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.

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.

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!

Fear Not

I’ve always struggled with the fear of the future, specifically for the great trial that will happen right before Jesus comes. Other church members are happy that prophecy is happening and they are stoked to see these things come to pass. I struggle to share the same sentiment. I am happy to know that God’s word is true and real, but knowing what to expect also scares me.

I think what I’m truly scared of is the prosecution of the saints. I don’t do well with physical pain. Knowing that old school torture instruments will be used again makes me shudder. I’ve been praying that God give me more love for Him because love casteth out all fear.

I’m happy to see this verse today. It’s a great reminder that I have nothing to worry about. Even if I die, God will give me life again when He returns. I just need to keep trusting Him and keep my relationship with Him growing.

Reflections on Exodus 3 & 4

There were most likely more than a hundred years that passed between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses. The Bible says that the new Pharaoh did not know Joseph, therefore he did not have a relationship with the Israelites and thus feared them. That’s why he decided to make them slaves and to oppress them so they don’t overpower the Egyptians.

When God called Moses out of Midian to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses had the nerve to complain about his lack of speech eloquence. “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…” I think this means that the Lord was disappointed, because He already reminded Moses that He is the Creator and He can make Moses a great orator, but Moses kept complaining. And God in His mercy worked with Moses; He decided to have Aaron be the mouthpiece for Moses.

How embarrassing is it to show doubt in front of God, especially when talking to Him face to face. I imagine the Queen of England coming to see me and giving me a task and I complain in front of her face. Sadly that is the culture we live in today. Sin has ruined our ability to be respectful. We feel more and more entitled because we value self and our opinions above trust and faith. Praise God in His infinite love that He still works with us and helps us grow through our deficiencies.

I also wonder why God had to harden Pharaoh’s heart. God said that Pharaoh would not believe, and would not let the Israelites go. The Israelites probably have not seen miracles happen for many years, so for Moses to suddenly come and claim that God had sent him to free them, they were sure to doubt it. That’s why God gave Moses the signs to perform for them to believe. I think sending the plagues to Pharaoh was also a way for the Israelites to be converted and believe again in God. If the people did not believe the signs that Moses showed them, they had all those plagues to reflect and believe that God is real; same thing goes for the Egyptians. God doesn’t just display His power to show off; He always does it for our benefit and to save us because He loves us.

Nowadays, it will be even harder to discern which miracles are real and which are counterfeit. Satan has the ability to pretend to be like Jesus, and if we don’t see past all the fake signs, we will surely fall into the wrong path. Back in the days of Moses, other people were also copying the plagues and miracles and doing it their way. Maybe some of the Israelites were confused on whom to believe. What’s most important in our generation today is that we grasp on to the Word of God, know it inside out, have a relationship with Jesus, and take time everyday to be still and listen to His voice so we don’t confuse the real with the counterfeit. It’s going to be hard in the last days, so we should start now to discern the differences between good and evil. When the end of time comes, we will be ready. Nothing will be a surprise.

Nature Defiled

I am reading the book “Child Guidance” by Ellen G. White and for the first seven chapters she greatly emphasizes the need to introduce our children to nature. It is our parental duty to let our children get acquainted with the Creator of the universe through His creation.

However, nature has been defiled and it’s beauty has greatly diminished over the years because of sin. Just this evening I went out for a quick walk around the neighborhood, and I only lasted about 10 minutes because the temperature was too hot. It was 7:45pm at the time. How am I supposed to teach my daughter the beauties of this earth when nature itself discourages us to be outside?

Since the pandemic of Covid-19, I have not been away from the house very much. I force myself to bring my daughter out to the back yard to get some sun for a few minutes, but even then the sun is scorching hot in this Arizona heat at 8am. I find it difficult to fulfill my duty of introducing my daughter to the outside world. Plus, with the limited knowledge I know about plants and flowers, (since I never really was an outside person to begin with) what do I tell her? How do I make learning interesting? What if she just wants to stay indoors and play video games like I did as a child?

One thing that does give me comfort though is that I know God will bless my efforts. This world may be slowly losing it’s beauty, but as long as I do my best to keep pointing out the Creator from nature, I’m sure a seed will be sown in my daughter’s mind. I will do my best to “train up a child in the way he should go.”

Was Eve Framed?

As I was driving to work one day, I read a bumper sticker that said, “Eve was framed.” The thought of Eve being framed has been stuck on my mind ever since. So I did a little research to see if I could prove this statement.

I started reading Patriarchs and Prophets by Ellen G. White. It explicitly said in page 52 that angels have warned Adam and Eve about Lucifer who deceived many angels with his lies and that the couple need to be vigilant because Lucifer resided now on earth.

Eve was also told directly by God not to separate herself from Adam and wander by herself for a long period of time. God also said not to eat the fruit from a specific tree called the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Adam and Eve were not to go near it nor touch it. They were to leave it alone.

Despite the warnings, Eve managed to find herself separated from Adam and standing in front of the forbidden tree. Lucifer was already at the tree and he lured Eve into temptation that ultimately led to her demise.

Eve was not framed. She gave into her passions despite the warnings. And most of us today are doing the same thing – ignoring the signs and going against our better judgment.

I also observed something else when I read the story again in the book of Genesis. In chapter 3:6, it says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (NKJV). Eve committed the three most deadly passions that the Bible warns us about in the New Testament. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” This is found in 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV).

The three passions John is warning us from are (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. Eve was the first to commit all three at the same time. She “saw that the tree was good for food,” which is the same as lust of the flesh, or in other words, gluttony, which is one of the seven deadly sins. Secondly, Eve saw that “it was pleasing to the eyes,” which is the definition of lust of the eyes. Lastly, she believed that the tree was “desirable to make one wise.” Isn’t it our pride and joy these days to be all-knowing and wise? Look at Jeopardy, for example. We take much pride in our knowledge and wisdom.

I know it’s unfortunate that our first parents made this grave mistake. It’s not fair that we have to pay the price for something we did not do. But we have to face reality. The wages of sin is death, and we need to find a way out or else we’re doomed. Thankfully Jesus has already given us a way out through His death and resurrection. He offers us the gift of salvation. All we need to do is believe in Him and accept His gift. Jesus had to die because of something He did not do. But He willingly did it anyway because He loves us. Let’s focus on having a relationship with Him as a response to our faith and gratitude.