Two years ago, I was in the Philippines doing my ministry in my church group SOUL Ministry. I do enjoy being with them, cultivating the soil of the youth's hearts to prepare for God's Word so that it may reach them and they may be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ever since I was a kid, people, I guess, expect me to be like my parents and relatives; they expect me to be in crusades, conventions, christian concerts, etc. for God's Glory. I didn't expect much of it.
SOUL Ministry has been a part of me that can't be erased. It molded and trained me to be who I am now. People sometimes ask me about my worship training they also think that it's genetic because my relatives were also heated up in their early days. But I guess my answer is too simple for them to understand. I also had my times when I find myself looking for the real reason why I worship the Lord. People think that it's easy for me since my family is a Christian and I live an easy life. But when the time came when I felt like being a Christian has become a routine, I begin to doubt myself. After search for so long while struggling to do my best in leading the congregation to worship, one song hit me so hard it makes me cry every time i listen to it. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVA-o80qkAo)
SOUL Ministry is a group that I didn't expect to leave all my life. But when my parents decided to go to America and bring me with them, i sure did cry alot. After leaving SOUL, I simply thought that all the happenings in that group won't be like my new praise and worship team here. I am so ashamed of how I underestimate my teammates here thinking that they can't like my team before (which may make you think that I'm such a selfish person).
As time pass by, I started to understand little by little how God wants you to learn new things in different places. Though I am experiencing it alone and not with my original team, I have been attached to my new Worship Team members and I don't want to be apart from them as well. Seeing how different we are individually, we are all the same when we stand at that stage and sing praises to our only King every Sunday in church.
This past week has been a great week for all of us. It's such an honor to lead a congregation better than us, at the same time, outside our comfort zone (our church). The Lord taught us many things that week. We learn how to stick together no matter how hard things may go and be flexible and creative in solving those problems. He taught us the real meaning of worship; "It's not about the instrument that you play or how you played it, it's about how your heart sang it to me."
In that convocation, I saw other youth encountering difficulties that I have never experienced. I thank the Lord for making me who I am and making me see what others are going through so that I may understand them and I can approach them and help them draw closer to Jesus. Their spiritual hardships inspire me to do better in what I do because I know that the Lord can use me to help youths like them.
When I was in high school, I once sang a song entitled, "When God Closes the Door, He Opens a Window". For me, He didn't just open the window, but instead teared the roof down to fill me up with blessings. I hope that you will soon be inspired by the Lord to spread out His love to those who needs it. Let's all believe that all that hardships that we had is just a preparation for a great experience that he prepared for us. Let us be A Hope for the World (Romans 15:13) using our own hardships as a testimony for God's Greatness.
God Bless You !
