becomingBubba – Becoming Bubba

Redeemed Beauty

Warrior princess, you’ve been redeemed, you are chosen and you are extravagantly loved.

Even in the most mundane, little tasks let your beauty shine.

Do not let negativity – yours or that of others – quench your fire.

Do not stop the naysayers – you can’t. But with gentleness, direct them.

Let the Lover of your soul sit enthroned in your heart – do not be fooled nor conceited – for only He, the King of kings, is your Vindication.

Delight to hide, to rest, to walk in the shadow of His wings, and let others gaze not on yours but His beauty.

Repairing Anya Forger

Four year-old Kuya Hope and I were so excited to open the new parcel.

It was a paint-by-numbers kit of Anya Forger, the little kid spy in SpyxFamily. Anya has telephatic abilities, unbeknownst to her adoptive parents.

But this post isn’t about Anya. Let me share with you my thoughts as I tried my best to “repair” Anya.

When we opened the parcel, I told little Kuya Hope that I can only help him with the first color. He’ll have to do the rest of the painting. I’ll help him with some repairs later on after he’s done. He happily agreed.

We sort of finished number 1 the first night.

The next day, Kuya Hope and I had our simultaneous paint-by-numbers activity. He worked on Anya while I worked on Asian Princess.

Kuya Hope cheerily went thru the activity. Every now and then, I helped him to close and open little paint lids and refill his little cup of paint water. (You need a little bit of water to rinse off your brush before proceeding to the next color). For someone his age, I’m proud to report that he didn’t make a major-major spill.

Perhaps a good one hour has passed when Kuya Hope announced that he was done. He told me that I had to repair Anya. I looked at the painting.

He was able to paint correctly, according to number. There was a glob here… and there… and wow, alright, a glob there, too. I tried to see it thru my kindergarten eyes.

I asked little Kuya Hope to confirm if he enjoyed the activity. I praised his efforts and his focus. I assured him that it would be easier to repair Anya once the first coat of paint has dried up.

I remember the little one saying, “I made a mistake.” The way he said it so casually reminded me of the purity and beauty of a child’s humility. We can learn so much from little ones if we only take the time to listen.

As I repaired Anya, I pondered on these questions: How much time in our lives do we spend repairing just to show a beautiful picture? How many globs do we need to paint over or straighten out for the end result to be close to perfection? How humble are we to admit that we’ve made a mistake?

If perfectionism is your addiction, perhaps ‘Be perfect, just as your Father is perfect,” is one of your favorite Bible verses or mantra.

Yet we can never fully attain perfection this side of eternity, can we? We can only be faithful in the little things and do everything – no matter how little – with great love. Do everything as unto the LORD, not as unto men.

A life of worship is a life of peace, beauty and perfection – not in the eyes of people – but in the eyes of our loving Heavenly Father.

Perfection on this side of eternity is fickle and finicky. Perfection in God’s eyes, on the other hand, is a matter of the heart.

How’s your heart today?

Mom and son “collab” 😊 I purchased this paint-by-numbers kit from TikTokShop.

Hush, hush my mind

Sharing some parts of my quiet time for today (Matthew 24; Luke 21; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:2-10).

Ongoing war in Israel. Families and children being killed left and right.

Earthquake this morning at 8:24am.

A Filipino “drag queen” who used ‘Ama Namin’ in a party (and said ‘Thank you for coming to church’ after the performance) got jailed but is receiving tremendous financial and “moral” support.

I think news can either be alarming or sobering, burdensome or encouraging, depending on how I perceive and receive it.

Matthew 24:8 says “All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

I need to continually sort thru whatever I read, watch or listen to, and file them into little compartments or bin them out.

It can be overwhelming to think about what I’m thinking about. It drains me.

If things were all up to me, I could probably cocoon myself to death.

But as a wife and a mom, I cannot do that.

Giving birth (even with epidural) is painful, messy, beautiful.

The LORD prompts me to pray. He admonishes me that His Word is true. That He is a shield to all who find refuge in Him.

And yes, be transformed by the continual renewing of my mind.

Mental health is possible when the mind is filled not with news but with the truth of God’s Word.

A joyful perspective is possible when I am heavenly-minded.

Bring your kids to Jesus

Some people brought their small children to Jesus so he could touch them. But his followers told the people to stop bringing their children to him.

When Jesus saw this, he was displeased. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them. The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children. I tell you the truth. You must accept the kingdom of God as a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.” Then Jesus took the children in his arms. He put his hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13‭-‬16 ICB https://bible.com/bible/1359/mrk.10.13-16.ICB

Note to self. God hasn’t called you to keep looking over your shoulder and see how other parents or experts are raising their kids.

While it helps to listen and glean from the wisdom of those who have “been there, done that” with exemplary results, God’s purpose for your children – and your family – is as unique as your fingerprints.

Raise your son not as a mini version of you – he isn’t, he shouldn’t be – but as God has designed him to be.

Children don’t come with operating manuals because they’re not supposed to be mechanical.
becomingBubba

Children don’t come with operating manuals because they’re not supposed to be mechanical.

Bring your son to Jesus, not just Sunday School! Pray for him, for yourself, for your family.

Pray WITH him. Oh, let him pray un-memorized prayers, prayers from his heart! Let him exercise his faith muscles.

Let him see in your life how real God is, that His love is tangible, His love comes softly, His love is gentle.

Let him experience God’s undivided attention, His listening heart, His compassion, His courage.

Let him know that God is saddened and angered by sin, that He disciplines those who are His and that the freedom He gives frees you to be good people, to do good deeds, not wayward ones.

Discipline. Disciple. Do you see it?

Whether you’re happily married or a solo parent, if you are in Christ, the Holy Spirit IS your partner in parenting. You are not alone!

Protect your children, by all means, protect them from the ways of the world and trends that bend the truth!

“Jesus IS the Way, the Truth and the Life,” is more than just a memory verse. It is foundational – for you, your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Rest in the Truth that, indeed, you and your children are not your own. You belong to Jesus. Bring your kids to Jesus!

Bring yourself, too.

Aglio Olio, anyone?

My version of Aglio Olio.

One good thing (among several other lessons) that the pandemic taught me is this: cooking is a life skill!

Is cooking an art, too? I am yet to find out for myself.

On Running and Marriage

Running has always given me a sense of accomplishment. It fuels my inner drive to go for just one more mile, one more step… and some more.

I thought marriage would fully unleash the athlete in me but I was mistaken – at least for the past 10 years. Marriage revealed the sloth.

Marriage IS a gift, it is a wonderful thing but it takes hardwork. The thing is, I don’t always like hardwork. However, in completing a marathon and making a marriage last, perseverance is key. Discipline is necessary.

I am skeptical of married couples who say they “don’t fight.” If you don’t fight then how can you and your spouse grow, not just go, through conlict?

You can go through conflict, sweep it under the rug and pretend that it doesn’t exist. You know, keep the peace… then divorce later?

Or you can grow through the conflict, confront your own demons, work together, and keep love aglow until ever after. Or something like that.

Conflict brought about by a married couple’s differences are not meant to be conciliatory. They’re meant to be complementary.
– becomingBubba

My marriage is teaching me (among many other things) that happiness is a choice I can make everyday.

I can choose to be happy regardless of who (or “what”) I’m married to. I can choose to complement and compliment my husband specially when it’s most challenging to do so.

I was single and happy when I completed my first half marathon. I thought if I got married, it’ll double the fun. Thankfully, I am not 100% wrong.

Word to the wise: if you’re not happy being single (or running alone), don’t get married. You won’t get any happier when you tie the knot. Just tie your shoelaces and keep running.

Oneness in marriage is not about codependency. It’s about not losing who you are as you work (should you decide to work) through your differences.

Oneness in marriage is like putting on a pair of marathon shoes that will weather all terrains. I can’t change shoes (or carry an extra pair) when I run a marathon, can I?

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
1 Timothy 4:8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1ti.4.8.NLT

May I persevere as marriage trains me towards godliness.

Thank you, WordPress!

“Blogger” may sound archaic to some as “digital creator” is the trend these days.

Blogging is foundational. Maybe I’ve been on the learning curve for far too long. Slow and steady.

Thank you, WordPress, for the ‘little things’ that help remind me of my Why.

May I “never rest til my good becomes better and my better is best”. So help me God.

On Forgiveness

“Oh, you never really love someone until you learn to forgive…” – Ben&Ben, ‘Leaves’

Have you ever had to forgive someone?

Have you ever needed to be forgiven?

What does forgiveness mean to you?

There is no true, lasting peace without forgiveness.

While forgiveness doesn’t excuse one from the consequences of his or her wrongdoing, forgiveness transforms one’s perspective from victim to victor.

Forgiveness is a gift deeply sought yet not as easily and freely given. Nor is the need for it readily recognized.

It is only when we see the depth of our selfishness and wretchedness can we be truly grateful for another person’s sacrifice on our behalf.

Please bear with me. I do not want to guilt-trip anyone nor sound high and mighty. Figuratively speaking, I’m just as bad as the next criminal on death row.

While the pursuit of holiness, of purity in my inmost being, has become a daily thing for me, it wasn’t always the case.

It wasn’t until my heart understood the depravity of sin that I started taking a U-turn towards God’s design for my life.

I was the woman caught in adultery.

I was the woman at the well, never married but had several husbands.

I was the lame man who missed several opportunities to be healed because nobody helped me get to the water when it stirred.

I was the blind man, who called out His name so I could see.

And, by grace, I’m the Samaritan leper who came back to thank Him.

He forgave me even WHILE I was – and still am – a sinner.

He gave his life as a ransom for mine.

He shed his blood on the Cross to wash my scarlet robes.

He took each whip, each insult, on my behalf.

Oh, how much like heaven would earth be if we each admitted our dire need to receive forgiveness from the One who gave His all, once and for all? And then, just as freely as we receive it, we freely give it away?

But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 BSB
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rom.5.8.BSB

Father God, please help me to freely love and forgive others, just as You have loved and forgiven me. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

On Badness

Imagine your 3 year-old being told, “You’re bad! You’re bad!” by a burly grown-up stranger.

I allow my toddler to explore, to be himself, and even at his age, I’ve already been setting healthy boundaries. Unfortunately, I can’t control how his threenager brain works and neither can I control his behavior 100% of the time.

When my little one kicked a stranger, he quickly ran to me and we quickly apologized.

The stranger turned his back on us and, with his booming voice, quipped “I will call the police.”

I whispered to my son, “You are not bad. What you did was bad. We only kick balls and bad people.”

By “bad people,” we mean criminals or the ones who take advantage of the weak.

“We only kick balls,” may sound funny for a grown-up like me. But for my toddler, I think he got the lesson. Besides, it wasn’t the first time I had to tell him that.

Maybe that particular grown-up was in the middle of something and so totally couldn’t be disturbed.

Maybe the grown-up realized his reaction was too much over a little person’s behavior.

Maybe he felt bullied.

Maybe he didn’t care.

Or maybe he DID care.

Still, while I agree that what my son did was a bad thing (with my sincerest apologies) I am honestly not happy nor thankful for a stranger to label my son bad.

At peace

“As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone,” Scripture says. But it is entirely different from being a people-pleaser.

Being at peace with everyone doesn’t mean we avoid conflict. It means we choose to be kind, compassionate, even when there is conflict.

“…with everyone,” myself included. I must be at peace with who I am and honest with how I feel so my important, closest relationship/s can be fully, wholly real.