The Rainbow Promise

Funny how adults can still learn significant lessons from children’s bible classes. I’m glad that God still teaches me humble lessons through simple ways. Children’s bible lessons can have profound lessons for adults to learn as well.

I was sitting in the primary sabbath school class with my kids and the teacher showed the Gracelink video about Noah coming out of the ark entitled “The Rainbow Promise.” It started by asking if kids have ever felt stuck at home because the rain wouldn’t stop pouring outside. Some kids can’t wait for the rain to stop and play outside again. That must have been how Noah and his family felt after being locked in the ark for more than a year.

Once all the water was gone and it was safe to disembark, Noah and his family tried to live their lives as normal as possible but of course everything was different. The land looked different and the world was quiet. The earth was unrecognizeable. They have never experienced rain and flood before and now they are seeing the devastating effects of it.

Just imagine the anxiety that Noah’s family initally experienced post flood when it finally started to rain again. “Oh no! Not again!” “Do we need to run back into the ark?” “There’s that water from the sky again! Take cover!” These are some phrases I imagine went through their heads. They must’ve had some sort of PTSD every time they saw rain, something that was now going to be a common occurrence.

Despite all the rain, however, there is a rainbow. The promise from God that he will never flood the entire world ever again. Sure, there may be local destructive flooding here and there but the entire earth will never be cleansed through water again. That tells me God cares about our mental health. He provided this bright multi colored circle in the sky to help Noah and his family not focus on what happened but what will not happen – another major flood. The rainbow provides hope and comfort to an anxious mind. Not only is it beautiful to look at, you can’t help but smile and feel at peace seeing it in the sky.

The rainbow still shows up everytime it rains to this day. It has been hundreds of years – a very, very, very long time since the first one appeared – and it never fails to show up anywhere in the world. God’s promises never fails. God never fails. Let’s surrender all of our cares and anxieties to God. May He give us the peace that passes all understanding. “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:7. “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken,” Psalm 55:22.

I have been personally asking God to send me a counselor to help me deal with mental health issues that have been coming up recently. And this is one of God’s answers to me – look at the rainbow. And ultimately, look unto God; for He is my Rock and my Salvation, the source of everything I will ever need in life.

Reflection on Leviticus 26

When God talks to you, it’s not a loud voice. It’s up to you to respond to it or not.

I’ve never been comfortable talking about myself. Nobody likes to be vulnerable. But I asked God what to say today and this is what kept coming to mind. I hope someone will be blessed by this reflection.

Read these positive verses below:

Leviticus 26:3-5 NKJV – 3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,

4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing;

you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

Leviticus 26:9 NKJV – 9 ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.

Now compare them to these negative verses:

Leviticus 26:14-18 NKJV – 14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments,

15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant,

16 I also will do this to you:

I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart.

And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies.

Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

God seems to be a very harsh and conditional parent to the Israelites. I was a bit taken back when I read this chapter, but after giving it some thought I realized the entire chapter is still positive. God was showing love even through the “negative” verses.

Only because I’m now a parent do I view this chapter in love. I can see how many people can misinterpret this kind of punishment as something fearful. I love my kids with all my heart but I still “punish” them when they dont listen because I am training them to do the right thing. I am hopefully engraving in their brain what is right so when they grow up and they are on their own in the world they will remember what I have taught them. Like the Bible says, train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). I think God was doing the same thing with the israelites. They are His children, so He was setting them straight and preparing them for the challenges ahead. Still love. Do I enjoy punishing my kids? No. But I want the best for them. That’s how I view God in this chapter.

When I was younger, I never dreamed of having kids. Recently, I am noticing more and more Satan trying to destroy families and make having a family very difficult and unattractive. But having kids is a direct command from God. He said to go forth and mulitply (Genesis 1:28). At least I know that’s what He wants for me. Being a parent is difficult, but it’s only difficult because we live in a sinful world. Satan makes it difficult to carry out God’s will.

I’m glad I am not alone at raising a family. I have a wonderful loving husband, mine and his parents, my extended family, and my church family to remind me that I am on the right track. Everyone’s love and support has kept me going.

And only because God has made me a mom has my faith grown leaps and bounds. I truly believe perfection of character comes through raising children. It is the ulitmate character refinement. At least that is what my journey or my experience has been. I know it’s not for everyone. Again, it’s not easy but I am not alone. I know God is with me.

Changing the Sabbath?

The following article was taken from whiteestate.org. I found their “daily devotional” section and thought this was a thought provoking article. Please enjoy the read.

Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. Revelation 7:3.

The seal of God, the token or sign of His authority, is found in the fourth commandment. This is the only precept of the Decalogue that points to God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and clearly distinguishes the true God from all false gods. Throughout the Scriptures the fact of God’s creative power is cited as proof that He is above all heathen deities.

The Sabbath enjoined by the fourth commandment was instituted to commemorate the work of Creation, thus to keep the minds of all ever directed to the true and living God. Had the Sabbath always been kept, there would never have been an idolater, an atheist, or an infidel. The sacred observance of God’s holy day would have led the minds of men and women to their Creator. The things of nature would have brought Him to their remembrance, and they would have borne witness to His power and His love. The Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God. It points to God as the Creator and is the sign of His rightful authority over the beings He has made.

What, then, is the mark of the beast, if it is not the spurious sabbath which the world has accepted in the place of the true?

The prophetic declaration that the Papacy was to exalt itself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, has been strikingly fulfilled in the changing of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. Wherever the papal sabbath is honored in preference of the Sabbath of God, there the man of sin is exalted above the Creator of heaven and earth.

Those who assert that Christ changed the sabbath are directly contradicting His own words. In the Sermon on the Mount He declared, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” …

Roman Catholics acknowledge that the change in the Sabbath was made by their church, and they cite this very change as evidence of the supreme authority of this church. They declare that by observing the first day of the week as the Sabbath, Protestants are recognizing her power to legislate in divine things…. As the Sunday institution gains favor, he [the papist] rejoices, feeling assured that it will eventually bring the whole Protestant world under the banner of Rome.—Signs of the Times, November 1, 1899.

From From the Heart – Page 329

The Clear Word

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2 ESV

As an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, I get the chance to facilitate communication between deaf and hearing people during their doctor appointments. It is very important that I communicate clearly and effectively because one wrong word can ruin the entire conversation, especially if they are discussing diagnoses or medications. I need to be fully attentive the entire time and not be afraid to ask for clarification if there are things I didn’t understand. I also need to be constantly reviewing medical terms and medicine names to keep up and make sure I am fully equipped and ready for work.

There are some ASL signs that are very similar in production but have a different meaning depending on the position of your hand or the number of fingers being used. For example, the letter A uses a closed handed fist with the thumb on the side of the pointer finger, while the letter S is a closed handed fist with the thumb in front of the whole fist. The sign for RED uses the pointer finger stroking the chin downward repeatedly, while the sign CUTE uses the pointer and middle finger stroking the chin downward repeatedly. If I am not careful with these subtle nuances, my mistakes can cause miscommunication between the hearing and deaf consumers. Sometimes it may even cause mistrust.

Jesus gave us His Word as a way to communicate with us. The Holy Spirit interprets spiritual things that we cannot understand by ourselves. It is imperative that we keep up with God’s Word because Satan will misconstrue one or two sentences to try to trick us. Satan will try to act as a fake interpreter so that we lose trust in God and in His Word. We should be grounded in the Bible, asking for clarification if there are things that are unclear. Jesus has fully equipped us for His work – to spread the gospel and to show people His love for them. We must correctly represent Christ to others so they will not misinterpret God’s wonderful character.

What’s Happened to You?

Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?,” we should be asking, “What’s happened to you?” This is what I learned in a seminar entitled Trauma and Emotional Healing. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists just held their first virtual camp meeting this past weekend and they offered a lot of seminars on health.

The presenters’ focus for that specific class was to be empathetic with people and understand their background instead of being judgmental and critical. A lot of times people act “differently” than we do based on their upbringing, culture, values, and past experiences. The presenters delved specifically into people that have dealt with trauma and how everyone reacts differently to the same situation.

For example, they showed a picture of a rod of cinnamon. To the presenter, seeing the picture reminds her of Christmas cookies and being home with the family and being all warm and fuzzy with family over the holidays. However, for her friend, cinnamon signaled triggers of a time when her house burned down and the whole place smelled like cinnamon. Two completely different reactions to the same picture.

Another picture that they showed was about two dogs who just crossed through a puddle of mud. One dog was tall and one dog was short. Although they both went through the same puddle of mud, their experiences were different. The short dog got mud all the way up to his chest while the tall dog only got mud up to his ankles. The caption in the picture said, “How deep is the mud? Depends on who you ask.”

We are so quick to judge and be irritated by people who are different from us. We often fail to see the deeper picture and ask what has happened to cause such a dramatic reaction to the simplest things.

I recently learned that heart and thyroid issues can cause people to be hot-headed and pessimistic. The chemical imbalances in the body literally dictate our behavior. I heard that after a man had heart surgery and got his heart fixed, he stopped being so aggressive and hot-headed and actually dealt with people in a more calm way.

My husband and I recently bought a house and the seller has a nasty attitude. I kept muttering under my breath how bad of a person she is and how unpleasant she is to her husband, but I don’t know her entire story. What if she has a heart problem, or maybe a thyroid problem? What if she was abused as a child and now as an adult needs to be in control as a way to protect herself? What if she had a bad day at work and needed to blow off some steam?

I am 31 weeks pregnant with our second child, and I haven’t been the most pleasant person to be around with, either. This baby’s kicks hurt a lot more than my first born, and it likes to chill all the way down to my pelvic bone or all the way up squishing my diaphragm. Not only do my hips and butt muscles hurt from the big belly and holding my one-year-old, but also it gets hard to breath when the baby kicks the diaphragm. I find myself getting cranky, accusing my husband for not helping take care of our child, and wanting to hurry up and and end the pregnancy. I cry a lot and sometimes my husband thinks I do it to manipulate him into doing things for me. Because of my physical situation I don’t treat others as nicely as I could have.

My personal experiences of crankiness should tell me to be more understanding of people who are also cranky. They might be in a lot of physical pain just like me. But it never occurred to me to be sympathetic until I heard the seminar on trauma and emotional healing. Hopefully from now on I can be more patient and less abrasive with people who are “difficult” and “different” than me. I pray that I can emulate how Jesus treated people with such kindness and patience, and just show them unconditional love. I know it’s not an easy road, but we are called to walk the narrow path. May we follow Jesus’ example in all that we do.

Extra, Extra

Deuteronomy 24:19-22 KJV
[19] When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. [20] When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. [21] When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. [22] And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing. …

This passage emphasizes the importance of sharing, caring, concern, selflessness, and brotherly love. We should consider it a great joy and privilege to share our blessings with others. We should not give with a resentful heart. God always provides for our needs. And He also gives us extras so that He can use us to bless others. Let us not forget that there is always a blessing that comes after helping and sharing.

Reflections on Deuteronomy 6

This chapter in the Bible recaps how God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt. God instructs His people to remain faithful to Him that they may survive the temptations from the surrounding cities. The Israelites were to be a light to those around them, an example of what it is to live a life devoted to God.

There are lessons we can apply today from the Israelites’ experience. They were bond men in the land of Egypt. God brought them out and promised to give them a great inheritance. But because the Israelites doubted God, they ended wandering about in the wilderness for 40 years before they were able to enter that promised land.

Right now we are bond men under Satan’s control. God stretches out His hand and if we take hold of it, we can also be free from Satan’s snares and temptations. We can be free from bondage of sin. God promised us a land up in heaven where we can dwell with Him forever. But here we are, currently in the wilderness stage because people are not ready to be citizens in the promised land. As long as we can keep on the straight and narrow path, we can survive the “40 years” and claim God’s promise to live Him in our new and beautiful home.

We are also instructed to teach our kids about God. “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut. 6:7). I have morning and evening worship with my daughter everyday, but I realized I don’t enforce the teachings throughout the day. I thought having a few minutes of worship is enough. She’s only seven months old, that’s all her attention span can handle. But after reading this verse, I realize that babies pick up life lessons very early on. Ellen G. White says to start at babyhood. Not toddler years. Babyhood. That means now at seven months old. I think I will make it a point to introduce Jesus a little more everyday by both my words and actions.

Verse of the Day

Reflections on Numbers 14

“To be right with God often means to be wrong with men.” Oshea, also known as Joshua, and Caleb chose to have faith in God when the other spies did not. The other spies even convinced the entire Israelite congregation that going into Canaan was a bad idea. The Israelites then plotted to make themselves a new leader, have Joshua and Caleb stoned to death, and head back to Egypt. They would have successfully carried out their plan had God Himself not interfered.

The crisis that Joshua and Caleb experienced reminds me of what is happening to the world today. You see multiple riots, people threatening to kill one another, and society begging to go back to our old ways. Sad to say life will never go back to the way it was. These things are going to happen because we are being molded and shaped for something greater. We are being prepared for a better life in heaven. Just like how the Israelites were brought out of Egypt to have a better life in Canaan, we are being brought out of our old sinful ways so we can enjoy eternal life with Jesus.

Just like Joshua and Caleb, we need to remember the reason why we are on this journey and remember Who it was that promised to take us to the promised land. It’s easy to complain when times get tough. It’s easy to blame others and get our minds clouded by the things we see happening around us. But we need to see the bigger picture and trust in God. We cannot forget the reason why trials must take place.

Truly in the end times the majority will act like the Israelite multitude and only a hand full will remain faithful to God. Our job as Christians is to get as much people as we can to put their faith and trust back in the hands of God. Dangerous things happen when we try to fix things on our own. After the Israelites realized they sinned against God, and after God pronounced the verdict of their consequences, they tried to continue to claim Canaan in their own terms and in their own time. Because God said the Israelites would remain in the wilderness another 40 years, they then tried to conquer the land which they previously despised. Funny how we don’t want what God gives us in the first place, but when He takes it away from us then we fight to keep it.

Moses warned the Israelites not to pursue the promised land anymore, at least this was not the right time. But they went anyway. Moses warned them that God would not be on their side if they attacked the enemies. But they went anyway. The Israelites died and lost the battle without a doubt.

We need to be patient and wait for God’s time. God told the Israelites He would give them Canaan but they murmured and complained and finally tried to do things their way. I know it’s hard to be patient, but we need to remember to “be still and know that He is God.”

How I Became An ASL Interpreter

My career path was not something I had always dreamed of, nor was it something that ran in the family. I didn’t have any deaf friends or family growing up. I didn’t even know Interpreting was a real thing!

I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Communication from the Adventist University of the Philippines in March of 2011. A month after graduating I came to the United States to be with the rest of my family. Graduating with a foreign degree didn’t do well for me in terms of finding a job. I applied for various positions, among such were a truck driver’s secretary and a gas station cashier. I received no call backs and no interviews.

After two months of a seemingly hopeless future, my grandmother suggested that I take sign language classes to pass the time. Her house was only 15 minutes away from the Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf located in Big Spring, Texas. She said she was even willing to pay for the classes. I decided to take up her offer. I was always interested in learning different languages, so I thought this was an opportunity not to be wasted.

I survived two months of the crash course in American Sign Language 1 and 2, which were classes condensed into a single summer program. It was fascinating and terrifying at the same time! My teacher was fully deaf, and so my first encounter with deaf people was a complete immersion.

I continued applying for random jobs in Big Spring all throughout the summer. The plan was to land a job and continue with sign language classes. Unfortunately I never got hired, and I ended up moving to Los Angeles, California with my parents in September.

We stayed in LA for almost a year. I didn’t get a job there either, so my life was filled with watching anime and the Game Show Network. My mom decided to “hire” me as her driver to and from work, since she worked night shifts and got too sleepy to drive. In exchange for driving, she would buy me things like clothes and accessories when I asked for it.

Fast forward to August of 2012, we moved to Tucson, Arizona after my dad found a pastoring job. On our first day at the new church, I noticed a deaf couple in the pews. I didn’t see any interpreters around. After the service I approached them and said a shy hello. I had forgotten what I learned a year ago, and all I could remember was fingerspelling, so I pretty much spelled the entire conversation. Both of them seemed ecstatic to talk to me! After a few more sabbaths of getting to know them, they told me that I should become a professional interpreter and they would help me with whatever I needed! All they wanted was someone to interpret the church services for them.

We found out that the local community college was offering sign language classes and my dad suggested that I continue learning while looking for a job. I decided to enroll and give it a shot. Since we only had one car, I ended up taking evening classes so my parents could have a car during the day.

Even though I barely knew enough ASL vocabulary, each sabbath I would sit in front of the deaf couple and fingerspell away. The couple would teach me signs with each new spelled word, and eventually I was able to give them a paragraph or so of the sermon. It took about two hours just to get them two paragraphs. It was rough, but the couple was grateful for the effort.

I finally finished the Interpreter Training Program in May of 2015. The entire time I would interpret at church for the deaf couple. They invited some friends who became permanent church members, and all of them taught me and supported me and helped me grow throughout the years. We currently have five deaf church members! We get more deaf visitors too on occasion.

I started working professionally in August of 2016 and finally got my certification in April of 2018. I absolutely love my job and working doesn’t even feel like working. I actually get excited to go to work everyday. It was worth the wait, the heartbreak, and going to college for eight years.

All I wanted was a job that paid me for talking. I was thinking radio host, tv host, or maybe even a voice actress for cartoons. But, God put me in the course of becoming an interpreter. He knew best where to place me in this world. When I think about it, I did end up getting my dream job. I DO get paid for talking – with my hands. And my voice too. Praise God for leading me here!