Graceful Christians

Have you ever experienced to be bullied by someone who thought he was more powerful than you are that either he exhibited physical strength against you by showing off his fatty false muscles (Is there a trace of bitterness here coming from me? Laughs!), or he uttered nasty words to belittle you? How did you deal with that?

When my Tita Cecile was still in grade school, she was bullied by this bigger girl in their school that almost made her cry. Actually she did cry a bit, you know little girls. However, in effort to save her pride she tried her very best to not show a single drop of tear from her angelic eyes. She did nothing…in action. Yet, she told to herself she would get even one day with that bigger girl. Laughs! Alright, I know it was not a good behavior of a Christian. At her young age, she came to realize that right before she almost finished conceptualizing her revenge with that girl because she remembered Jesus. At first she was like telling Jesus how she was treated so unfair by that girl and she also confessed the not-so-impressive thought that cropped up in her head.

One morning she saw that big girl crying on the street. Curiously she approached her and asked why she was crying. Hesitantly the big girl confessed that she was afraid to cross the street to get to the other side. That day there was no traffic enforcer who usually guided them in crossing the street. Tita Cecile offered her hand and invited the big girl to cross the street together with her. And that was what they did.

What a cute story, right? It was also the start of a new beautiful friendship between the two of them. The big girl apologized to what she did to my young aunt. That also gave Tita Cecile the opportunity to introduce Jesus to that girl. That was beautiful.



We should always remember that we are representing Jesus Christ as Christians. Everything we do should show that we are Christians. We are still in flesh and so we feel emotions once in a while which is normal. What is important is that we know how to confess what we feel and seek for the guidance of our LORD. We can’t be perfect. And our LORD God is with us to fill in our imperfections.

They say it is all in mind. The way you handle your troubles shows your personality. Here is an impressive text message I received from my sister Nicalyn just last night which made me think how faith leads to a better point of view.

Soldier: “Sir, we are surrounded by the enemies.”

Major: “Excellent! We can now attack in any direction.”

And lastly, always remember that we have a great God who is bigger than any trouble that would come our way. Have confidence in our LORD God and I guarantee you, you are a winner.

“For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.” Psalm 27:5 NIV

How To Rev Up Your Spirit

I like to share the following story of faith.

A child caught in fire was challenged to jump to his father to be rescued.

The father said, “Jump!”

The child replied, “But I can’t see you, Dad!”

The father replied, “Don’t worry, I CAN SEE YOU!”

The child jumped and was rescued.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Beautiful, isn’t it? It might be just a simple forwarded message via text messaging, however, we can find full of sense in this little story of faith. The child in this little story could represent us as ‘at times doubting Christians’. Sometimes we just feel a bit down and spiritually distracted. Especially during the moments when we are being challenged to bring forth something that is required of us. Whether it is a demand from work or school, it might be a project that is close to its deadline, a misunderstanding with a friend, or a heartbreak. Whatever it is that is troubling you, always remember you are not alone and never will you be in dealing with these challenges. Just believe and rev up your faith through prayers and confess to the LORD how exactly you feel. He will heal you and give you confidence so that you can jump and be rescued.


The following is a short list of some things I do to rev up my spirit to inspire my will to try again which might help you.

Write It Down. It has been my long-time therapy to write down all my heartaches in my daily journal since Grade School. Sometimes it comes along with just simple doodling of whatever I have in mind. So you can imagine how crowded my Daily Journal might look like, laughs! Good thing about writing your heartaches on a piece of paper, it lets you see the whole picture in a different perspective. It is because as you read whatever you have written, it takes you away from focusing on your emotions alone. Your other senses are now also working as you identify the other details of your problem. You might see that somehow you are responsible for whatever has happened. As you go through the scrutiny of what has taken place in your recent activity, you will then realize what is the best next thing to do.

Go for Literature. This is the best thing you can do with heartaches. You can make a song, an article, a poem, or even a short story out of your heartaches. It is just like writing it down with a little innovation on it. It is because you are not just knowing the other details but also you become more creative in handling your issue and wait for the final product out of it! It might become a master piece which, who knows, it might inspire other people who have felt the same way.

Read Them Away. Reading inspiring stories, especially the Bible, will help you a lot. It will reach down into your soul until you let go of the grudges and feel renewed and what might be the next to happen. Forgiveness might be just somewhere in the corner which as you get soft you might be ready to conceptualize the process in forgiving whoever has hurt you, or if you are dealing with a demand from work or an activity, it might boost your confidence.



Listen To Inspirational Music. Believe me that it really does help in lifting your spirit up. I like listening to Jaci Velasquez, Hillsongs, and other praise and worship songs. Aside from the fact that it revives your spirit, you will end up praising God which will definitely heal you all the way. It is because the feeling of pressure and depression is being replaced by inspiration and spiritual movement inside you.

Exercise. Aside from being fit and healthy, it also helps to burn your stress and worries away. You will not be just worry-free but also you will look good and become healthier.

Talk To A Friend. Nothing beats the old school. Every time we are faced with challenges in life, it is always a relief to know that we have friends to talk with whenever we feel down. So go out and talk to a friend.

Pray. This is what you can do best. There is no one else who could help us in dealing with this demanding world but God Himself. Plus the fact that nothing is impossible with God. So when He says, “Jump!” You know what to do. #

Reporting,
Fernand Yim

God Loves You

Life is getting tougher and tougher as we get old. Many factors are contributing to the fact that life is such an inescapable complicated process that, because we are still in flesh, we might lose or win the fight. Observing how busy we are each passing day, I can’t help but wonder how many of us are aware of the most important war that has been going on in centuries.

We might lose the protective Earth’s shield which is the ozone layer and die from excessive violent rays of the sun. We might lose control and let all the pollution of the world suffocate our lungs until the clean air becomes a legend itself. We might get so excited that our children today are now having their young family. Perhaps Government might surrender to illegal drugs and get tax from it by making it legal. Think of the worst scenario and internalize in it and feel if you would like it or not. Of course being normal we would say we want the best for the welfare of all of us. Impressive, should I say. However, we get nothing from mere short-lived words. We need to put that idea inside our head and sow it deeply and seriously into our veins and let blood carry it to every corner of our frail body until an action is initiated. In other words, let us act.



But the topic here is not just about the material or physical or mortal world we are all in. The most important war that has been going on since the birth of the first human civilization is crying out loud from within us. Many of us are like zombies. We walk, we work, we talk, we laugh, and we do every normal thing each day without knowing that many of us are dying. In fact, some of us are already dead. Even if we look normal and fine from the outside, some of us have been dead for so many years.

I once was dead. But I was saved and revived. It was not easy. It was a pure blessing and the most beautiful thing any believer in this world could experience. It is the power of the Holy Spirit who never gets tired in reaching us, in talking to us even if we don’t pay much attention, and in saving us.

I am talking about the spiritual war. It happens inside of every one of us. Laugh until your heart stop from beating but I would like to say it is the silent battle of Good and Evil. We are struggling to follow the path of the Holy God but because we are part of the all-polluted world, we always tend to lose our steps from the right direction until we don’t remember ourselves anymore. Until we become zombies. Without the grace of God, we would be like that for the rest of our time here on Earth. Living zombies.

Good news is that God loves us so much that we surrender but never will He. He never gets tired of reaching out for us. Many of us have felt that marvelous emotional move that touches our spirit but because we are too weak to understand, we simply ignore it. However, it is so beautiful that God is so consistent in what He is doing. If we don’t listen, He sends people in our lives to make us listen. And that is what exactly happening to me now, to my friends, and to many of us. We are so blessed. We are so special. We are being loved by the all-time loving God.
Whatever you do, whoever you are, wherever you are, remember God loves you. You are beautiful in His holy eyes. Claim it and spread the good news. #

Reporting,
Fernand Yim

Thank You, Anonymous

I will be very honest with this new article here in RFY. Recently I am not really feeling fine. My spiritual life is struggling. Beautiful it is that the good LORD never gets tired of cheering me up. I received a message in my post in My Name Is Fernand Yim entitled, Don't Just Say Finish, Please. I don't know who was the kind person who left this inspiring poetic message. I am hoping that by re-posting it here, it could inspire other people out there who perhaps in the same situation I am in.

One thing I also realized after I attended the 6PM service in Victory Christian Fellowship in Alabang yesterday. It is that we need to be surrounded by our fellow Christians to rev up our spirit. It is really important that you are not alone in making prayers for your soul. You need spiritual brotherhood. I am happy that LORD God just sent me one.

“The road to success is not straight.
There is a curve called Failure,
a loop called Confusion,
speed bumps called Friends,
red lights called Enemies,
and caution lights called Family.

For sure you will experience flats in your Job,
but if you have a spare tire called Determination,
an engine called Perseverance,
an insurance called Faith and
if GOD is your driver,
you will make it to your desired destination called Success.

Sometimes the journey may get bumpy and slow.
But remember, you won’t get from here to there without embarking on a trip.

So don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride.”

July 16, 2009 12:25 AM

Whoever you are, I thank you so much. #


Reporting,
Fernand Yim

Rainbow: A Painted Promise In The Sky

Photo By Jerlie Montecer

One tired morning I was on my way home boarding a bus on South Luzon Expressway to Calamba City. I was not just feeling worn-out physically but also spiritually. I was trying to connect myself through a prayer with God. However I was feeling dead from the inside that it felt like I was silently struggling to find that connection. I was growing frustrated as I tried harder but I knew my faith would lead me to a place where I should be spiritually. I was quietly asking God to please lift up my spirit, to help me with that prayer. I looked up into the cloudy blue sky and there I found His comfort, I saw a beautiful rainbow. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a rainbow prior to that day. Suddenly I felt my spirit was strongly moved that I felt a leap of a great joy in my heart. Then I remembered this story told by my sister Nicalyn.

In one of their activity meetings in UP, her friends and classmates in that subject were brainstorming ideas for their presentation on how to educate people more effectively in terms of preserving the earth. She is taking up Development Communication, a very exciting course. In the midst of it, they had discussed about the current situation of our world today. They talked about the wars among nations, terrorisms, new-discovered viral and non-viral sicknesses, climate change, global warming, global dimming, dirty politics, prostitution, human trafficking, child molestation, illegal drugs, poverty, and so many more. The deeper they got into the discussion; they were starting to feel spiritually and emotionally down. Nicalyn knew all these facts, however, hearing them all at one time, she was starting to realize how horrible might the future of the earth be. Then this little girl, a freshman, raised a hand from the back with an innocent broad smile on her face to say, “I just saw a rainbow!” Everyone was puzzled to what she just said. “Remember the God’s promise? There is still hope, never give up.” Nicalyn was not sure how everyone took her words. One thing she was sure of, that girl didn’t know how she had inspired her with her innocence and firm faith. That girl was right, as long there is a rainbow painted in the sky…we remember the God’s promise. #

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” Genesis 9:17 NIV