Tag Archives | perseverance
November 1, 2011

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Thoughts of a Lost Boy

Painting

Painting is part technique, part experiment, part vision, and the constant reminding that the picture in your head will become a reality.


May 19, 2011

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Thoughts of a Lost Boy

Ekla Cholo Re

And this from one of my favorite writers, Rabindranath Tagore.

If they answer not to thy call walk alone,
If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,
O thou of evil luck,
open thy mind and speak out alone.

If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness,
O thou of evil luck,
trample the thorns under thy tread,
and along the blood-lined track travel alone.

If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,
O thou of evil luck,
with the thunder flame of pain ignite thy own heart
and let it burn alone.

December 11, 2010

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What's It Worth?

There is a Harvest

Today, I was back at the Real LIFE Foundation’s feeding program to spend time with the older kids in our weekly small group. I’ve been absent the past few weeks because of all the work and meetings this yearend quarter has loaded. To give you an idea, just this week, aside from all the regular work activities related to Issho Genki, naturalhealth.ph, Emergy (the consultancy and management company) and AXIO (the web development company), I’ve had a Christmas event every night, 2 TV interviews for Habitat for Humanity’s Umagang Kay Ganda feature (which was at 5am!), a race that was also for Habitat, the Real LIFE feeding program, as well as squeezing in some time to shop for gifts. I have to say, I’m especially excited about naturalhealth.ph’s upcoming articles covering natural adventures and natural exercises. It’s growing so fast and it’s contributing more and more to my already long list of things to do.

I was a bit worried coming into today’s time with the guys. I was hoping they would understand and not feel like I take them for granted – which I don’t. Even when I’m not with them I pray for them, that God would touch them and teach them His ways, and that they would grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. I pray for them because I know that given my limitations, the shortness of my “goodness”, and constraints, that I can’t give them what they need – but God can, and just like with everything else that’s good and bad about my life, I run to God and take it to Him. I always wonder if anything I say or do really sinks in, or if they’re only after the fries.

But God has a way of answering our undeserving prayers, and today while talking to the kids about the same verse I shared with my Issho Genki staff last night, Galatians 6:9, I was reminded that there is a harvest waiting for those who persevere.

During our conversation, the kids started talking about many of the Real LIFE volunteers they’ve met in the past year and a half, and they started saying that they saw this or that person on TV, that this person is now famous and rich, and really how people are moving on and being promoted in life. Then one of them said, “Ikaw lang hindi sumikat, kuya David.” (“You’re the only one who didn’t become famous.”) I don’t really care about fame (all that ever did for anyone was load them with crazy expectations), but for a second I thought, “Yeah, he’s right.” But before my mind could dwell on what I’m missing, God, through this kid, encouraged me, “Wag ka mag alala, kuya David. Sikat ka sa puso naming.” (“Don’t worry. You’re famous in our hearts.”) And I again I was humbled for even thinking for a moment that I was deprived. What a privilege it is to contribute to the lives of others and what a blessing to know that the message is getting through.

There is a harvest. There is a reward for us and it may not be what we expect. Maybe it’s not the recognition or promotion we deserve. Maybe it’s not the home of our dreams. Maybe it’s not the security of a fortress balance sheet. Maybe it’s not the boy or girl of your dreams. Maybe it’s not what you thought you always wanted but you’ll find that it’s something more.

God’s harvest will always fulfill us, as it either answers our hearts desire or transforms our heart to desire His will. I can’t tell you what, or how, or when, I can only encourage you with the same three words I told the kids earlier: Don’t Give Up.

September 29, 2010

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What's It Worth?

Never Say Never

First written as a guest post on Liz Claudio’s Blog.

Most of the people who know me know that I spend my Saturday mornings at the Real LIFE Foundation’s feeding program where we feed and play games with kids every week at our eco-friendly facility in Pasig. Despite usually having only 3 staff members there, Real LIFE is able to pull this off with a lot of help from volunteers and the LIFE Scholars, young men and women of leadership, integrity, faith, and excellence whose educations are sponsored by Real LIFE.

While at I was at last Saturday’s feeding, I was talking with one of the LIFE Scholars when, while talking about how much we both loved kids, he asked me a question from my personal FAQ (frequently asked questions):

Scholar: Planning to have some of your own soon?

Me (sidestepping the question): You? Haha!

Scholar: I never want to have any.

Me: You don’t? But you’re good with kids.

Scholar: I’ve thought about it, and I don’t want my children to experience what happened to me because of my dad. I don’t want to make them go through what my dad made me go through.

When I heard him say this I really felt something inside drop, not so much because he didn’t want to have kids, but more because of his reason: “I don’t want my children to experience what happened to me because of my dad. I don’t want to make them go through what my dad made me go through.” Here was this wonderful young man, smart, hardworking, determined, can run 5k in 15 minutes (that’s fast by the way), telling me that his reason for not wanting to have children was his fear of following in his father’s footsteps.

And many of us have similar fears.

Fears that we’ll become like our predecessors.

Fears that we won’t.

Fears that we’ll make the same mistakes.

Fears that we won’t reach the same heights.

Fears of never being able to break the limitations they’ve lived with and passed on to you.

Fears that we will drop the baton when it’s our turn.

We have our own versions that have trapped us in Never-land–not the one from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, but a lie cooked-up in hell–that we will never fulfill a dream because it’s too big, that we will never make a wish since it won’t come true anyway, or that we will never break through because no one has.

But as I said, that’s a lie–a lie that has no power over us unless we let it capture our hearts and minds.

So let me tell you the truth, and this is what I told my young friend earlier: Never say never. Because the things we call impossible today will be reality tomorrow, just like the things once declared impossible. Here are some examples:

“Well informed people know it is impossible to transmit the voice over wires and that were it possible to do so, the thing would be of no practical value.” — The Boston Post, 1865

“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It’s a $500 subsidised item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I’d prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get.” — Steve Ballmer, USA Today, 2007

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” –Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

“A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.” –New York Times, 1936.

“We will never make a 32-bit operating system.” — Bill Gates, speaking at the launch of MSX in 1983.

These statements seem dumb today but these were made by respected experts who knew what they were talking about–or so they thought.

Sometimes the world seems like an impossible place to realize the dreams and imaginations of our hearts and minds, but never say never. Never say you’ll never make it, because you don’t know what breakthrough is waiting for you. Never say you’ll never be successful; you don’t know what great thing has been prepared for you to achieve. Just because no one can see it, doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Just because you don’t know, doesn’t mean you won’t discover. And just because you never have, doesn’t mean you never will.