Legal and tender

I am officially 55 years of age and once again I have an “OMG story”.

It was not very long ago that I wrote the piece: “An OMG moment” which was about an encounter with God in the midst of anxiety, fear and financial worries. I wrote the story knowing that there were many people who needed to know that they were not alone in their struggles and difficulties and that if they would, God could come into the situation.

Even after a month, I still meet or hear from people who express appreciation for “my confession” or for sharing the experience of desperation and finally experiencing a God-given break in the form of a vacation.

Since then, I have become fully convinced that we must all have courage to speak or write about our struggles whether it be emotional, financial, or even spiritual. Courage because too many people worry about the criticism they might hear, rather than lives, marriages and families they might save. Some might even find relief if not solutions.

When we share both our trials and our victories, we not only give a testimony, but also end up giving hope to people who may be ready to quit on themselves. So here is the latest “OMG” story.

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Approximately one year ago, our family friends, the Sytin brothers, invited me to join them on a trip to China. The group of selected members of the media would be visiting the production facilities of Foton motor company, the largest truck manufacturer in China, which the Sytin brothers now represent in the Philippines.

It was an auspicious moment since it would be right around my birthday and what better way to celebrate than to go to China. The only hitch was that my wife and daughter could not join in the sidelines because the itinerary and destination would not be child friendly or family oriented.

Nonetheless, the girls gave me the thumbs up so I looked forward to the event.

Of course there was a hitch or this story would not be an OMG story. A week into the planning, I was advised that the trip would have to be pushed back due to a change of schedule at the China site.

I saw my “ticket” spread wings and fly out the window. The one week push back would fall on the weekend where I would be one of the key speakers for “Past forward”, an annual seminar-retreat in Mactan island, Cebu. To be honest I could have begged off from the commitment and the young organizers would not have begrudged me from a free trip to China.

However, the many years of training at Victory Christian Fellowship has taught me that my word is my bond. Pastor Steve Murell has etched in my mind and in my heart that “even if it comes with some measure of difficulty or sacrifice, we must always try to keep our word”.

I had given my word to be a speaker and that was that. No ifs and no buts.

To add to that, I have tried my best to “seek first the Kingdom of God” because experience has taught me that God is fair and he never shortchange people who work for him (Matthew 6: 31-33).

So instead of China, it was off to Cebu with my wife Karen and our daughter Hannah. I quickly forgot all about the missed opportunity and focused on the task of motivating and mentoring young professionals for three days non-stop.

Instead of learning about truck models, production lines and the latest technologies from Foton, I was on Mactan Island, listening to young people pour their hearts out, their dreams, their loves, their fears and their failures.

It was a no brainer that I was blessed in choosing to train and counsel them. In the end, I even got time off to be with my “girls” at a nearby water park and hotel.

One year after that missed opportunity I am reminded of the phrase “Delay does not mean denial”. What may have been a missed opportunity in my mind was nothing more than something “delayed” because God had a bigger and better plan.

Once again the Sytin brothers called to invite me to China to attend the Shanghai Motor show. With my schedule still full of nothing to do, I gladly accepted the invitation. But this time, I asked if I could pay for my wife and daughter to be able to join since I already have a room and a ticket to boot.

It did not take long for Rommel Sytin and his brothers to decide to turn a “media trip” into a “family trip”. You can only imagine how popular the name Foton is now, among a number of media wives and children.

Instead of throwing away good money on lavish banquets or cocktail parties at expensive clubs and bars, the Foton group chose to invest on “family” which is the focus of their brand and products. In the motoring industry, the companies who followed that path have built deeper and more lasting relationships than those who have concentrated on frills and thrills.

So here I am marking my 55th birthday once again reminded that God also prepares gifts for us way in advance of the occasion. Delay is not denial. I am reminded that a trip for one pales in comparison to a trip with your family. God’s ways are legal and tender.

God does not forget what we do for him, and for others. He has perfect timing and he loves those who love him. I think he also loves fast cars.

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