Written August 4th, 2009 – For the past few hours, I have been listening and watching to the extensive coverage of the funeral of Philippine democratic icon Mrs. Corazon Aquino. Cory has truly lived a selfless life, serving our country and restoring democracy in a country once faced by dictatorship and injustice.

I cannot help but feel so thankful of what she has done to our country. She was proud to be a Filipino and was ready to serve the Filipino people wholeheartedly. It has truly been inspiring to hear her story of fighting against the Marcoses, her critics, and cancer. The famous slogan Laban truly depicts the struggle against discrimination and hatred; more importantly, it also signifies unity – to always trust in Him that He will guide us through whenever and wherever. Our God is an awesome God. You can really see the humility in Cory – a person who just had unwavering faith in the Lord. As said in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Her life story has made me feel that I should not feel powerless despite all the challenges and trials that I face. Despite our shortcomings, the Lord will be there for us. He will make us strong – just like Cory – a simple housewife who with God’s strength and wisdom – became the first female president in Asia. She truly showed the power of a community – she united a broken, divided Filipino nation to pray and have faith in the Lord. There is really strength in numbers. What has happened over the past few days has shown all of us that with a common cause, we can all pray together and really strengthen our faith as a community of believers in Christ.

Some very inspiring thoughts of Kris Aquino, the youngest daughter of President Cory Aquino:

“When I was asking myself, why you have come to embrace our family as your own? Why do you regard our mom as your own? I came to the realization it is because you see in our family the journey of your own family. You had seen in my Mom all that you wished all mothers could be. Somebody who will love you, pero hindi kukunsintihin ang iyong mga pagkakamali. Isang taong palaging nandiyan na maasahan, pero walang hinihinging kapalit. At isang inang kahit kailan, hindi nawalan ng pag-asa na kayang maging mabuti ng kanyang anak.

“Thank you is not difficult. Expressing your love is not hard. Pero ngayon, how do I find the words to say goodbye? Paano bang magpaalam kapag alam mo at alam ng puso mo na hindi pa rin sapat ang panahon na ibinahagi sa ‘yo ng Diyos, sa piling ng iyong pinakamamahal?

“But maybe, that was what love is really all about. It means sacrificing your personal happiness and interest for the good of the one you love. It’s forcing yourself to let go, so that your Mom will be free from pain.

“I love you, Mom. I thank you for the privilege of being your child. And for every day that I will be missing you, I will remind myself that my greatest gift to you will be living a life that will make you proud that I am your daughter.

I am so thankful for the Lord for revealing Himself to me over the past few days. I really felt Your presence – with the FEC community. Learning Your Word in a place away from all the distractions and worries of life has allowed me to really focus my time and life on You. The opportunity to be able to attend Summer Conference for this BC Day weekend has made me really look at myself and realize what is really important. It’s not really money or reputation. Nor is career or fame. It is our relationship with You that is important. It is in sincerely loving one another when we find real happiness and fulfillment in our lives. Pastor Ted’s messages about the book of Ephesians has been relevant, inspiring, and nevertheless challenging.

“Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love.” It is really a huge challenge to be loving to people who do not treat you the same way. We must accept the fact that we are imperfect people, accepting people for their shortcomings and faults. Parents sometimes say offensive things not to hurt us, but to make us stronger and better people. Conflicts may arise in our relationships, but healthy  conflicts can actually allow us to grow deeper as people and brothers/sisters of Christ.

Help us all to be more humble and to bear with one another in love. Thank you so much, Lord, for always being there for us in our everyday life. Thank you for filling our lives with Your love. I see it so visible in our everyday lives – with my parents, siblings, friends, and even strangers.