The First Step

"Let him that would move the world, first move himself"

- Socrates

We all have dreams that we want to fulfill.
We all have goals that we want to achieve.

All we have to do is just simply take the first step.

But most of us have one thing that prevents us from taking that first step...

Fear.

 We are afraid because we might be criticized badly or simply because we might fail...

Failure.

Most of us think that we are failures. And once we do, fear starts to kick in.  We think: "I blew it, it's over." This is probably one of the deadliest lines we can ever say every time we encounter failures. Once that kind of mentality fills our minds, then definitely it is over for us.

Many times in my life have I failed...

...I failed in my preformace in class

...I failed in delivering as asked for at work

...I failed in handling my relationships

...I failed in handling my finances

...and much, much more failures have happened (and will possibly happen).

But despite the fact that I did fail, I discovered that it wasn't the end for me. Many times I was tempted to just raise the white flag and declare that it is over for me. Yet, I realized that giving up was never an option. I have witnessed myself fail, and other people as well. Did they give up?

Never.

They stood up, took a step back, and took another shot at what they are aiming for.

I have learned that our lives is about:

1. Taking the first step
2. Moving forward
3. Failing or Succeeding (if failure happens, a fourth step takes place)
4. Standing up
5. Learning from the failure
6. Taking another first step (and possibly even more)
7. Succeeding

We wouldn't be who we are right now if it weren't for our failures. We would never learn to begin with if we are too afraid to take that first step. We should never allow our fears and failures get the best of us. Take risks, take a lot of "first steps". From there, we grow from our many experiences.

Don't be afraid to take the first step in your lives. It is in that first step that we learn many things about us. 

What we should do, and what we shouldn't.

What we can and cannot do.

Take the first step. 

Take the leap of faith. 

Take the good risks.

Life is just too precious to be wasted by being stagnant and not do anything about the opportunities that we are given.

Always remember that many times, God reminds us of one thing: "Do not be afraid". For He promised that He will be with us.

Always.

"And surely I am with you always to the very end of age"

- Matthew 28:20

The Amazing Adventure Called Life

"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round."

- Edward Cole (Bucket List)

In our lives, we've had our share of ups and downs. Storms come our way. Some are just devastating. There are those who crumble and stumble and decide to just stay where they are - thinking that there is no point in standing and fighting knowing that nothing will happen anyway. While there are others who always make it a point to find a way to stand every time they fall.

Being an educator of the faith, I assume that it is quite expected that I am the latter. Well, guess what? 

Not all the time.

I have questioned my faith and God a lot of times in my life. It even crossed my mind to just simply end my life since I can't find meaning to it anyway.

Some might think, how in the world could I teach my students about the faith if I myself would question God in my own life?

I kinda asked that myself...and I discovered the answer to that question....

God.

Yes. God. Cliche, you might say. But I tell you this with full confidence that He is the reason why I have been living for 25 years in this world. He is the reason I have been inspiring young minds and hearts to continue living their life even if it doesn't make sense at all. He IS the reason.

In my life as an educator, it has always been a struggle facing my students knowing that I have my own struggles in life. But when all else fails, He just stands out. He finds a way to make His message known to me.

The time I had a struggle after a terrible heartbreak, He led me to a book that just spoke to me from cover to cover.

The time I felt like I was a mess in the classroom, He spoke through my students who never cease to affirm me of what I do in the classroom.

The time I wanted to end my life because I thought I was abandoned by my friends, He spoke through another friend who just brought me back to sanity.

These are just a few of the many instances that God made Himself known to me. And I know He will never, ever stop communicating His love for me. He wants to make sure that I would know that every single day of my life. I guess God allows us to wake up every morning because He is not through with us YET. He has a plan. A great, great, great plan for our lives. 

You might ask: Why then am I encountering struggles?  Why the heck is God "allowing" difficulties in my life? Well, I think struggles are present in our lives for a couple of reasons:

1. To equip us for what is up ahead;
2. To make us understand what we are doing wrong in our lives (trust me, this is SO TRUE);
3. To strengthen us for any possible pain that may come ahead.

So far in my fairly young life, I understand that life is not always a smooth road. The roads that we are travelling are filled with bumps, cracks, holes and obstacles that will really slow us down. But then we have to completely trust in God, our traffic enforcer, who will be there to place road signs that will warn us of what is up ahead. He will place a re-route plan so that we can reach the destination He has planned for us. He is always after our safety. He knows where to take us. Let Him be the ultimate guide of our lives. He has a wonderful future mapped out for us. That is a promise that He made when He said:

"For I know the plans I have for you...a future filled with hope...plans to prosper you and not to harm you."

- Jeremiah 29: 11