I will have three chapters to share: Me Against the World, The Climax, The Life Changer and I

will insert learnings along the way.

As I share you these things, I am once again reminded by God’s bountiful grace, and how I know
these events will always make me humble and grateful. Why? My decisions over the past few
years were far from ideal. Mistakes were made here and there, yet in the end, God made all
things beautiful. I am also humbled that I am here right in front of you.
I won’t be too detailed with my sharing. You can always send me a message if you wanna know
more!

Me Against the World

I met a boy and played with fire. I fought for him badly, compromised my relationship with my
parents and mostly, God. He was still a baby Christian or looking back, maybe a Christian
because of me only. With regards to the race, it wasn’t what my parents wanted. I felt like I was
in the middle of Romeo and Juliet. He became my world even he wasn’t supposed to. Did I say I
fought for him? Yes, badly. He made me happy. It’s my life, why would I allow others to dictate
how it should be. My prayer back then was: God, I can manage this, I hope you’ll support me. It
went on for years.

The Climax
Things didn’t go well, first externally then eventually, between me and the boy. But I still
stubbornly fought for it. There were telltale signs he disliked what I do at church. We’d argue
about faith but hey, I wanted to make it work. I had hope he’d be better. I compromised still.
We’d argue a lot about petty things and have sleepless nights again, arguing. These are the part
I kept secret from everyone. Literally everyone. Only God knew. What happened was, sisters
from church saw him with another girl at a mall. These sisters never go to that mall at that
hour. They had to wait for an item. At the right time and right moment, they saw something
that was very hard to tell me.

I’ll stop a bit here. What did I learn?

First, be rooted in God and love Him with your whole being. Don’t settle for less. Don’t settle
what is known as “God’s best.”
When it comes to yoking with unbelievers, don’t entertain and don’t be involved. Trust me, it’s
easier to be dragged down than to lift and influence someone to the light. Hard to admit this: I
knew what I was doing was wrong already and called it off one time. But because I didn’t wanna
hurt myself and the other person, I went back.
Surround yourself and listen to believers who love you. Churchmates and family. Don’t be like
me who listened to myself, and shut them off. Well, it’s easier said than done.
I also learned more about God.
He has been planning everything. He brought me to my own destruction because what I was
choosing will lead me more harm. Imagine, what if that happened if I’m married? That’s worse!
God has been merciful. What if the sisters didn’t tell me? What if I wasn’t close to the family of
those sisters? What If the sisters didn’t go to that mall that hour? What if the sisters weren’t
observant of their surroundings? Then I’ll still be living a lie.
God has been gracious. To be honest, those sleepless nights arguing and fighting with the boy
were more painful than the actual breakup. During the breakup, thank God, I was over it so
quickly. I only got mad at one hour, only because my group of friends that time were angry (and
encouraging me to DRINK). God is also gracious because He led me to reconcile with my
parents. It’s not too late.
God reminded me that my identity found in Him. We sometimes long for companionship and
affirmation through relationships, but I learned in God, we won’t search for anything else.
God gave me another chance. So I said I wanna give my life to God and I won’t mess up this
second chance. From “I am the master of my life” to “Lord, ikaw na bahala. You gave me a
second chance and I won’t ask for more. Ikaw na bahala sa buhay ko!”

Let’s get to the last part when God tuned beauty from ashes when I recommitted my life to
Him.
I am now with a God- fearing man who encouraged me to pray with my family and even about
my ex. He encourages me to grow with God thus, we pray together. (Sobrang ganda ng feeling)
and with him, our relationship can glorify God. I know I told some of you here in this room thru
messenger: Iba talaga pag growing Christian kasama mo! Ganito pala yun!

I met Jarvin two years ago but we were busy. But God gave us another opportunity to
reconnect. We never stopped talking ever since.
Have you heard about “things falling into place?” Growing up, I never believed “things falling
into place.” My experiences led me to believe that everything is HARDWORK. You earn for
things and you fight for things. I believed more in my own efforts than God taking care of you.

Lessons learned for relationships:

Commit yourself to God. Until God is the center of your heart, we will always be looking for
men or women to meet needs that only GOD can fill. Only when you make God your first love,
will you be made ready for a love story that reflects His glory.
I think God will only bring us to the right person when we are ready for it.

Pick not just a Christian but a growing Christian. If possible, pray for the family to be Christian
also. Your relationship should carry you closer to God! Don’t ever stray away from God to get
closer to someone else. Again, an unbeliever or someone from a different faith will draw us
away from God.
Girls, also remember that the guy you choose will soon be the LEADER of your family. What
kind of leader would you want? Remember, when you date and get to know people, please be
intentional. Your end goal should be marriage, not just for fun and for someone to be there.
Your ultimate goal should be to glorify God.
Till I know I can’t believe I had to learn the hard way. I was going around in circles for YEARS!
Years! More than 5 years! Promise, iba talaga pag growing Christian. Iba talaga when parents
favor who you’re with. Iba talaga when God is at the center of your relationship. For me, God
was practical when He said not to yoke with unbelievers. Boys and girls have many differences
already, what more pa if the foundation (your faith) is different? Do not put God out of the
picture, because He should be the one to draw you and your partner together. (Triangle) Think
of God. He wants what is best for you.