One of the many struggles of humans is to surrender to God. As if surrendering shows the weakness and flaws in us we always want to forget and hide in the darkest part of our closet. That giving up our rights and entitlement to God would cause such loss of every right of our own humanity. That accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior would take away our freedom and liberty to experience life to the fullest. And a lot more misconceptions about God. All these may appear to be true to us if we do not know the character of our heavenly Father, our One True God, if we don't have a personal intimate relationship, there is a danger of believing all these lies from the enemy. 

But God is gracious and merciful. He let us know what we needed to know and never left the essential wisdom and knowledge unheard of from Him. He uses everything and anything to deliver His will right to our doorstep, yet sometimes we tend to be insensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and most of the time, we are impatient. Yes, we are impatient selfish human beings, and our human nature leads us to compromises, and the worst, causes us to sin. We may have past experiences that hold us back and the trauma is still there, but I assure you based on my encounter with Christ there is nothing more redeeming and liberating than accepting Jesus in our lives, He gives us peace, He is the peace we all need to reconcile us with Father God.

Our existence in this life and in this world is not only for us, not solely for our own selfish gain. There is a greater purpose for everything. It is never just about us. We are designed to cooperate and submit to God's law. We are His workmanship and He already prepared us for good works.

Let me share with you Bible verses from Philippians 3:13-14: Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. These Scriptures always encourage me to continue and be intentional in my walk with Jesus. The Christian life is not easy, I can even imagine my sisters and brothers in Christ right now saying in unison that it is not just hard, it is impossible, and I couldn't agree with them more. 

Now that all have been said and done, I would also like to share with you a story through the chapbook I mentioned from one of my vlogs. Yep, you read it right, I'm releasing a new book this year 2021. It's a poetry and prose collection or some might say it is a thought catalog, but I'd prefer to call it a journey of letting go and let God be God.

I present to you the book cover of It's Not About Us (But What If It's About Us). 

It's been a while since I watched TV, probably since the domination of the world wide web and easy access to internet connection among the citizens of the Philippines. I remember during my childhood and adolescence days, TV is the number source of news, gossips, trends, and entertainment. At home, our TV always gave out and reached its capacity, since we always bought surplus goods which fitted within our budget. But nowadays that's no longer the case, we now have Netflix and other free streaming sites, and with just one search and click we can immediately find the show we want to watch. Everything seems so instant.

 

Just like in life, everything seems to be fleeting and in an instant, something or someone important is no more with us. Head Full of Honey is a movie that I watched on TV first time in a while from start to finish with all the commercials in between. There is no denying that the film captured my interest. I was hesitant to watch it because of all the TV advertisements coming our way and felt like it is a waste of time to see those commercials, but I was glad I took the chance of watching it with my mother. 

It is a 2018 American remake of a 2014 German film of the same name. Head Full of Honey is about Amadeus, a widowed grandfather who has Alzheimer's disease. A heartwarming story intended for the whole family, this film served as a tear-jerker that left me and my mother filled with sadness and hope at the same time. Though adventure might not be an initial genre for this movie, I could not help but sense and embraced the hearts of the characters, they felt raw and genuine, even devoid of any counterfeit and forgery. The colorful life of the Nolte's family shows us perfectly the imperfection of life, and how fleeting it can be.

We all long to fulfill a purpose in life and once that purpose no longer serves us the way it used to, it is a heavy burden we always want to get off or run away from. If ever we have the chance and ability to make life better and purposeful for other people especially for the ones we love, then it's worth every effort and energy to give your all and never give up on them. For sure, there are times when we want so much to throw everything and say we give up, I've had enough, and it is okay, you can rest and pause but please let's not give up on them, let's us not give up on us. We are all on the same team. That's the essence of life, it is to love others just like how you love yourself through the true source and demonstration of love. 

 

Hot SOS by Solenn Heussaff is a self-help book about fitness and health and beauty. This was a short read book but it took me three days to finish it. Well, I wanted to absorb and imbibe whatever I could learn and unlearn from this little guidebook of Solenn. 

The author Solenn Heussaff is also an actress, make-up artist, painter, and businesswoman.  She has a knack for creativity like she exists to create. I admire women like her. Free-spirited and unapologetic for who she is. I see her as a strong woman. 

The book contains tips and advice, easy-to-follow exercise routines and healthy food recipes. What I enjoyed the most from the book is the Q & A part where it revealed the I am a Sneaky Exerciser which means I work out high with an activity that doesn't seem like a workout at all like a bike ride or weekend with friends. It seems the test is legit because that's so me. You can find the test on pages 132 to 133 if ever you get a copy of the book, or I can take a picture of it for you, and maybe we can DM each other. haha   

The 10 Rules to Live By by Solenn Heussaff is also something that I appreciate from this read. Let me list them down here:

1. Enough with the "I'll do it tomorrow!" Start today!
2. Be active as much as you can. 
3. But take a break when you need it.
4. Don't drink your calories.
5. Never, ever compare yourself to anyone.
6. Drink 3 liters of water a day.
7. Always eat breakfast.
8. Surround yourself with only positivity and progress. No room for nega.
9. Eat a rainbow.
10. Sleep like a baby.

You'll be reminded of some of the practical ways to living a healthy lifestyle through this book. You may want to see a glimpse of what's inside this book, click here to see.

It is all good to be concerned with our health and how we look, just like how I am right now. hehe. I have never been concerned with myself and how I appear to others more than I do now. I even tried plucking my brows and dying my hair out of my own volition. How's that! Another step towards adulting if I may say. But I must say that we should also take care of the beauty inside all of us that will never fade away, right? And there is where you can find the true you, so be.you.tiful always.

From Twinkle, with Love is a young adult book by Sandhya Menon. It is really a thick one and it took me three weeks maybe before I finished it, since I tend to be a polygamist reader sometimes. I bought this one from the nationwide National Book Store Sale last year. It is a hardbound book and got it for only 195 pesos.   

Sandhya Menon generously offers us a sweet love story and an inspiring journey of pursuing your dreams and finding your voice in a world where you feel like the invisible ones. It has multiracial characters which make it relevant and revolting all at the same time. The main characters Twinkle and Sahil are a dynamic couple with all their insecurities in life who took a chance of showing their true self to the ones who matter to them the most. 

There is no single character in this story whom I didn't like. They are just all so lovable and likable, even the bad ones at the beginning of the book. They make the story so welcoming and relevant. They are not just minor characters, they are pieces of a puzzle that perfectly fit the picture. I like how Menon intended to put these individuals together to create a diverse culture in a single plot. 

It is told from such a personal point of view which makes it more heartfelt and sincere. Even though I think I am a little too old to read young adult books, I still enjoy this book, maybe it's just my age that is getting old. haha.