Are You Enjoying Your Life?

Once upon a time,I didnt believe in enjoying life.

Suffering, yes. Enjoying, no.
I almost felt it was a sin to enjoy.
Why? I believed that the mark of the holy person was
suffering, and that the mark of a sinner was pleasure.
Thanks be to God, my thinking has changed.
Today, I believe that one very important way of thanking
God for His blessings is enjoying those blessings. (The other
important way of thanking God is by sharing them to others.) The
Bible says that God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. (1
Timothy 6:18)
Heres my question: Do you enjoy His blessings?
Dont apologize for your blessings.
Dont be ashamed for your blessings.
Instead of being ashamed and apologizing for your
blessings, proclaim the Blesser! Isaiah 63:7 says, I will tell of the
kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised
Has God been kind to you?
If you have a family, if you have a home, if you have food on your
table, then tell of the kindnesses of God
God Isnt Fair
Once upon a time, I used to feel guilty for being so blessed.
Heres what I realized. God isnt fair.
For example, growing up, I enjoyed the love of my parents
and my five sisters. My family is far from perfect, but they were
always there for me.
No doubt about it, God pampers me.
When my father was 77 years old, he had a major accident.
He spent 5 months in the ICU. We thought that was it for him. Yet
my father was healed and he lived for another 11 years.
God pampered me.
My mother is 86 years old today, and I still enjoy my weekly
dates with her. But last week, she was rushed to the hospital

because of pneumonia. Shes much better now. I thank God for

each day that I can be with her.
God is pampering me.
My marriage is blessed. My wife is Gods gift to me. I love
my wife more today than I have ever loved her before.
God is pampering me.
My spiritual life is growing. My ministry is growing. My small
businesses are growing. Physically, I feel healthier than ever
before.
God is pampering me.
In both my ministries and businesses, I work with the very
best, most talented, the most incredible team on planet earth.
God is pampering me.
Friend, heres what I believe.
God isnt fair. God doesnt play fair. God plays favorites.
Youre His favorite. He pampers you. He favors you. God is biased
towards you. God skews life towards your advantage. God bends
life so that He can bless you more.
But let me warn you, some people wont like it when youre too
blessed
Dont Be A Crab
One day, there was a fisherman selling three pails of live crabs:
American crabs, German crabs, and Filipino crabs.
A buyer comes along and notices that two pails were covered
and one wasnt.
Why are only two pails covered and the other not covered?
he asked.
The fisherman said, I dont have to cover the third
pail. Because those are the Filipino crabs. If a crab tries to go up,
the other crabs will pull him down.

Look For Real Friends

Lets face it: There are people who wont be happy when you
get too blessed. There are people who feel threatened by your
success. There are people who, out of envy, will just not like you
anymore.
Ever since I started teaching about financial literacy, Ive received
very spicy criticisms. Ive been criticized for becoming rich. Ive
been criticized for teaching others to become rich.
One day, a woman came up to me and said, Bo, I used to be
your fan. But not anymore. Ever since you became rich.
I wanted to tell her (but I didnt), Im happy that youve chosen
poverty and that youre happy with your choice. Im happy for
you. But dont force me or others to choose poverty. Ive decided
to enjoy my blessings!
I remember my drivers experience with his neighbors. Ive
taught him how to pay his debts, organize his finances, and
invest in the Stock Market too. He now has P30,000 in his
investments. Thats tiny for you but humongous for him. Hes so
happy. He feels he now has a future.
But he has a problem with a few neighbors. When he comes
home with his new motorcycle, some tell him, Parang Others ka
na. Thats very difficult to translate to English. Its as if theyre
saying, Youre acting differently. You dont belong to us
anymore.
I asked him, Have you told them about your investments?
He said, No. But I think they can smell it.
I told him, and Im telling you now, Dont be afraid if some
people will no longer be your friends. Because you deserve better
friends. Because if a friend isnt happy when youre blessed, he
isnt a real friend. You need to change your friends!
I dont know about you, but I want my friends to be happy when
Im blessed!

If I have a new car, I want my friends to say, Wow, God has

blessed you. Not, Perhaps youre becoming materialistic! When
I wear a new pair of shoes, or a new shirt, I want my friends to
say, Wow, God has blessed you. Not, Why are you so
worldly? When actually, behind all those negative comments is
envy.
Five Ways Of Enjoying Your Harvest
Many people dont know how to enjoy their blessings.
Today, Id like to share with you five practical ways of doing just
that:
1.
Savor Life
Today, Im trying to perfect the art of savoring life. Of tasting. Of
relishing. Of appreciating. Of delighting. Of slowing down. Of
smelling the flowers.
More and more, Im realizing that slow is better than fast.
Im realizing that single-tasking is better than multi-tasking. By
focusing on one thing, I do a better job and I enjoy it more!
Friend, youre a human being, not a human doing.
So Be.
Be here, now. Live in the present moment. Feel the beauty and
grandeur of this slice in history and enjoy it. Linger. Luxuriate.
Live In Kairos, Not Just In Chronos
Greeks have two words for time. One word wasnt enough.
First was Chronos. And thats what were familiar with. Chronos is
measurable time. Its the time told by a clock on the wall or a
watch on your wrist. Chronos is 8:00am and 5:30pm and
3:25am.
Second was Kairos. Were not familiar with Kairos. Kairos cannot
be measured. Because Kairos is now. Its indivisible. Kairos isnt

the past or the future. Kairos is the Nowthat special Now

that is right in front of you.
I believe that though you cant control Chronos, you
can expand Kairos by practicing to be more present in your
Now.
The Bible says, This is the day that the Lord has made, let us
rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). The Bible didnt say,
Yesterday was the day or Tomorrow will be the day but This
is the day. Now!
Ive noticed that some people in rural areas still live in Kairos.
One day, I took a trip to a smallish town down south. I noticed
that people there have all the time in the world. I was walking on
the street, and total strangers would chitchat with me. They were
not in a hurry.
One woman, who gave me the most beautiful toothless smile,
asked me where I came from and what I was doing there. And
when I said, And hows your life? she told me stories about her
husband, her 5 kids, her in-law, even her grandfathers ingrown
toenail problem.
And I noticed that the toothless woman was happy.
A Little Tip
Let me give you a very practical tip on savoring life.
Are you ready? Here it is: Dont rush your eating.
Dont merely swallow your food. Or gulp your bite. Or down your
drink. Or gobble up your meal.
Savor your food instead. Every bite. Every morsel. Every taste.
And because I chew slowly, my meals become sacred. While
chewing slowly, I enjoy tranquility. Peace. Happiness. I feel God is
my dinner guest and Hes eating with me.
In the same way, dont rush your living. Taste all of life!

2.

Simplify Pleasures

Theres a big difference between being rich and feeling rich.

One day, I visited one very wealthy guylets call him Bill for
Billionaire. He owned large tracks of lands. So large that if you
put them together, I bet it will be a small province.
But when I talked to Bill, I really felt he was very poor. He
described to me how his family was a mess. How his marriage
was a one big joke. They hardly talk to each other, much less love
each other. His kids, now all grown up, dont talk to him or even
to each other.
Bill was very miserable.
After talking to him, I felt so much pity for him.
Friend, theres a difference between being rich and feeling
rich. You dont have to be a billionaire to enjoy the billionaires
life.
Billionaires drive very expensive cars worth P8 Million.
But I just bought a second-hand car worth P600T, and I feel like
Im a Billionaire. I enjoy my car so much, I feel very rich.
Billionaires live in mansions. But I live in a house that is so small,
it can all fit one of Bills bedroomsbut I feel like Im a
Billionaire. I told my wife I have no plans of making it
bigger. Because one day, my kids will grow up and have their own
families. And who will be left at home? My bride and I. By that
time, my small house will be perfect for us.
God invented pleasure. Bliss. Fun. Joy. Happiness.
In my life, Ive discovered that simple pleasures are the best
pleasures in the world. Because theyre simple, you can
experience these pleasures again and again.

I take pleasure taking a quiet walk around the village. How much
is that? Except for a pair of rubber shoes, not much.
I take pleasure reading a good book in a quaint coffee shop. How
much is that? A book and a cup of coffee. Many times, I dont
drink the coffee. I just smell it. The feeling is wonderful.
And most of all, I take pleasure in my relationships
3.

Strengthen Relationships

Yesterday, I read my sons Dinosaur book for him.

Francis is 6-years old and he loves dinosaurs. He can tell you the
difference between a Brontosaurus and a Brachiasaurus, between
a Tyranosaurus and an Allosaurus.
Out of habit, I read the lines quickly. Sometimes, I skipped a few
lines. So I could get it over with and do more important things
like my work.
But in the middle of my reading, I suddenly had a flash of
insight. It was as though God spoke to me in a very clear way. He
said, Bo, is there anything greater than what youre doing now?
This is one of the most magical things youll ever do in your entire
life. Because this moment will never be repeated. Youre not just
reading a book to your 6-year old boy. Youre loving him. Youre
giving yourself to him. Youre telling him that hes the most
important person in your life. Right this moment, youre shaping
the way he sees himself. Youre shaping the way he sees
Me. Youre shaping the way he sees life.
So I read slowly. I forgot chronos time. I started living
in kairos time. We had so much fun. After I read the book, my 6year old put his arm around me and said, Thanks Daddy!
Believe me, those two words were worth a billion pesos.
If I look at my life, my greatest joys are the people God has given
to me.
I take pleasure hanging out with my kids.

I take pleasure being with my wife on a window shopping trip,

praying earnestly to God that its really just window shopping.
I take pleasure listening to my mothers Japanese war stories.
I take pleasure laughing with my friends. (Im blessed to have
friends who have the 10th gift of the Holy Spiritto make people
laugh!)
This is the reason why Im rich. Because I enjoy rich
relationships. My loved ones are my greatest wealth.
4.

Show Gratitude

Enjoying your blessings has nothing to do with how much are

your blessings but how much you appreciate your blessings.
If you want to increase your enjoyment, increase your gratitude.
A few months ago, I met a woman who had everythinga good
husband, three wonderful kids, a lovely houseyet shes rarely
happy.
After listening to her, I learned why. She rarely thanks God for
her blessings. Instead of looking for whats there, shes always
looking for whats not there.
One day, a woman woke up and discovered she only has three
strands of hairs on her head. Lord, thank you that I can braid my
hair today!
The next morning, she woke up and discovered she only had two
hairs on her head. Lord, thank you that I can part my hair down
the middleone of the right and one on the left!
The next morning, she woke up and discovered she only had one
hair on her head. She said, Lord, thank you I can wear my hair
in a ponytail today!
The next morning, she woke up and discovered she had no
hair. She said, Lord, thank you I dont have to fix my hair today!

Always remember: Wealth isnt measured by how much money

you have. Wealth isnt measured by how much land, stocks,
jewels, homes, or cars you have. Wealth is measured by how
grateful you are.
5.

Share Generosity

There are two reasons why God blesses you.

First, because He wants you to enjoy them. Second, because He
wants you to make others enjoy them too.
In the Old Testament, there was a Law called the Law of Gleaning
(Leviticus 19). This Law states that when you harvest your
blessings, you shouldnt harvest everything thats rightfully
yours. You should leave leftovers for the poor.
This is the reason when Im buying from a poor vendor, I dont
bargain. I even give a large tip.
Let me give you an example. The parents of my wife gave us
their old piano. It was 40 years old and wasnt working well. So
we called for a piano tuner to come. After looking at our piano, he
wrote how much hell charge me on a piece of paper.
I said, Okay.
He looked shocked. Okay?
Yes, okay.
He said, Sir, you dont have to pay the whole amount. Ill give
you ten percent discount.
I laughed. Thanks! You dont have to do it. I want to bless you.
No sir, I insist. Please remove ten percent off my price.
I was haggling that he charge more and he was haggling that I
pay less. Isnt that fun?

4 Ways Of Living
Let me end with one last message.
In a DVD player, there are four buttons. Eject, Rewind, Fast
Forward, and Play. These 4 buttons represents the 4 ways
people live their lives.
First are those who live by the Eject mode. They just want to
escape. And they escape through their vices and
addictions. Theyre running away from life.
Second are those who watch their life using the Rewind
mode. They cant move forward. They cant forget the pain of the
past. Theyre stuck in their traumas. Theyre always miserable.
Third are those who live in the Fast Forward mode. They are so
busy. They are always in a rush. They go here and there, doing
this and doing that, and they have no time to understand or
appreciate the movie of their lives.
Fourth are those who live in the Play mode. These are the
people who savor life. These are the people who enjoy life to the
full. These are the people who are the happiest of them all.
Friend, Play!
Savor life. Simplify pleasures. Strengthen relationships. Show
gratitude. And share generosity.
Enjoy Gods blessings today!
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez