my heart that it will be fulfilled – maybe “when I grow up” ! J

I was just a kid then when God first comforted me “not with an answer” to the truth that I should know.  It has been 30 years at this point  --  ang tagal na din pala!  I’m already raising my own kids now … but somewhere in my heart, “I’m counting…STILL on that GUARANTEE!”.

“Promises are made to be broken!” … that’s what they normally say!

Kasi along the way,

-- bigla na lang, nagbabago ang tao: either the promise-giver or the receiver;

-- dumadating ang mga pagsubok na hindi napagtatagumpayan;

-- nagkakaroon ng mga pagkakataon na nagiging magka-iba ng landas na tinatahak. 

Or, worse than expected,

-- NAKAKALIMOT na magsumikap na ibigay ang BEST sa magparehong pagkatao

   sa kalagitnaan ng mahihirap na mga pagkakataon.

-- kung hindi man ang isa sa kanila, neither of the promise-giver nor the receiver are able to courageously  JUMP over the TEST OF TIME kaya naman, tuluyan nang natatapos ang  relationship na inasahan sanang mag-grow!

Ilan kaya sa atin ang pwedeng maging katulad ni Simeon in today’s gospel?

-- an upright and devout OLD MAN who received and blessed Jesus when Mary and Joseph presented him at the temple.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.

It had to take him “a life time” before God finally rewarded his hope:

‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,

just as you promised;

because my eyes have seen the salvation

which you have prepared for all the nations to see…”

Hindi madali ang umasa na isang umaga naandyan na ang sagot “to the truth that you should know”.  Lalong hindi madali na magpakabuti tayo at gawing “deserving” ang sarili natin sa kalagitnaan ng mga panahong nahihirapan tayo at halos we are at the summit of giving-up.

Pero sige lang, let us give ourselves that extra effort to keep on JUMPING even higher than we normally can -- kasi God is surely preparing us to that day when HE would REWARD us with the FULFILMENT of HIS PROMISE!

Afterall, our attitude while waiting would matter most! “Payback” to God that gift of gratitude and patience without worrying – then it could be the best that we would have in our futureJ. #sunset