(To Jennifer Chan Narvasa): In ways never expected

How many times in your life have you experienced something that comes to you in ways you have never expected nor imagined? We are referring to the good things, those that you would consider as blessings – extraordinary blessings. I don’t think this question will be easy to answer. What we are dealing with are happenings and particulars that we usually ecstatically describe as “beyond one’s expectations, beyond one’s imaginations.”

So, this means there is a need of what we call “a heavenly touch.” And this doesn’t just come. We have to merit the blessing. No doubt about it, heaven plays a significant role in the transition of these occurrences, eventualities or situations. The underlying circumstances of this matter evolve around the strength and sensitivity of our relation with God.

For instance, as we establish a spiritual journey and seeing it grow, it will give us much peace and immense happiness. As we share this blissful experience with others, and as we earnestly place our fervent wishes for them to likewise seek and encounter the Lord, their lives will be touched, too, as ours were. This is where the special blessings come in – in ways we will never expect or imagine.

Blessings transpire in different ways. Everyday’s blessings are a commonplace thing. We don’t have to expect or imagine them. They are laid out to us as we go about our business. To have food on the table is a blessing. To be home with the family after work is a blessing. To have a peaceful night and see the sun smile the next morning is a blessing. Along the way, more of these blessings are there to make our day. They are just so trite that we don’t notice them.

We are only conscious of the things we are more concerned with. The hopes, dreams and wishes that we aspire for, though they are there, are still to be held sacred. The expectation for them to be realized is still an imagination. Only when they are answered can we say then that these are graces coming off our prayers. Sometimes we get much more than what we have bargained for. Heaven has a hand in every stroke of luck, in every windfall, that comes our way. That’s why we always thank God for everything.

What then are the blessings that are beyond our expectations or imaginations? Why do they come in ways one will never expect nor imagine? Blessings of this kind are hard to come by, but they are up for grabs. They are the improbable, the unusual, the unimaginable, but mind you, they are for real. Yes, for real! We just make ourselves available, worthy to receive, and we shall be given. We can even just be ourselves and we will be noticed, summoned or approached.

Needless to say, we are talking about spiritual blessings. It’s clear. To cite, let’s pick some inspirational stories from the Bible. First, blessed Noah. Unexpectedly, he was told to build an arc. Unexpectedly, the deluge came. But before the rains, he was already safe. It was his blessing. He himself was dumbfounded. It was beyond his imagination that something of that magnitude would happen.

Now, let’s go to holy Moses. The title “holy” is his blessing. Chased by the forces of Pharaoh, he and the Israelites were unexpectedly pushed to the sea. Trapped, nowhere to run, the expectation was certain annihilation. Who on earth would think that the waters would open up and close at the precise moments?

This one, though not Biblical, is nevertheless apropos. There was once a soldier who, in the midst of a battle, received a call from above to lay down his sword and serve Heaven. He followed suit, without expectations that he would one day earn sainthood. But he penned an immortal piece of prayer and founded a religious order. You know who he is – St. Francis of Assisi.

For our part, we don’t need to be a blessed arc builder or a part-the-sea holy man or a soldier turned saint. We can be our usual self and have things we will never expect or imagine. Yes, they will come, the small wonders. And we will get our blessings, too. When the Spirit works within us, it’s all heart and soul for us. There is a call for us, too, even if we don’t think of it or expect it.

In the meantime, let’s just be good, obedient children to God in our little world. Let’s just act on it in our little ways. For my part, I’m trying to be one little good boy. We, like the lowly sparrows in their lowly world, can do as much as what  mighty eagles can do.

Let me share with you my little personal experience. I would like you to know that this article is the offshoot of a little note that a close friend of mine named Jency wrote me. It gave me a good starting article for the 5th volume of the book series I am writing, Yet Not One Sparrow. I lifted excerpts from most of the lines there in her note and generate them into this essay. The title itself, “In Ways Never Expected,” is one excerpt. I just took my pen and the Great Author sent me words.

Not only that, it also hauled me back to my writing desk, just when I thought of putting down my pen, so to speak, after the release of Book 4. Come to think of it, it’s a little beyond my imagination what a little note can do. It’s a little encounter that came to me in some big little ways I never expected.

(Thank you, dear Jency, maybe this is what your note means. I think our Friend up there is smiling on us).