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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

How to move on and stay young

Thoughts of a Happy Almost 30 year old Lady with no plans of Dying in Vain

Just got back to Manila from a weekend of praise and worship with CFC-Youth for Christ.  Nope, I am not a YFC alumni, neither am I a part of a dynamic team of couple coordinator duo; neither an overstaying YFC.

I am a Singles for Christ who happens to be with a partner who loves his CFC Community so much. He grew in the community from YFC and moved on to SFC.  Now he aspires to be a CFC Couple Coordinator for YFC when the time comes for us to move to CFC.

The YFC experience is awesome. I felt God's loving presence there. I saw how much joy the Couple Coordinators have in sharing, loving, and taking care of the teenage and no longer teenage YFCs. I thought, I would like to be sharing the same love to YFCs when and if we will be called to serve there. I observed, there are people who are having a hard time moving on to SFC because they fell deeply in love with their YFC family.  For my YFC brothers and sisters and to those who, at one point, had a hard time moving on with life, here are my 5 points on how to move on and stay young.

1.  Be happy where you are
It sounds simple. But it is not. It takes acceptance of one's fate, and the outcome of the decisions made in the past to make peace with everything that has happened and is happening in one's life.  Being happy where you are does not mean that you remain in one place where you felt loved and happy, it means that as you go along the path of life, you get to be happy as you move along.

2. Look back but do not stay back
The past may be filled with happy memories and it may look so much better back in the day when all your concerns focus on studies, crushes and your college to do list.  I had an organization in college that I go back to every once in a while.  It feels great to be back and to reminisce the memories, but I will never be that college girl again.  So I look back and help out the organization, but I do not stay back.  We must understand that staying back is somehow an act of selfishness.  We must be able to grow so that we can go and help back, that is selflessness.  We look back while we grow, serve back, but never stay back.

3.  Love God, love your neighbor, love yourself.
It is lovely to serve God and others, but if you do not take care of yourself what can you give to glorify God's Kingdom.  Perhaps getting sick may give a lesson to others and that would amount to service, but isn't it better to serve God and others with a healthy mind, body and soul?  To love oneself is to see yourself beyond what is comfortable.  To love oneself is to make sacrifices so you will grow into a better person. How do you give Glory to God? First you love yourself and become a better person, then share the love you have to other people.  Glorify God with what you have become and with the good works you do.

4.  Learn to accept Love so you can give it.

To love is to give and to let yourself accept Love. As God's children, God loves us everyday, every moment of our lives.  We accept God's love daily even if we are not aware of it.  We will be able to joyfully give love when we acknowledge that we are loved greatly, enough for a God to leave His God nature to become a man and die on the Cross.

5.  Move on to the next level, and never forget you are God's Beloved.
You move on with life, get old, and remain young.  Because you know you are loved by God, you should never be afraid to become old.  Getting older, being able to do more things, meeting new people, and being given the opportunity to love more show that God has been faithful to you. You are loved, and nothing can separate you from the Love of God.

So move on with life, say goodbye and thank you to your past and create new memories as you enjoy the present.  It could be a new job, a new lovelife, move on to the SFC of CFC Community, transferring to another school, whatever moving on means to you, do not forget that you are Loved. And because we know we are loved, all fears of moving on and getting old is driven away by that Love.

Move on na mga kapatid. Tapos na ang YFCICon. Kung 21 years old and up ka na, move on ka na sa SFC naman. Grow in God's love. Happy Lent!