Pray Without Ceasing

Jesus loves us and He is always longing to be with us. He always wants to be in contact with us. He is a God of relationship. Because of this, He gives us means and ways to be in touch with Him and it is through prayer.

To pray is to have an encounter or a date with Jesus for prayer, basically, is relationship. It is the expression of our deep and wonderful love story with the Lord. All of us are invited to enter into this intimate relationship with Him and to submerge ourselves into a meaningful dialogue with Him.

If we also long, hunger, and thirst for His presence, His invitation for us is to pray without ceasing. If we really want to have an encounter with Him, we must learn to stop, to silence ourselves, and to ask for His grace.

Dealing with Depression

Depression or the state of being sad or gloomy is inevitable. It is part of life and it excuses no one.

Each person has his own way of dealing with depression. Some view it as a challenge, an opportunity, while others see it as mere burden. As for me, I view depression as a room for learning. But I cannot also hide the fact that there are times that I just take it as mere burden. During these times, I usually prefer to sleep with it thinking that it would fade when I wake. But, most of the times, it is not that effective. But it somehow helps me control my emotion. Everytime I reach this state, I usually look for someone to talk to. I found this one as my best remedy for depression. It is also through others’ counsel that I find the beauty of depression.

Depression can either be a specter or a blessing. Its shape will very much depend from the point of view of the person who is dealing with it.

The Future of OFWs

Due to poverty, unemployment, underemployment, low wage, etc., many Filipino people choose to go abroad to look for a better job. But, could working abroad really salvage the OFW's family from hunger or would it just be another ghost and burden for their family?

To be an OFW is to be away from one's family. Just for the sake of earning money, a good and deep family relationship is sacrificed. Just imagine a little child whose both parents are working abroad. Yes, they can meet their material needs but, more than that, the child also needs love and affection. Thus, being an OFW cannot guarantee a healthy family. Money cannot buy love, care, affection, and unity. It is still love and presence that solidify a family. Togetherness is still the key for happiness.

In this regard, the government needs to play an important role. They have to offer more job opportunities. For me, this would be the best way to salvage the sacredness of the Filipino family --specially those families of the OFWs.