This is the product of my fertile thoughts. I am recreating them here and am sharing them with you, dear bloggers, for whatever benefits, if any, you could derive from them. I wish you could be more open and share with me your comments and suggestions so that I can improve on my blog. Thank you, God bless and have a nice day. Mel Avila Alarilla
I'm sorry. I am very, very sorry to all who were terribly hurt by my post- Bipolar Planet. I extend this heartfelt apology. I never meant to hurt any of you. I realized that I committed a serious offense when I posted my personal perceptions of Bipolar Planet, unmindful of the hurts they will bring to those who are already suffering from a terrible malady. It's like rubbing salt to an open wound.
Yes, we have freedom of expression, but this must be self limited by the countervailing rights of others to their own sense of dignity and due respect. I may have the best intentions in writing that post, but they can never mitigate nor justify the hurting of others nor of offending their sensibilities. As they say, "the road to hell is paved with all good intentions."
Again, I am really, terribly sorry for all the troubles I caused you all. Please forgive an old foolish man like me. The green blossom above is my peace offering to you all. God bless you all.
The first time I saw this term in almost all the blogs of bipolar patients, I was intrigued by it. Now I know the meaning of the term and how it encompasses the very lives and interconnections of its members.
It is as if they are living in their own world and what matters to them is their illness, its symptoms, its effects on their lives and how they interrelate with one another. It is as if they literally cling to the saying, "misery loves company." Now, don't get me wrong. It is never my intention to do group bashing or anything to that effect. I love them, individually and collectively. I pray hard for them.
Their own world (bipolar planet) is very sacred, almost exclusively for them, and they are weary and suspicious (not all of them, though) of strangers who would intrude on their sacred ground.(I should know. I have been the victim of savage rebuffs by a few whom I tried to reach out and relate to. God bless them.)
I don't know if the effect of this on their sickness is good or bad. Good, because they have one another to interrelate to, and bad, because there is a tendency for them to over focus on the disorder itself and its damaging effects on their lives and behaviors, so much so, that they are liable to wallow more in self pity and severe depressions. There is also a tendency to turn a blind eye on the extreme behaviors of other members like attempted suicides, self mutilations, promiscuities, and other anti social behaviors.
As far as I know, bipolar disorder is not incurable. Many cases of patients with bipolar disorders were cured and are now living normal lives. In fact, many of them do live normal lives. Bipolar disorder is not as bad as cancer of the brain, cancer of the bones, leprosy or aids.
The problem is, they are so focussed on the physical reality of their illnesses. But whether they agree or not, there is a spiritual reality of everything that encompasses our physical reality. That's why, miracles happen.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.....The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." (John 1:1 & 14a) The Word and Jesus Christ are the same. When tempted by the devil in the desert, Jesus did not use His power to foil the devil. He used the Word of God to defeat him.
Jesus never lies, and when He said, "Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" (Mark 5:34), He meant just that. The wounds that was inflicted on His body represents divine healing for all kinds of diseases, known and unknown to man, even bipolar sickness.
Medical science has proven that a certain amount of faith or belief can heal. Case studies of some patients given placebo pills (sugar coated flour pills with no actual medicinal contents), who were told that they were taking their regular medicines, have actually experienced healing. And that is just faith or belief in a small pill and the word of the doctor. How much more will living faith in God's words and His faithfulness will produce miraculous healings. Ask those thousands of people healed by God through the ministry of Rev. Benny Hinn.
But alas, in this world, we believe in what we want to believe in.
(With profound apologies to all bipolar sufferers. I never had the intention to hurt or malign you, nor make any disparaging comments on any of you. I just have to cite specific instances to elucidate a point and not to malign anyone. There is no actual allusion to anybody in particular. If I have inadvertently offended anybody, I humbly apologize for it. No malice whatsoever was intended in putting up this post. God bless you all with His amazing grace for your actual healing and deliverance).
Here are some of the glaring posts I gathered from other blogs:
1) Rose DesRoschers- Cited a news item regarding a pedophile activist who was exploiting daughters of US politicians by plastering their daughters' pictures all over his girl loving website. She was aghast at the brazenness of the pedophile and urged the legislators to sue him.
2) Paris Unleashed- While walking near her place, she saw 10 to 12 pieces of freshly cut cat tails hanging like banners in a post. Probably a work of a psychotic sadist or a bizarre ritual of a satanic cult.
3) From another blog- Blogger made disparaging remarks about the Bible and the Book of Mormons calling them absurd. He trumpets that he is a buddhist.
4) Dr. Gwenn cited the prevailing discrimination and harassment in the workplace for lactating mothers who want to breastfeed their infants. Breastfeeding was considered an aberration in the workplace.
5) Paris Unleashed- Cited a news item regarding a multi million dollar pyramid scam in the internet among Filipino subscribers.
6) Another female blogger was trumpeting her long distance lesbian relationship with a younger girl.
Elsewhere,
7) We see high tech geniuses putting their destructive viruses online to wreak havoc to billion dollar businesses and disrupting vital operations worldwide.
8) We see religious fanatics and terrorists blowing up people's lives and properties, all in the name of their god and religious beliefs.
9) Lesbian and homosexual marriages are solemnized and legalized in many parts of the US and some parts of the world.
10) Abortion becomes an ordinary medical procedure in many clinics in many countries around the world.
The list goes on and on and on. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR WORLD? Some people are no longer ashamed to do evil. They even flaunt their abominable deeds for all the world to see. To them, evil becomes "good" and perversion becomes the accepted norm.
Destruction, hatred, bitterness, cursing and slander, religious bigotry, racial and cultural discrimination, hypocrisy, indecency, debauchery, even bestiality are the accepted norms to some.
They have made our world an upside down, inside-out world.
I remember a saying that goes, "for the forces of evil to triumph in this world, it is enough that a few good men will do nothing."
I rest my case.
(With due apologies to Misses Rose DesRoschers, Paris Unleashed and Dr. Gwenn for mentioning your names in a non disparaging light. You all have my highest respect and admiration for your respective advocacies.)
Where do we place God in our lives? Do we place Him at the very center of our existence? Or do we put Him at the farthest corners of our hearts and minds? Some sort of a spare tire to be used when the need arises?
When we are in distress, when fear and anxiety beset us, when tons of problems seem to overwhelm us, when we feel that we could not possibly cope with the stressful situation confronting us, who do we seek? Our doctor? Our psychiatrist? Our closest friend? Our spouse? Our parents or any relative we hold near and dear? When do we turn to God for relief? When things start to fall apart and when we completely lose control of the situation? Then afterwards , we blame God for the disaster that befell us, forgetting that it was caused by us in the first place.
The answers to these questions determine how we relate to God. To most of us, God is a far away and distant despot who does not care about us, leave us to our fate and circumstances, who disturbs our peace when we sin and who demands an accounting from us all the time. But when the chips are down, He is nowhere to be found and do not give an iota of concern whatever happens to us. In fact, God is an ever reliable scapegoat for all our troubles and misfortunes in life. But is He?
God said, "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, 'In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength." (Isaiah 45:22-24a)
He further added, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please....What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isaiah 46:9b-10, 11b)
God is not affected by how we perceived Him to be. He is not changed nor affected by our puny perceptions. He is sovereign. He do as He please. The good news is, He is everything that we could ever think of as good and positive. And He could not contradict His own nature. The bad news (or good news, depending on one's perception) is, He created us with our own free will, and that we have the choice to accept or reject Him. He will never force Himself on us.
There lies the problem. We know that there is a God, but we limit His power over us by our inability to perceive Him as He really is. So we make do with a counterfeit "God" who is capricious, whimsical, moody, revengeful, catankerous, self seeking and avaricious; who expropriates everything for His own glory alone. Pity the people who looks at God this way.
Hosea 4:6a says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Wrong perception of God may lead us to our own destruction, and greatly tie up God's hands to help us out of our predicament. The only solution is to know the real God through His words in the Bible.
Jesus Christ shows us the way to the Father. "Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me." (John 14:6) Also, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) You want to know the real GOD? Read your Bible.
Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla Philippines Spiritual/Inspirational
This post is dedicated to Amateur Dancer, Marie Coppla, Venice of Unsound Slumber and to all those who are suffering from Bipolar disorders. THERE IS ALWAYS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE DARK TUNNEL.
Yes, we are depressed. Yes, we are desperate. Are there any remedies to these conditions? I wrote this post to tackle the problems of depression and despair among sufferers of bipolar disorders. I do not claim any iota of expertise on this subject matter. In fact, before I came across the term bipolar as I surfed the net, I was blissfully ignorant of it.
Whether depression is a state of the mind or a result of a chemical imbalance of the brain is not the issue here. I leave that to the experts. What I'm after is, how we can alleviate the pain and misery that depression brings to its untold number of victims.
The effects of prolonged depression is catastrophic to the psyche of its victims. It leaves behind a lingering sense of hopelessness and despair that may even trigger a violent tendency towards self destruction. It's like entering a dark tunnel without any hope of ever coming out of darkness into the light. People loses their sense of right or wrong. They are bewildered, totally disoriented and seemingly helpless.
Can hope and prayers overcome depression and despair? With due respect to the medical experts, I say yes. Hope is like seeing a flicker of light in the all pervading darkness of a tunnel. It gives us a sense of anticipation that finally, as we reach the end of the tunnel, we shall finally see the light of day.
And who gives us this hope? Only God can and will. And we can fan the flames of hope through prayers. "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
How do you think those early Christians were able to face death with calm and equanimity as they were crucified, mauled by lions and bears, or defenselessly butchered by battle scarred gladiators? They sang songs of praise and worship and even uttered prayers of forgiveness for their tormentors. They were clinging to that glorious hope of a blissful afterlife. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." (1Corinthians 2:9) Surely depression, outright insanity and total helplessness would have set in to those who have no hope whatsoever if faced with the same situations.
Today, situations may vary but the results will still be the same. Those who have hope and diligently nurtures it with regular and intense prayers are those who will be able to overcome any obstacles and trials in life, whether they be depression or despair. Unflinching hope and intense prayers usher us to the very presence of God, where we can pour out all the pains and sorrows welling in our hearts. Did not the Lord admonished us to, "Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you." (1Peter 5:7)
When depression sets in, we must never give it a foothold by lingering on it. We can counteract its effects by claiming the promises of the Lord and through His triumphant Spirit. "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6b) If we persist in prayers, our hopes will be rekindled like a blazing torch that will illuminate the total darkness surrounding us. In God's time, we will receive our most cherished healing and deliverance. PRAY! IT WORKS!
This Post is Dedicated to Amateur Dancer, Marie Coppla and All Those Suffering From Bipolar Disorders
Can faith heal? Believing in our doctors help a lot to heal us, doesn't it. We are not healed by a doctor we don't trust and believe in. So with the medicines we take, with the people who surround us to give us counsel and moral support. They augment our faith so that we can be healed. But that is only faith in people and things. How much more do we think faith in an Almighty God will do wonders for us and completely cure us of the most dreaded diseases known and unknown to man.
To give an illustration, let us cite two examples of two incurably sicked persons in the Bible. One was completely healed because of complete faith, and the other one was not healed at first because of unbelief.
Mark 5: 25-34 described a woman bleeding for twelve long years, who failed to get relief from so many doctors and after spending a fortune. When she heard about Jesus, she thought to herself that if she but touched the hem of His garment, she would be healed. Following Jesus, she did just that and imediately got healed. Jesus sensed that power escaped from Him and He asked who touched Him. Trembling with fear, the woman fell at Jesus feet and told Him everything. Jesus told her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark 5:34)
In 2 Kings 5: 1-27, Naaman was a commander of the army of the king of Aram. He had leprosy. Hearing from a Hebrew slave girl that a prophet of God by the name of Elisha could heal him, he sought after the prophet. Elisha sent his messenger to tell Naaman to dip seven times in the river Jordan. Expecting a grand miracle and disappointed by the seemingly preposterous instructions, he left Israel uncured. Upon hearing this, the Hebrew slave girl persuaded Naaman to do as the prophet instructed. He went back to Israel and dipped seven times in the river Jordan and immediately, he was completely healed.
How many people who have terminal incurable diseases, who were advised by their doctors of their impending deaths, survived their dreaded diseases by acts of faith and were completely and miraculously healed? Just ask the thousands of people healed by God thru the ministry of Benny Hinn. Or the thousands of people who trekked to the grotto of Lourdes, France, who went home completely healed and their faith in God totally restored.
God sometimes uses sickness, pain and trials to get our attention so that we can go back to Him for relief, deliverance and salvation. If He allow us to bask in sin and wanton living, where will those lifestyles lead us? Surely not to God's kingdom but to eternal destruction.
As I write this post, I am almost completely healed of the debilitating pain of scoliosis and pinched nerves that threatened paralysis in my torso. I can now walk again. Praise the Lord for His amazing grace and mercy. Even my other diseases- hypertension, diabetes, acute hernia, prostate gland enlargement, hypothyroidism and other diseases I may not even be aware of, are almost completely healed. Now, I am rededicating my entire life to serving Him and leading other sufferers of pain to the feet of the Master Healer- Jesus Christ. TO GOD BE THE GLORY.
"All things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 10:27) "Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark 5:34) "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) "For I am the Lord who heals you." (Exodus 15:26b)
Procrastination is a deadly disease. Deadly because people who have it fail to recognize it or they just ignore it altogether. It's vocabulary is as deadly too- later, tomorrow, next time and someday. Procrastinators have eight days in a week- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and the eighth day is called...SOMEDAY.
Someday may mean tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or maybe... never. It can be as long as eternity itself. How often have we been turned off by people who just did not have time for us? How often have we been hurt when people turn us down by such words as: "I'm too busy right now, I'll attend to you later"; or "just come back some other time when I'm no longer busy." Do we remember the hurt look at the face of our child when we hollered at him with such words as "Can't you see that I'm busy? Go to your mommy!" That will be the start of the day our child will look for attentions from others. That may happen to our spouses too. If we don't have much time for them, others may give them the time and attention they craved from us and we might lose them altogether. Then we will rue the day that we did not give them the quality time that they were crying for. Regrets will set in and we will say to ourselves, "If only I had time for them."
The antidote for procrastination is purposeful living, if we know the purpose of God for our lives and accomplish each task for His glory alone. Next time that there is a task at hand, say to God and to yourself: "I'll do it Lord for your glory, right here and now."
"WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK AT IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AS WORKING FOR THE LORD, NOT FOR MEN." (Colossians 3: 23)
"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7b)
DO YOU NEED HELP? ARE YOU IN THE DARK? CAN'T FIND YOUR WAY AROUND? NEED A FRIEND WHO WILL STICK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK OR THIN OR WHEN EVERYBDOY ELSE HAS DESERTED YOU?
