The happenings because of the pandemic are yet another reminder for us that there are lots of things that are out of our control. Lots of plans got canceled, businesses closed, jobs paused, celebrations and ceremonies canceled, and all due to uncontrollable circumstances. Yet despite all these, there are still things we can control, our mindset, our responses and the small or even the big things that we can do for each other. 👍🏼👍🏼

“Being quarantined, God showed me how badly I needed the rest that I am having right now. By rest, I didn’t mean sleeping all day. By rest I mean, being able to set a time to be alone and spend time with the Lord.”

I personally, at first got a bit anxious when the “quarantine” news first got out. Firstly because there was a pandemic going on, I was also a bit worried because I might close the store for a long time and there were lots of other issues. But praise God, He has changed my heart and my views on what is happening in the world today. So, I’ll be sharing with you things that I did and what I learned so that I’ll still have a life lived even during quarantine! 🤩🤩

1. Spend some time alone. My normal daily routine is mostly rushing to one task to another, work, meeting multiple people a day, etc. Being quarantined, God showed me how badly I needed the rest that I am having right now. By rest, I didn’t mean sleeping all day. By rest I mean, being able to set a time to be alone and spend time with the Lord. Meditating on His word day and night and being at peace in His presence all day long.

Sharing this here:
Psalm 23 A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, ^[1] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The feels of this verse ❤️😌

“There is a tendency that we might lose our joy, we need people to remind us that we should go back to THE SOURCE of Joy. The Source who never runs out.”

2. Read a book. I love reading! But sometimes because of all the tasks that I need I have to accomplish in a day, reading has been a luxury for me the past two years. I read some books the past couple of years but not as much as I wanted to. Because I was spending time at home, I now have ample time to read a lot of awesome books that are very helpful for me right now! 📚

3. Spend lots and lots of magic moments with your family! I love spending time with the family, but staying at home enabled me to spend more time with my family which is super duper awesome! Video calling my other brothers and their families, watching movies with my Nanay and Kuya bro, playing Assassins Creed with Kuya Bro, doing some exercises with them and eating lots of lami food prepared by Nanay, what a treat!

“We should not stop encouraging other people because we might not see it at first glance but our friends could be fighting silent battles”

4. Call your Long distance friends or the people you rarely talk to. Just lately, I was able to reach-out to one of my college classmates (who was actually a high school friend also). Actually, she messaged me because of my cover photo which I changed to encourage others to join B1G. It was amazing, I was able to ask how I can pray for her and even invited her to join the B1G Livestream that Friday and she did! I was also able to chat with some great friends who are working abroad that I haven’t talked to in a very long time!

5. Do online Dgroup meetings! Praise God for technology! This quarantine shouldn’t be a hindrance that we can meet with our small groups. We should not stop encouraging other people because we might not see it at first glance but our friends could be fighting silent battles. We still need accountability, especially in these hard times. There is a tendency that we might lose our joy, we need people to remind us that we should go back to THE SOURCE of Joy. The Source who never runs out. Jesus should be our Source of Joy. That’s why in difficult times, we should fix our eyes on Him!

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Sharing this verse with all of you:

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

-Romans 12:12

This was actually the main verse of the message that I listened to last night, which then leads me to the next tip:

6. Watch B1G Livestreams every Friday. Who says we cannot enjoy Friday nights this quarantine season? This is such a great opportunity for all of us to have meaningful Fridays. Normally we think of Fridays to go out, have fun, meet with people, in B1G, we get that also buuut added with lots of learnings, lots of encouragement and lots of prayers. Which is sooo much better!

Last night, Pastor Ickhoy’s topic was: Lock your faith, Down your fear. 

And he reminded us these three things:

1. Keep your Joy.
2. Embrace the challenge.
3. Yield to Jesus.

The message reminded me that If I keep my hope founded on the Solid Rock, I will be able to joyfully hope, even in hard times. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be bad times anymore, it means that even in the bad times, I know that I have a good good Father who loves me and will take care of me.

And you know what, you can have that hope too! Jesus wants to have a relationship with you too! All you have to do is say Yes to Him. (Message me if you want to know more. 😉😘)

Check out this link for more info: https://www.facebook.com/BeOnewithGod/

7. Pray for ways that you can do to help others! In application to embrace the challenge, I have learned that in order to Keep your Joy we need to seek the Lord and when we seek the Lord, He will make it clear the things that He wants us to do. He will make it clear what He wants us to do. Even during quarantine, there are a lot of things we can do to help. Here are some examples where we can help others:

1. Pray for our governing authorities. If we really believe that God is the Ultimate authority and if we truly believe that He is Sovereign, we will believe that He placed those people in the position to where they are now. It says in Romans: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” We cannot control them and we cannot control their decisions, but what we can do is to pray for them. Pray for protection for them. Pray for wisdom for them. Pray that God will strengthen them, because they too get tired. Not only will praying for them lessen your frustration, it will also be a blessing for them. And if we have opportunities to encourage them, let’s do it!
2. Pray for the frontliners. Pray for the nurses, the doctors, the police officers, the army, the people who are still working as a skeletal force in their respective companies, pray for all the public servants and for anyone else who is combatting this pandemic outside our homes. Pray also for their families. And again if we have the opportunity, let’s encourage them!
3. Be a good citizen of your country and stay at home, practice social distancing and disinfect! 😷😷😷
4. If you have the resources, donate to charity! I believe that any amount will be very useful. There are lots of NGOs and other groups that have been accepting donations. If you have the resources, please do donate, it could go long way!
5. Help with the chores at home! I have a lot to grow in this area too, but don’t worry because it’s all about progress, not perfection. Start with cleaning your room (this is what I did, haha!), and then do something else and the next day something else, this will not only build a health habit it will also clean your house! Haha. Now, who doesn’t want a clean house?? Not mention a happy MOM!💁🏼‍♀️💁🏼‍♀️

There are still lots of things that you can do during the quarantine. What’s important is we learn to seek the Lord during the whole process. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”. We might not see the good yet, but we know God is working. I read something a while back, the main idea was, “Why does God speak in whispers, why in a still small voice? Because He is near.” God is working, He is, we just need to trust Him and keep our hope and our faith anchored in Him. 😌😌

Hope this helps,

Nenen 💃🏼💃🏼