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Straight from
the Heart
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 A
FRESH START
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By Carolle
Bautista
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I was not in the best of health one day, and feeling
immobile, I could do nothing but stare at the trees outside our
home and admire God's creation. The wind blows and the branches
sway, the leaves dance to music so peaceful, emanating from the
very essence of nature. I must have looked outside for hours to no
end, until I was lost in sleep.
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Time is sometimes like that. It just passes by and we do
not notice that another year has gone by, and a new year has just
begun.
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For so many years that I could remember, each New Year, we
always come up with a resolution about life, something to change
in ourselves for the better, some bad habits to put to a stop, or
some new paths to travel or courses of action to take because it
would be beneficial to our future. We never seem to run out of New
Year's resolutions, do we? For in spite of having tried to change
some aspects of ourselves every year, we still fall into the cycle
of trying to change the same things all over again in the years to
come. Or are we just so imperfect that whatever we do and no
matter how hard we try, we never reach a point of changing
ourselves the way we want to be? Or does it have something to do
with our level of contentment, like in all situations that arise,
we feel that there is something better and we will never be ever
happy in our present condition? Perhaps, it is a mixture of all
these things. And have you noticed the emptiness that you feel
each New Year trying to figure out what you should have done, and
what you should not have done?
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But if we look at each New Year in our life as a renewal of
our wonderful relationship with God, how could we go wrong? Begin
it with repentance for our sins. In Amos
5: 14, it says
"Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God
Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is."
Then, forgive others as God forgave us. And in the core of our
being, forget the past and begin anew. If we do this every New
Year, the change in ourselves would come naturally. New Year's
resolutions would be the result of our relationship with God, and
not self-imposed changes, which seem like weights breaking our
backs. And then, contentment over God's blessings in our midst
follows. We begin to appreciate what we already have, what we are,
as part of God's creation, and cease to compare ourselves against
others in areas which we could not possibly be. This is confirmed
in 1 Timothy 6:6-8 which says, “But godliness with contentment is
great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take
nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be
content with that."
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Yes, let the New Year be the start of a new lease in our
lives with Jesus Christ. And to make change a positive aspect in
our relationship with Him, we should constantly communicate with
Him in daily prayer. We could even ask His guidance on what we
should change in ourselves, not merely relying on our human
capabilities of deciding over things. Whatever they are, we could
write them on paper, put it on the altar and read it daily,
imploring our Creator's help to be there for us, protecting us in
our journey of change. I am confident He will never forsake us. He
will be with us forever.
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- And let
us not forget, we can only have as many New Years as we
live. Today is never too late. Let us not be complacent, because
we will never know when the Day of the Lord will come. Let us
treasure every year as we walk hand in hand with Jesus Christ to
our eternal home in Heaven!
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TELL US
LIKE IT IS!
- Has
something wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did
God answer your prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like
Isaiah, meet God’s whisper?
- Have
you felt His powerful hand working in your life recently?
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Everyday, people are experiencing God’s mighty Word in their
lives and it is a pity that very few know about it. Do you have
a story to tell? Some Good News to share?
- E-mail
us (genesis@catholic.org)
or fax us (021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You
don’t have to be a great writer to do this. We can help you
write it – just tell us like it is!
- Don’t
forget to write the subject: “Let Me Tell You A Story”
For comments, suggestions
or ideas:
Write us: Jl. Bacang No. 20
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Call us: (6221) 720-3824
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
Genesis
Catholic Community
- All
Rights Reserved 2003
No
part of this website may be copied, reproduced or modified without
the permission from the webmaster.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
HIS Servant
by Bro. Pete Lapid
The Father Speaks
By Fr. S. Binzler, SJ
Our Faith
By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
Place of Refuge
By Philip Yuson
Surabaya Corner
By Ramon Martillano
Community Life
By Armand Sol
Sharing
By Princess Martillano
Straight from the Heart
By Carolle Bautista
God Answers Prayers
By Beth Manibog
On Focus
By Sansu Garin
Saint for the Month
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