To be Proud....... of What?

I cannot really remember if I had a dream as a child of what I would want to obtain in life. I was more content playing with other children, running and playing in the rain. The muddier the soil was, the more fun it was to soak ourselves in it. In fact, there were times when we would even get into a pond where carabaos take their baths. You could imagine how muddy it was. I think those were the moments I could say that I did not worry about life because it was fun to be alive and just play. My consciousness of being a Kalanguya was not even a concern I ever thought about. What I knew was that I am living in a mountainous and safe area where I can be myself without having to worry about safety and security in life.

As I grow older, things change. There is a need to catch up with the fast pace of life. I had never thought of going to Manila for my studies, nor of visiting other places. My thought was that living in the somewhat thick (very thick before) forest is all that life is and that there is nothing to behold after all.

Wait, is what I am beholding right now things that I can say are worth beholding? I would not be objective if i were to say either no or yes! Some things are worth beholding in the outside world, but many are also unbecoming. I realized that God has allowed me to come out of my zone to explore and see what I can contribute in a larger context instead of being confined to my own world. Some of these are challenging, while some are discouraging. They are discouraging when I know that I have fallen short of the standard of God, but challenging because God is with me all through the way of my journey and I am not alone.

I know not how long I will live. I have almost lived maybe half of my life (I hope and not less). And yet I desire that I might live more so that i can have more time to minister to my own people and to others.

I know for certain right now that God created me a Kalanguya, and that is what I want our people to always be aware of. Not to be so shy that they are kept from being productive as part of the world, but to come out as men and women created by God with a purpose, without being intimidated by others. I know what I am talking about because I am a Kalnguya myself who use to belittle myself for belonging to a tribe (Now Gideon, I feel how you have felt before).

It is never an accident that God put me/us(Kalanguya) here; it is rather right to say that His grace has reached us even after the people were scattered because of sin(Tower of Babel). Only through God can I/we be proud of ourselves because of His mercy. Because of His love there is no longer a disctinction between a Jew and a Gentile.