Entangled 🥵👍

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My temporal happiness!
When I was still working in a corporate world in Makati, my main goal was to work hard, get promoted and offered a higher salary, so I could support my siblings, to buy anything I like and eat everything I want. 
These are just typical wants and dreams of a "newly graduate" me. 
I was on fire chasing dreams after dreams! I felt happy for wanting more but then soon I realized these wants were just temporal happiness. I even became greedy for always wanting more and for not being contented - I get disappointed easily. 
I got lost somehow.

ENTANGLED
In the process, I started to compare myself to others that were more successful than me. 
I was in denial at first because my greediness seemed just silent desires not something big. And then it began to creep.. I wanted more validation, better status, and more comfort. 
Somehow, I knew this was not a good place to be. I struggled.
I felt ENTANGLED! I felt twisted and complicated inside of me. It was a chaos! 
It's like I was plugged to a wrong socket. I kept on reminding myself to stop, but I couldn't. My own will won't help me, I needed a better and stronger force to tame me.
My struggles before were like these ENTANGLED WIRES in the charging station at home. 

Be guarded!
I praise God for redeeming me and for reminding me to surrender my personal pursuit of temporal happiness of this world. I can't even trust my own will because I always fail. I thank God for showing me what matters most. He pointed me to be more grateful and appreciate what I already have. The things of this world are temporal I should put all my energy by giving myself to others than wanting for more. Seeking God’s will than pursuing my own will. That’s when I realized I have everything I need. 
The verse in Luke 12:15 is a good reminder & command to seek true fulfillment in God. My craving for more is still in a constant healing by God. I recognize He is still shaping me in those areas that I need to be contented with Him.

In what ways?
In 2009, Vandy and I were just newly married - we literally started with zero! 
Right after we got back from our wedding celebration in the Philippines, we went straight to the Bible school and lived there. 
Our first few years were challenging, because we didn't have much. But by God's grace, we were able to get by and during on those years the Lord has taught us a lot on being grateful and content with what He was providing us. 
These are some of the learnings that we had as a younger couple, and would you believe it is still relevant even up to this day - we are still applying!

1. Recognizing God owns everything
2. Tithing is important!
3. Living within or even below our means (Budget)
4. Save, save, save! 
5. Plan our spending and be consistent!
6. Invest (not necessary on business but sometimes even on studies, skills training etc.)
7. No borrowing of money - that's why we don't own any credit cards even up to this day.
8. Be always GRATEFUL 
9. Be a Blessing!

the Wesleyan Bible School in 2009 - were we lived and taught

Vandy was a speaker in a Youth conference hosted by the Bible School

some of the 1st year Bible school students

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