Lesson #4: There’s no place like home

After 5 hours of dark road, loneliness and creepy self-talk, I was finally home. The cliche “there’s no place like home” took its new meaning that night. Indeed, home feels safer, lovelier and happier than any road trip.

I have a favorite song when I was a kid. It says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through."

Come to think of it, the reality is, this world is just 65 years (or less) for me. I'll be spending my entire eternity somewhere else.

We just finished a message series at Grace Place, our "not your typical" church in Makati, called "30 days to live". It challenged us to live a life as if you only have 30 days to live because "life is just a breath" and "a mist that goes in an instant".

If my life is just a preparation for eternity, I should not waste it. I should say the words God wants me to say, do the things that God prepared for me to do, and live the life that God expects me to live.

Sometimes, when I encounter problems, I feel like I want to just disappear. Be a "Jumper". Teleport to heaven -- where disappointments, heartaches and discouragements were just a word in the dictionary. But then again, pain and sufferings are temporary, come to think of it. Heaven provides hope. The hope that when everything is said and done, Jesus will welcome me one of these days saying "Well done, my good and faithful servant".

Are you excited to be home? If not, you should know why. 

Lesson #3: Silence speaks a thousand words

This road trip is the first where I drove without turning on the radio. My cellphone was turned off, too. It’s just me, myself and God. And the sound of the tires. And the engine. For 5 hours, it’s silent.

During these hours alone with God, he spoke to me in a bunch of words. Ok, it’s not like a creepy audible voice from heaven, I don’t even want to experience that. But it’s like God speaking and conversing to me through my heart and spirit. I can feel his presence comforting me, teaching me, filling my thoughts with his thoughts. I talk to him. I listen. This thing do not happen every time.

This experience reminds me the importance of being silent. In the city where noise is part of the lifestyle -- TV, movie, mall, car stereo, the internet at work and at home -- it’s almost impossible to be quiet and listen to God speak.

God said, “Be still and know that I am God”. Most of the times, the reason why we found ourselves helpless and far from God is because of the noise around us. Literally and figuratively. The noise distracts us. We don't have time for God. We have a bunch of reasons not to be in the presence of God. The reality is, whatever religious background you found yourself growing into, our situations are similar -- we consistently run away from God while he consistently run after us.

Silence speaks a thousand words. If we will just shut up and listen, we're realize how passionately in-love God is with us. He'll tell us that he moved mountains just to reach for us. No, I meant he moved heaven and earth. That's what Jesus did when he, being God became a man just so man can relate with God.

Shutting up may mean distorting your routine to accommodate God. You can read the Bible and pray in the morning or come with fellow believers and worship God on weekends. Whatever it is, just shut up and listen. You'll hear God. Ok, not the audible voice. But you'll see, just try it.

After we launched 30daystolive.ph last Tuesday, a bunch of guys have already submitted their "plans" for their last 30 days. Here are my favorites:

Spend last days (a week, perhaps) at the beach, with my whole family.  Hopefully, my sis can come home from New Zealand (or I can go there!!).  Go swimming, running, painting, dancing – weeeeeee!!! - Gayle

I will resign from my job to prepare everything (for my family). - Liza

If only I have 30 days to live I would make everyone around me happy… - Infinity

I will talk less and listen more. investing my life to people. - Glenn

lahat ng oras nsa tabi aku ng mga anak ko..mag lalaro kmi hangang mkatulog cla..rerecord ku sa video lahat ng gagawin nmin..paparamdam ku sa kanila na mahal ko cla… -Mhike

I've noticed that when it comes to using the last days of our lives, the focus becomes less of ourselves and more of our love ones.

I'm going to discuss more about this later this week and next week. For now, keep your thoughts coming. Think: "If I have 30 days to live, what ONE thing would I do for the rest of my remaining days?" and post it in our website 30daystolive.ph

You have 30 days to live. What ONE thing would you do?

Answer the question and read others' answers at 30daystolive.ph

Instead of a new year resolution (which isn't bad at all), how about reflecting on your special moment with God this year? Let's look back and see how God has been faithful with us in the past. This will give us courage and assurance of his faithfulness as we face the coming year.

What was/were your most special moment(s) with God this year?

Believe it or not, my most special moment with God this year happened in our comfort room. Yes, you read it right. Comfort room. During one of the lowest moments of my life this year, God spoke to me clearly (ok, not in an audible voice, you, charismatic you :D ). During that season of my life, I knew I need to have a stronger faith to trust God to face the biggest challenge yet, but I'm not trusting him. He spoke to me in such a way that I had to debate with him whether I really need to do what He wants me to do. I struggled, but in the end I obeyed. As a result, my faith grew a notch higher and I'm seeing his hands at work even more clearer now. All started in our comfort room -- in a quiet time with God.

What was/were your most special moment(s) with God this year?