Forgive.

        Forgiveness is a term that has become so foreign to us. In our daily interactions with various human beings, we consistently err due to our many imperfections. We hurt each other intentionally or unintentionally in all directions because of our misconduct. If we each contemplated on just how many people we have hurt and how much we are in need of their forgiveness, we would not be as stingy in forgiving all those who have wronged us.

      We like judging others and their faults, while remaining blind to our own shortcomings. We rack our memories for the one time we helped a fellow human being, but easily forget how many times we have wronged them. A true believers mind should be humbled and occupied with trying to fix their own deficiencies to the point that they do not have the time to raise their head to focus on the faults of others.

        It is even more fascinating how we fool ourselves into thinking we are gracious and forgiving. We say by our tongue that we forgive a person, yet we act contrary to this. We start talking behind that person’s back and ruin their reputation. I’ve seen horrific examples in our communities where one family has some conflicts with another family, resulting in bad mouthing and back-biting for years. You could live thousands of miles away from either family, and are still bound to hear something negative about one family or the other. It is so upsetting and disturbing how we let our tongues loose, and not realise how much we hurt people by it. We might even be a step higher in our act of forgiveness that we do not mention a person’s faults to others, but we still choose to distance ourselves from them. This is wrong as well. How would we feel if God distanced Himself from us for every sin we committed?

       

Forgive. Don’t retaliate. Let God do His work.

Nahum 1:2-3

     God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

         Then, don’t hold back the love you have received, beloved. Don’t hold back that forgiveness. It was meant to be released. Open your heart to Jesus, and let Him move freely in you. Allow the changes He is making in your heart. There are major renovations. He is taking away the anger, sweeping out the guilt, and driving out the fear. I know that you may not be used to these being absent, but you’re better off without them, beloved. God is replacing them with hope, love, compassion, kindness and faith.

       Forgive, beloved, because you were not designed to keep that resentment inside of you. It has never been in your nature to keep those feelings too long inside. It only makes things harder. You know what, since the day you accepted Christ, you are being transformed to be more and more like Him. Thus, forgiveness comes out naturally from you. Love comes out naturally from you. These are not born out of our efforts, though. They are fruits, because we abide in Christ.

        Forgive, beloved. Not because it is an obligation, but because it is a necessity. This great love that you have received from Jesus can never be caged inside. It won’t be stuck inside you, just for you. It has to come out. You are not just a storage, you are also a channel. Don’t miss the privilege. Let love out.

“Forgiveness will not be possible until compassion is born in our heart. Even if you want to forgive, you cannot forgive. In order to be compassionate, you have to understand why the other person has done that to you and your people. You have to see that they are victims of their own confusion, their own worldview, their own grieving, their own discrimination, their own lack of understanding and compassion.”

—           Thich Nhat Hanh

Forgiveness will bring you happiness.

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My Alma Mater (Elementary)

       My elementary experience was full of fun and excitement.  It was hard and full of adventure, too.  Elementary life is very challenging and I am proud to complete it.  Too much playing and going out with friends are some of the reasons why I was not able to concentrate enough on my studies. Nevertheless, I got the top spot in the class J

Salvacion Elementary School

In my elementary level, I learned many things from my subjects and from my encounters with friends.  It was fun and exciting, meeting new friends and guys. I enjoyed chatting and playing with them.  We shared jokes and laughter.  Sometimes we were being scolded by our teachers due to being very “makulit”.  It was there that we did not listen to our lesson, sometimes we copy each other’s assignments and we tease each other.  But of course, I'm doing my assignment on my own.  During break time we ran after each other, teasing one another.

I have many plans after elementary graduation. Pursuing to a higher education is my major plan. I want to be ready before I finally face my high school life.  I must face this new challenge with pride and will try my best to finish it with awards.  I did. Now another challenge, building my career and profession. By God's grace, there's so much in stored for me, let’s wait and see…

Red and White Hat Thinking

    

  The activity we had for this concept requires decision on what kind of thinking we are going to apply. In this particular activity, I chose red hat thinking because I’m doing a decision based on my gut reaction, intuition, and emotion. 

     For me, it’s really important to use my intuition and feelings in making any kind of decision especially in choosing my food. If I use white hat thinking, although the entire nutrition facts label declares all the positive side of the food I’m going to take, it’s not a guarantee that I am going to like it. Sometimes, we eat the food we want according to our emotions or gut reaction, so it’s really important for me to use red hat thinking. 

      Additionally, there are decisions where we can use white hat thinking especially if it concerns our safety or health. Distinguishing between what you want or what you need is also an exception. If you want to discern what you need, you have to apply white hat thinking. 

      On the other hand, red hat thinking is for your personal "want", since your full mind,  perception, attention and body decide what you really want. Because food choices are involved in this activity, red hat thinking is applicable and very appropriate for me to apply.

       The situation I want to share happened couple of years back. I was in a dilemma and  personal crossroad. The decision I want to make was whether to continue my schooling or grab the opportunity to work in a multi-national company. That situation left me indecisive, stagnant and depressed. I really want to do both but I need to decide which one I’m going to prioritize. The first thing I did was consult my parents and relative. They gave opinions on what to do and what to prioritize that really entangled my mind totally. I was totally lost but I find my way to decide. 

        I chose to study. That time I think that if I finished my nursing school. I knew there will be more opportunities await for me, even multi-national companies will open their door and windows. My studies will also guard my future by giving me enough knowledge and fruitful skills that I can use in the real world situations, I really thought that way. I applied white hat thinking to decide what I need to choose. On the other hand, I also used red hat thinking to assess my emotion. 

       Since I decided to be objective and realistic, without resorting to my emotions. I chose white hot thinking. I’m satisfied with my decision and that time, I’m learning and enjoying at the same time. Moreover, I also had an opportunity to work while studying. I just think I made the right decision. :-)

    For more learning about this concept, the following questions were very useful for me specifically in assessing the situations I experienced.

White hat:

1. Do I have enough knowledge to fulfil the task of working for this company?

         2. Is the offer rally good and practical?

         3. Do I have enough information regarding the job description?

         4. Is there enough skills and information available for me?

 Red hat:

        1. How do I feel about the situation and what I want to do about it?

        2. Is this an important decision to satisfy my emotions?

        3. Do I feel relieved if I chose one of these?

        Both thinking is helpful but carry out different result. Since I want to be realistic and don’t want to base my decisions on my emotions, I prefer white hat.

       

There are also different kinds of thinking hat we may use to effectively decide on things:     

       White Hat focuses on the available information and analyzing past trends, and try to delve from historical data.

     Red Hat uses intuition, emotion and gut reaction and reacting to the situation emotionally, through intuitive responses to find out the best reasoning.

     Black Hat uses pessimistic approach, cautious and defensive reactions. It makes your plans and decisions tougher and more resilient.

     Yellow Hat use positive thinking with a viewpoint that facilitates the appearance of helpful benefits and lighter side of the situation.

      Green Hat is for creativity in solving you problems. It is used in generating creative and useful ideas to solve the problem or to make decisions.