New Things, Good Things

As the clock ticks down to my departure date, I feel a nostalgia for the things and the people that I am leaving. While this is not goodbye for good, this is goodbye for a long time. It's funny how the last year has cemented, even more, the relationships and ties I have in Manila while I took that time to prepare to leave exactly that.

Because I'm not on duty at the hospital, I have spent more time at home with my family. Having dinner at the country club with my dad, shopping with my mom, watching a movie with my younger sister and driving for my youngest sister have all been luxuries that I've enjoyed this past year. Because of the stress of the exams and the match, they have prayed for me and supported me, cried with me and, best of all, rejoiced with me. 

Because I was not at the mercy of a hospital time zone, I was able to control my study schedule and my free time, thus allowing me to sow that at Alabang New Life Christian Center. Whether it is participating in videos for the media, ushering at services and conferences, being available for care groups, going to bible school in the evenings and just hanging out with the people who speak volumes into my life, my heart has become knitted all the more firmly to the fabric of this community.

Because I was able to get proper rest at night, I have been able to spend quality time with my boyfriend, Jeremy, experiencing new things together and discovering more about each other as individuals and as a couple. Even the 6 months apart in 2009 did not put a dent in our relationship but, by the grace of God, has  solidified it and made it flourish. We have learned how to fight fair, to be kind & encouraging to one another, and to stay patient, committed and passionate for the hand of God upon our relationship. 

This past year has given me a life that I have not experienced throughout the pressures of medical school and internship. They are the "reasons" that make Manila home. And they are also what make it so difficult and heartbreaking to leave. 

Praise God that He makes His home in me! Because if He lived only in the Philippines, then nothing you can do can make me leave! My greatest comfort is that He holds my heart in His hands. When sadness threatens to overcome me, His goodness gives me a reason to shout for joy. When homesickness deigns to stop me from enjoying, He tells me that, with Him, I am home. When pressures begin to push at me, He gives me the might to push back. When I feel lonely and far away from people I love, He places someone in my life to love, to minister to & to encourage. When thoughts of being forgotten from the lives of my family and friends loom before me, He reminds me that I am not forgotten and that He calls me by name. And then He lets me log on to Facebook so that I don't miss anything! I've gone through this gamut of emotions while I was in the States last year. If practice makes perfect, I will be better at this the second time around.

Isaiah 42:9 says, "Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth, I proclaim them to you."

Isaiah 48:6 says, "You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known."

New things. Part of the abundant life that He has given us are these new things. Never wanting us to stay in the same place for long, He brings us from glory to glory in our relationships, our careers, our finances, our desires. With God, change is progressive and is always a step up from what we are used to. 

Yes, He has declared and proclaimed new things to us. He has allowed us to hear it, He has allowed us to see it. Now, He wants us to declare it for ourselves, to use our mouth to speak His words. 

So, my relationship with the people to whom I have given a part of my heart will not stagnate while I'm away. Like everything in my life, He will take it to higher levels. God is beyond distance and time. He is beyond the limitations of this world, so much so that "before they spring forth, I proclaim it for you." He has prepared my way for me in the States already. All that I need, all that my heart will desire, He has already done it. James 1:17 says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above..." My Father only knows how to give good things. New things, good things, aren't these reason enough to get excited?!

I can leave home with the confidence that God is taking care of my existing relationships and that He has already prepared the life that I will step into in the States. He is taking care of the people I love and I know that, as I move forward into exciting times, so will they.