A Season From Eden to Gethsemani

Moment of reflection ....

        Lent, a good time to enter into the spirit of what we believed-in as Christians. The essence of Lent can be summarized and make sense only when we grasp the reason of God creating man and woman; placing them in the Garden of Eden and God allowing Jesus to suffer in the Garden of Gethsemani.

Our faith is a relationship. It is all about God loving us and wanting to enter into an intimate relationship with us. He created the Garden of Eden for this unique reason  -- so that God and man can enter into a relationship of a perfect love. God wishes humanity to love Him with all their hearts and in full freedom of spirit. Meaning, to freely and consciously choose to love God in return. This is the very nature of God. He does not dictate, he does not insist, yet He makes himself known to us in discreet ways, through nature, people, instances, events around us with the hope that we would recognize Him.

But as we know, we all sin and denied God in so many ways. When we see pain and suffering or experience it ourselves, these are the signs of our fallen human nature. But God faithful to His promise to love us, He sent Jesus His only begotten Son to ransom us from the pains of sin that cause suffering. At the Garden of Gethsemani Jesus suffered in His human nature, "Father let this cup pass from me" yet in His free will He surrendered everything --"not my will but Thy Will be done."and overcame the frailty of human nature.

The ultimate sacrifice of God for love of man was Jesus' death. Jesus proves to us that God's love has no boundary, to the point of giving up His Son for the sake of fallen men and women that He created. Lent reminds us of this perfect and faithful love of God.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God except our own free will.  To be totally alienated from God, we must will it. But even we alienate ourselves from God still like a good Father, He awaits for our return, the return of His prodigal sons and daughters.



Lent is a good opportunity to rekindle the interior desire to reunite ourselves to God. Since we are human and not God, there is still a part in us that  is broken, wounded and needs healing. He knows it, He patiently waits for us to come to Him and be healed. "Father I am not worthy of your love, but only say the Word and I shall be healed."  Returning to God with a humble heart is like finding our way back home from dark alleys of life to the Garden of Eden where our love story with God had all began.






Now is the Time. Come back to Him.... to a new beginning, a threshold that will set your spirit free and be with Him again in the Garden of Eden where everywhere you turn you see only love. 'There' in the Garden is where we belong!





 


Now is the time, it is not late to go back to the Garden of Love....
This is the last week of Lent, come back to where we belong...

.... Jesus is waiting for us "with love"....
 

Our Companion to the Road of Life

     At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited Heaven or Hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn't know Him,(I know of Him). Later on, though, when I met Christ, it seemed as though life was like a bicycle ride. It was a "tandem" bike and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don't know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since we did.

    When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points, but when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains and through rocky places going at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on!

    Even though it looked like madness, He kept saying, "Just Pedal!" I worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer. It was then that I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure and when I'd say, "I'm scared," He'd lean back and touch my hand. With Him I've met people and gained knowledge of love, peace, acceptance, and joy - gifts to take to my journey - my Lord's and mine. And then, we were off again.

    He said, "Give your gifts away. They're extra baggage, too much weight." And so I did. To the people we met along the way, I tried to give love, peace, acceptance and joy, and I found that in giving I also received, and still our burden is light.

   I did not trust Him at first, being in control of my life. I thought He would wreck it; but He knows bike secrets. He knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners. He knows how to jump to clear high rocks; He knows how to fly to shorten scary passages, and I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest of places. I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful and constant companion, Jesus Christ.

   And just when I'm sure I can't go any further, He smiles at me and says ---"Just pedal!"

-anonymous

my drawer

(I was "again" cleaning up my desk and I thought all was clear until I lifted up the little side desk's mini compartment and found this paper folded in two. Just as I was thinking of life's journey and the threshold... I wish I can give credit to the one who shared this beautiful depiction of life's journey with me but I can't recall who was it).

Life, a beginning; an open door to be explored

"I'm fine where I am now. It's nice and warm here. My mom is so close to me, she feeds me when she knows I'm hungry; she sings music to me. I am safe and secure where I am. No, I'm not leaving this place. I will not go out. I am happy and quiet here." " I don't know what's out there, I am not sure what's going to happen when I leave this place. It's cold, unsafe out there. Why can't I just stay here? ... I'm scared, what if? 

This is the dilemma of an unborn child in the mother's womb?

At the very start of life, the threshold is already part of  being human, of being alive. Choices to make, some we can avoid, some we need to trust and some we hold on to faith that what we choose is the right and best for us.

Threshold... a new beginning, a door to close behind us and a new door to open before us. Opportunities, freedom, uncertainties and challenges await us as we open a new threshold. Detachment, letting go; courage, humility, trust confidence, virtues needed as we embark on the thresholds that await us.

"When we are in a threshold, what we decide to do determines what comes next."

 -Jean Shenoda Bolen

"Too often we forget that only by enduring overtime in the space between those doors, can we eventually move freely across a threshold into the future." - Jane R. Pretat

 

Then  on the 9th month,the child was born. Insecure of the exposure felt, this poor little one made known his fear. A loud cry was heard from that little baby. Nobody could stop him until his mother took him in her arms, pressed him on her chest... Ah, his ears heard once again that familiar sound, a sound of a heartbeat coming from someone whom he knew; someone who has been his companion. And for the first time he felt reassurance from that heartbeat he heard. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw the face of that "heartbeat"...his mother. With a smile she put her face next to his face, hmmm he felt something he could not explain, all he knew was that he is not afraid anymore. The warmth of her embrace cast away all his fears. For the first time he felt a human touch and a warm, tender kiss on his cheek. He felt LOVED. Such a very awesome feeling! With that assurance the young child fall asleep, worried no longer, for he knew then that everything will be all right...

 " I am going to sleep now, tomorrow, I know surprise awaits me. I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait"