Subliminal_Shift

My stint here in the Weekly Sillimanian has been a wild rollercoaster ride. Being at the helm of a weekly student paper is no joke – especially for a rookie like me. How I wished that we were a monthly paper instead. The weekly toll of managing a staff with a broad spectrum of personalities, on top of having to sift through articles every week, demands a lot of time, sleep, and yes, even money from my own pocket. Our office has become a make-shift house just so we could come out on a Wednesday.

My ‘social’ life was put on the back burner on a number of occasions and weekends are no longer rest days but rather ‘newspaper layout-ing’ days. The complaints we get are often disheartening but we could only do so much as a staff that has only began to finds its rhythm nearing the end of the school year.  I’ve made regrettable mistakes and unwise decisions but at least I have gained wisdom and insight after every single one. We strive to be better than the last issue because we try to raise the standard every single time.

Though it all, my values of humility, self-sacrifice, restraint, patience and faith in God have strengthened all the more. Trust me, this whole Editor-in-chief tag can get into your head quite easily. And I admit, my pride rears its ugly head at times but I praise God for his gentle rebukes, reminding me that this position isn’t about me. It’s about giving back to Him all the praise and the glory in sweet worship and dedication for all he’s done and will do for those who truly have Christ in their hearts. I’m not the center of the universe, the Creator is – the same God who breathes life into stars is the same one who came to save a failure like me.

The secret to surviving in a weekly paper is not to rely on your own strength, abilities and mere time management. The secret lies in genuinely and earnestly seeking the Lord Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth despite the busyness. Without God to sustain me, I wouldn’t be able to last as long as I did. I simply have no one else to turn to but to God. Nobody and nothing compares to the sweetness of a life blessed by the spirit of the Lord.

Every single week, I go through moments of self-pity and fatigue. But somehow, I’m still able to stand on my two feet. As much as I wanted to cry and simply quit the paper, my God, my savior, my redeemer, just kept impressing upon my heart these words: “I will never leave you nor forsake you!” And He never did!

The promise in Isaiah 40: 29-31 is very true to me. It says: “He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; He offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Each time I’m at my lowest and when I feel like exploding on my staff, I retreat to the throne of God’s grace in prayer and I seek for the TRUTH in his WORD and there he fills me with a peace that transcends beyond the capacity of my finite mind. The truth in Hebrews 4:12 underscores this: “For the WORD of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.”

I am also very thankful for the fellowship of Christians which the Lord has lead me to. Our weekly meetings of prayer and encouragement at Scheide chapel have helped in keeping me sane and holding me together. Fellowship with fellow believers, regardless of church membership, is key to growing in faith and accountability.

I will definitely miss the Weekly Sillimanian office, and the staff as well. But as Ecclesiastes 3:1 puts it: “There is a season for everything.” My appointed time as editor is nearing its end. Then again, God has a purpose for everything. But not only does he have a purpose, He cares.

There has been so much joy in my heart lately. The WS staff has really been amazing and we’ve began to really gel as a team. And how timely it is that UCLEW encourages us all to Grow in Christ. Because the truth is there is NO OTHER way to go. There exists a dangerous delusion that pervasively creeps into every crevice of human vulnerability. This deception says: “I don’t need God. I just need to pursue success, mind my own business, live whatever way I want to, and conform to what everybody else is doing.”

Why is this mindset utterly foolish? Allow me to tell you a story:

There was a certain rich man who lived everyday in luxury. Outside his house, a beggar laid helpless, longing for scraps from the rich man’s table. The time came when the beggar died and was carried up to heaven. Finally, the rich man died. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in heaven with the beggar to his side. The rich man cried out, “Have mercy on me! Send the beggar over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in an agony in this fire!”

But Abraham said to him: “Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and this beggar had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, a great chasm between us has been fixed. Those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”

The rich man answered: “Then I beg of you, please send the beggar to my household. I have five brothers and I want him to warn them about this place of torment so they won’t have to come here when they die!” But Abraham said: “The Lord has already sent prophets to warn them. His Word and Truth has already been written. Your brothers can read them anytime they want to.”

“No!” the man replied. “But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins!” But Abraham said: “If they won’t listen to the prophets and the truth already laid out in the Word, they won’t even listen if someone rises from the dead.”

This is a scary parable in Luke 16 of the reality ALL of us have to face. Don’t get me wrong, God is a loving and merciful God, but he is also just. Justice must me present in mercy, and love in judgment. Your social status on earth does not matter. Hell is real and there is NOTHING we could possibly do to save ourselves when we are already dead.

Sin separates. Sin deceives. Sin dooms us all to hell. But the God of all creation, who is so in love with us, has already given us all we need. He even went as far as coming here on earth fully divine (100% God, 100% Man) and died that we may have life. His words in the Bible are true, he offers salvation through Jesus Christ but we neglect the truth – deliberately. Why? We refuse to believe in its simplicity and refuse to accept the fact that there’s more to life than just earthly pleasures. We would rather subscribe to enticing ideas and lifestyles that allow us to be more ‘free’ and ‘liberated’. But really, does living apart from God, intentionally turning a deaf ear to His voice speaking in your heart, bring about true liberation?

I am in no position to neither condemn nor judge anyone but I entrust that to the convicting power of God’s Word in the Bible – sharper than the sharpest sword it exposes the true state and motives of our hearts.

When we die, each of us will be accountable. No Exceptions. All have fallen short of the glory of God. I know of no other way but through Jesus. No Other. I don’t think you would like to end up in hell and only realize then and there that you made a tragic, irrevocable mistake.

I speak with conviction because, trust me in this, nothing compares to having tasted the sweetness of our Lord. You may have turned your back on God, but He has never and will never turn his back to you. No one is beyond redemption. Take a stand while you still have time. A life enjoyed with Christ in your heart comes with it the joy, peace, purpose, satisfaction and assurance of His wonderful promises every single day – both in this life and in eternity. (Check out Psalms 33 and Isaiah 40:29-31!)

There is a God-shaped void in each of us and no amount of seeking for answers and meaning elsewhere will satisfy. Yes, there may be many noble pursuits in this world (i.e. gender equality, environmental consciousness, academic pursuits) but never neglect what matters the most.

“The times are changing. We must adapt because cultural influence is inescapable.” This is a slogan that reflects the reality of how society today has dangerously evolved into one that is increasingly liberal. Along with this, the Postmodern view is fast gaining popularity and acceptability. Beware.

As society progresses, its moral standards evolve and change. This is evident in today’s pop cultural trend that gravitates towards glorifying deviant behavior, especially those formerly considered as taboo. It’s alarming to notice that that instead of being shunned away from, society has taken a tolerant stance. Why? Because it’s “appealing”. Because it’s “cool”. Because everybody else is into it. Because it’s inescapable. But really, is it? If we have the choice to conform to trends, then doesn’t that also mean that we have the choice to take a stand?

Seeing that we are all in pursuit of self-worth in this world, it isn’t surprising that anyone is most likely to fall for just about anything and do just about anything to be “somebody”– be it physical appearance, achievements, approval, or affluence. Here’s a word of caution though: None of these criteria are stable.

If we conform according to what society dictates (considering that it has perpetually shifting values), then that also mean that our criteria for self-worth will always change. If you can’t stand for something certain, then you will fall for anything. It begs the question: If society has perpetually shifting moral standards, then by what standard should we live by?

On the flip side, there exist postmodernists who insist that everything is relative – that there is no such thing as absolute truth and no clear distinction between right and wrong. They are sceptical of anything that asserts itself to be true. Most often, they live according to a personal belief system that complements their personal lifestyle – one that is often self-centered and exclusive. Interestingly, despite these qualities mentioned, they still have a concept of what is ideally just and unjust.

C.S. Lewis, a former atheist and a brilliant Christian author, wrote this many years after his conversion: “How I had I got this idea of just and unjust?… A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.”

Thus, an absolute standard must exist, a truth that is undeniably compelling. Jesus is that embodiment of absolute truth. Over 2000 years ago, in fulfilment of hundreds of Old Testament prophesies, God came to the earth – fully-human and fully-divine – and sacrificed Himself on a cross all out of pure love for ALL of us. But it doesn’t stop there: He overcame death and he offers us Life today. All He asks is that first step to believe in Him as the Way (Via), the (Veritas) Truth, and (Vita) the Life. God desires to have an intimate and personal relationship with us. But it has to begin with a personal decision, a choice to accept this free gift.

Persecution is certain and will continue to persist for those of us who are willing to stand up as Christians. We may be scorned, mocked, and labelled as “ignorant conservatives”, “aliens”, “freaks” or “self-righteous saints”, but so what? Didn’t Jesus face the same (in fact worse) persecution during his time? That didn’t stop Him from proclaiming the truth. Besides, we are already assured of NEVER being forsaken in this life and the next in eternity.

While we are here on earth, we are transient beings whose purpose is to be a light and salt to the world and to boldly proclaim this truth. This is why we shouldn’t lose focus and be swayed by enticing philosophical ideas and material, worldly pursuits that only leave us empty in the end. After all, if you want to end up in hell, then continue. Continue to deny the truth until it’s too late. There may be many voices in this world but never deny the Voice of Truth. So, to those of you who claim to be Christian, here’s a challenge: Are you chicken?

Man is insatiable and sinful by nature. That is why God is the standard. What to be truly satisfied? Then come to the well that never runs dry.

(This is 1 of 4 column compositions which i wrote in the recent academic year published in the Weekly Sillimanian, the official student publication of Silliman University, in which I served in my capacity as the Editor-in-chief)

My position in the tWS has a story behind it. 

I was awarded an exchange student scholarship to Japan, supposedly for September this year, but something unexpected happened. During a routine x-ray for my health certificate requirement last February, I was diagnosed to have Category I Tuberculosis (TB). I was deeply disheartened. Why would God give me this scholarship on a silver platter, get me so hyped and excited about it, only to find out that I might not be able to leave for Japan anyway?

I was bitter. But even if it didn’t make sense, I chose to seek and hold on to my faith in God instead of wallowing in self-pity. I was sure that my prayers were heard and that He would continue to be faithful just as He’s always been. The series of events that followed were nothing short of miracles.

I held fast to Romans 8:28: "…God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." I then believed that my affliction is no accident and that what was going on with me at the time was only a piece of a greater puzzle.

After my diagnosis, I was recommended to undergo a 6-month mild chemotherapy short course treatment under the Silliman Medical Center’s TB clinic. To my amazement, the treatment I needed (worth around Php13,000) would be free of charge since the clinic was part of a nationwide government program. Luckily for me, there are currently only 5 TB centers in the entire Region VII and one of them happens to be conveniently located at the SU Medical Center - just 5 minutes away from where I live. Then again, luck isn’t the right term for it. I believe that God’s grace was behind it. But it didn’t stop there.

I still had to wait for the University Scholarship Committee’s decision regarding my scholarship to Japan. At this point, I was ready to bite the bullet. The possibility of being denied of the scholarship could become a harsh reality. In a week’s time after my TB diagnosis, they made a final decision. They said I was an exceptional case since as far as they could remember this is the first time (since the start of the scholarship in the 70s) that the scholar’s medical examination results undermined the chances of entry into Japan. But God is faithful. The committee unanimously decided to offer me the slot for the Japan scholarship in September 2008 provided that I fully recover from TB.

Just when I thought God’s faithfulness would end there, another door of opportunity came my way. When I broke the news to the tWS staff, a number of them encouraged me to apply for the Editor-in-chief position the following year. I was hesitant and my template reason was, "I can’t because I’m sick!" Furthermore, it’s a position I never really considered since I assumed that I would be Japan-bound by September this year. But I did give it much thought and prayer and I asked myself, "What if God has a purpose for me if I decide to pursue this position?" So, just before the application deadline, I submitted all my requirements and entrusted to God whatever purpose He might have in store for me.

To make the long story short, the University Publications Committee appointed me to be this year’s EIC.

Looking back, I realized that had I not been selected to leave for Japan, I wouldn’t have discovered that I have an early stage of TB and then later on be called to lead the tWS. To be honest, this is the very first time in my whole life to be at the helm of anything this big. You may think that these are isolated consequences of events but I don’t believe so. I believe in what God promises in Jeremiah 29:11-14: "’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me, I will be found by you.’"

Indeed, I believe that there is a good purpose in store for me. I admit that I may lack in talent and in skill, but God has blessed me with a very supportive staff in the tWS this year. I know that my position holds a very heavy burden attached to it. But still, I look forward to the promise of Ephesians 3:20: "Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power He can do infinitely much more than what we could dream or imagine."