The Power Of Words

Words can hurt. Words can build up and words can destroy. So let us be careful with what we say and how we say it. There are words that cut deep into one's soul and no amount of apologies can rectify the hurt that was done.

We may feel good when we give someone a piece of our mind, but though we may be relieved from the release of an intense emotion, we may have left someone devastated and with a broken spirit. Can we live with that?

Sometimes words can provoke anger and violence. It is better to hold our tongues when there is nothing good that we can say. As they say, silent waters run deep and a bubbling brook holds no depth.

Gossips, idle talk and back stabbing are some of the worse words that can leave our mouths. They do no good and destroy the reputations of others. Better to keep our peace and hold our tongues in check.

If we must speak, let us speak words of encouragements, words of inspiration, words of love and words that uplift rather than hurt and destroy others. Let us become harbingers of peace and joy to the world. Together with a genuine smile,
gentle words of approbation uplift the spirits and cause considerable joy and exuberance to those we come in contact with.

As the song says, "did we fill the world with love our whole life through."

Blind Spots

What is a blind spot? It is something that others see in us that we do not see ourselves. Either we are not aware of it or we just pretend that it is not there. Usually, it is something that may have been an offshoot of a traumatic experience from the past. Or it may be an inborn trait that we have already drowned in our conscious mind but continues to linger on in our subconscious mind.

Almost all people have blind spots in their lives, one way or the other. We may not see it until others tell us about it. We may acknowledge its presence in us but often times, it is always denied by us.

The antidote to this blind spots is an honest to goodness self examination and acceptance of who we really are. We can ask our inner circle of family and friends
for inputs of our blind spots. We must be sincere in curing our blind spots by being humble and accepting everything that our family and friends will tell us. And in the end, we can resolve that we will reverse the process of blind spots by accepting the realities in our lives.

The Bible said, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Are you prepared to acknowledge and correct your blind spots?


Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational

Man- His Why's And Wherefore's

There are so many mental, psychological, emotional and psychosomatic illnesses nowadays that science and doctors can't seem to cope up with the avalanche of these sicknesses. At the root cause of this problem is man's ignorance of the total constitution of man. We are living as though we are just a physical, mental and emotional creature with nary a thought about our composite being.

Man is tripartite in nature and the sooner we realize this, the better for us. Man's obvious nature is his physical nature where we are focusing almost all our attention to the detriment of our two other natures. But aside from our body, we also have two more important natures- the soul and the spirit. The soul is the animating principle of man. Without the soul, man is reduced into a mass of lifeless flesh and bones.

And the spirit is the divine principle of man. The spirit of man is the same creation that was created by God in His own image and likeness. But the big problem is, man's spirit is dead because of the original sin of our first parents at Eden. And so we function mainly as body and soul. And with these two vehicles, our inclination is to become spiritually evil and depraved. Until our spirit is brought to life by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we commit mistakes upon mistakes, blunders upon blunders, errors upon errors, and sins upon sins. And we stack up for ourselves the condemnations for all these sins.

We are like a mountain climber that climbs a mountain during peak of "spiritual enlightenment" only to fall down at the first attack of worldly temptation. And after our fall, we become worse than when we first started our climb. Some of us try and try again until they develop spiritual fatigue. They climb and fall down, and climb again to fall down again, on and on, ad infinitum. Why? Because our spirit is dead and until our spirit is made alive and animated by the Holy Spirit, we will never ever succeed in climbing that holy mountain.

And so what do we do? We conclude that it is impossible to climb that holy mountain. We develop our own homegrown philosophies in life explaining the whys and wherefores of our failures to reach the summit of that mountain. So we say that we have so many lifetimes to reach that summit, there's no need to hurry. Let us just live this life the way we want it, anyway there are countless of lifetimes ahead of us. But is that the truth?

The Bible clearly states that, "it is appointed for man to die once and after that judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). God never lies. He is the repository of all truths. Whom shall we believe?

God gave man the ultimate solution to his problem. He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross and pay for all the penalties of our sins. Jesus death on the cross satisfied God's demand for justice. And so the door to heaven was opened to those who will enter it through Jesus Christ. By availing ourselves of the divine grace of God, we can enter God's kingdom by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and surrendering our lives to Him.

Then the Holy Spirit shall empower us and bring to life our long dead spirit. Now through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus, we can climb the mountain of God up to the summit to meet our Father in heaven. The only solution to all our problems lies in the acceptance of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. He is the only key, the only door and the only way to the kingdom of God.

Shall we begin our new climb to the holy mountain of God?


Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Spiritual/Inspirational

Our Legacy- Golden Steps In The Sands Of Time

We will not be always here to stay. Tomorrow, we may be gone from this world.
What legacy would we want to leave behind?


We tread the sands of time but once in our lifetime. Good or bad, people will remember us for what we stood for. How we stood amidst the tremendous pressures that pushed us down? How we managed our tears? How we survived the pains? How we overcame all the bitterness and sorrows that welled in our hearts? And in the end, how we made peace with our Creator?


We move along the sands of time but once, to measure each and every song that influenced our lives. We recalled the lonely verses that pulled our hearts burning with fervent hopes of a bygone love. How strange that we faced the unfathomable horizons beyond, never knowing what lies behind the curtains of time.


With each heavy steps, our feet tread on the golden steps of the sands of time. Then we leave our legacies behind.

Thirteen Flowers (A Short Story- FICTION)

It was just like yesterday when I had an argument with my wife and we had a falling out. I had to get out of the house to simmer down. As I was walking in the park, I saw a flower, a red one standing at the edge of the park. I was mesmerized by it that I found myself going out there to pick it up. What kind of flower was this? It was gorgeous and the color was crimson red, just like my blood. As I picked it up I thought of my wife. How lovely she was. It was just like yesterday when I married her and we had a turbulent relationship. We had our shares of quarrels but somehow, we managed to patch things up. And today was just like any other day that we had a spat.

As I looked at the flower, my anger seemed to have vanished and I realized just how important she was to my life. Ah, I'm going back to her and fix our relationship. I could not really go on with my life without her. And the children, they need a father to bring them up as wonderful kids. How foolish of me to run out of my house. Hah, I'm going back and straighten everything out. And I promise to God that I will never quarrel with my wife again. Life is more bearable with her charming presence around.

The house was in disarray. Everything seemed in topsy turvey. Rows of flowers lined the entrance to the house. It was so bright inside. People were milling around. Stifled cries can be heard outside. I saw familiar faces in the house. My father was there and so was my mother. I saw faces of my friends and relatives there. They were all there. Must be some sort of a reunion I guessed. Then I saw my wife. How lovely she was. She was wearing a white gown. And I saw my children, their faces ashen and sad. How I missed them all. I will tell them how much I love them.

I approached my wife and gave her the flower that I have. And she placed it with the other flowers in a big vase. I counted them all. Twelve white flowers and mine was the thirteenth, one that stand out in crimson red.

Everything became so eerie. Something's wrong. Suddenly, I realized that my father and mother were dead and so do all the relatives and friends that I saw there. They were all dead. My God don't tell me that my wife and children are all dead too.

Everything seemed to whirl around me. Flashes of darkness and light kept flickering all around me. My body stiffened and I could sense a vague light penetrating my eyes. Then voices occupied the peripheries of my mind. He's coming into. He is breathing. He is alive. I saw people milling all around me. And I saw the loveliest face that ever beheld my eyes. It was my beautiful wife, as she hugged me with all her might. And I saw my children milling around me, all crying unabashedly. What happened? I asked timidly. You were ran over by a car and you were brought here in the hospital already dead. The doctors tried to revive you and it's only now that you were revived.

And I saw the red flower that she held in her hand. Where did you get that, I asked? I got it from you. You were clutching this flower as though your life depended on it. Ah, freedom at last. I have been given back a new leash on life.


Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Literary/Short Story

Maybe Next Time (A Poem)

You maybe broken hearted today, but take heart,
it's not the end of the world yet.
Life is a flux. Nothing is constant.
Maybe, your time has not yet come.
To God, His time is always the perfect time.
Maybe you will find your soul mate at the next
turn of the road.
Just wait for awhile.

Yes, maybe next time you can smile again
And laugh at all the crazy thoughts that ever
crossed your mind.
Maybe next time you will be sitting at the top
of the world.
So wipe away the tears in your eyes.

Yes, maybe next time, you can sing again the
lullaby of love welling deep inside your heart.
Yes, maybe next time, you can learn to love again.
Just maybe next time.

Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Poetry

The Imp Who Thought That He Was A Cherub ( A Short Story)

The Place: Megiddo- A vast plain in Saudia Arabia said to be the crossroad of those who travel from the east. It is also called Armageddon.

The Event: The last great battle for supremacy in the world. It is the mother of all battles.

The Protagonists: Jesus Christ and all the heavenly host and all the saints on earth on one side, and Satan and all his arch demons, deceivers, mockers, idolaters, atheists and all who do evil in this world on the other side.

From among the frontliners of the army of the Lord Jesus, a small cherub stands out. Unlike all the other angels, this cherub has different wings. Yes it is white like the others, but it is not made of feathers but rather, it is made of one piece very much like that of a bat. But he has the most holy appearance of all.

The Scene: As Satan with his millions upon millions of corrupted souls who seethed with anger and malice approached their enemies, he spotted the cherub from among the ranks of the front liners of the Lord. He recognized him and gave out a loud booming laughter. "Ha, ha,ha, ha, ha. Come here little imp. You don't belong there. You belong here in my army. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"No, I belong here in the army of my Lord Jesus Christ and I am determined to fight to death." Replied the little cherub. "Have you forgotten how I send you to wreak havoc among men, O you of short memory?" Satan boomed in the tense atmosphere at the front line.

The cherub thought back. Yes, I remember the time when I came to help a little child at the edge of a precipice. He was crying and calling out the names of his parents. I remember that I came to him and tried to comfort him. I was already holding his hands to save him when he suddenly lost his grip on my hands and plunged to his death. Oh, how I cried because of that.

"No, you have not seen everything. As you were holding the hands of that child, I sent another demon to help you. He was the ugliest and most frightening of all. When the child saw him, he panicked and lost his grip on you. That's why he fell to his death. Ha, ha, ha, ha! Now come here little imp so that the battle can begin." Boomed Satan.

The little cherub looked at his Lord Jesus and asked what he must do. The Lord Jesus told him that it's all up to him where he wanted to fight. And the cherub straightened up with all the strength he could muster and shouted to Satan at the top of his voice. "Here will I stand with my Lord Jesus Christ. I cast my lot with Him and if I die, I will die in glory in the company of my Lord." He defiantly shouted at Satan.

At this, Satan became so furious that he ordered his vast army to attack the heavenly host and the saints.

At the first exchange of battle, Satan dealt the little cherub a mortal blow and the little cherub fell at the wayside dying from a grievous wound. Oh, the battle raged on in pitch savagery as the superior army of Satan marched on defiantly in the vast field of Megiddo. He sniffed the air and was so confident of final victory as he egged his vast army of evildoers to finish the job.

Just as victory was within the grasp of Satan, the heavens suddenly opened up and a hail of fire and brimstones rained down from heaven. All the remaining army of the Lord Jesus was swept aside to a safe place and the vast horde of Satan's impregnable army crumbled under the deluge of rain of fire from heaven. Oh, the screaming and cursing was deafening as the evil ones died one after the other.

Finally, all was quiet at Megiddo. And all that was left was the army of the Lord Jesus Christ. So great was the casualty on both sides but more so with Satan. They were annihilated all and were thrown to the Lake of Fire, there to suffer eternal punishment forever and ever.

As the army of the Lord surveyed the dying, they saw the little cherub splashed on the pavement, breathing heavily because of the mortal wound.

The Lord Jesus reached out to get a leaf from the Tree of Life and water from the River of Life. He washed and cleansed the wound of the little cherub and bandaged it with the leaf from the Tree of Life. Suddenly, a beacon of light shone from heaven and illuminated the little cherub. Immediately, he stood up and wonders of wonders, he now has wings of feathers just like the other angels. He lives to tell this story to everyone.

The whole army of the Lord Jesus Christ roared with one voice of joy and resounding delight at this miracle. And they marched on from the plains of Megiddo
(Armageddon) to the heavenly dwelling place of God.

Epilogue: The Lord is coming back very soon. Are you prepared to meet Him? When He comes back, will He find us faithful?

Footnote: This short story was written by the author through the inspiration of my wonderful friend Sameera of India who has been my source of inspiration for the wonderful and exquisite short stories she has written in her blog.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
Mel Avila Alarilla Copyright@ Manila, Philippines