Friday, October 28, 2011

Devotions: The Next Stage


Scripture Reading:
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“There is a time for everything,
   and a season for every activity under the heavens”

My tired not-baby.
So my son Aaven just turned 2 and I just tried to rock him to sleep in my arms.  Yes he’s much too big for me to carry (especially since I’m carrying a baby in my tummy) but there are times that I just don’t want him to grow up.  I want to hold him like a baby, even though he wants to escape me.  I want him to stay near me always so I can keep him safe, even though he wants to venture away from me and try dangerous new things.  I want him to know he’s loved always, even though he may doubt it when he is in trouble.  He’s growing up and off to the next stage in life . . . I don’t want to let him go.  I think being a mother has really opened my eyes to view my children the way God views His children.  I’m sure He doesn’t want to let us go try new things He knows is not good for us, or want us to doubt His love for us, but He lets us go anyway because He loves us enough to give us our freedom.  I can imagine how God must feel when we fail or fall and hurt ourselves.  Or how hurt He must be when we blame Him when all along He’s just trying to teach us and protect us.  I fear the day Aaven is able to turn his back on me and disregard my love.  Thinking about that possibility makes me want to run to my heavenly Father and apologize for ever turning my back on to Him.  All I want is the best for my children and I know that means letting go, no matter how hard that is for me.  I have to let Aaven grow up.  I thank God for letting me grow up and for giving me my freedom.  It is in that freedom where I learned to appreciate His love for me.  God’s the best mom and dad!

Reflect in Action:
Write a letter to your child and tell them how much you love and appreciate them.  Tell your child how precious they are to you and give examples of how you delight in them and all the things you hope for them in the future.  Date the letter and put it in an envelope.  Give your child that letter in 10 years, yup 10 years!!!!!  They’ll appreciate it and it’ll give them a little insight to how you’ve always loved them!  God wrote us a love letter a long time ago and think about how much we appreciate that every time we read about His love for us.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Devotions: Guide the Light

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 5:13-16
 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
    “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

As children of God, we are responsible to be the ‘light in dark places’.  We are His example of love and we are to shed hope to the hopeless.  We are called to deliver this world in His name, in hopes to have others know Him.  As mothers raising little disciples of our own, we are responsible to help raise our child in His knowledge, guiding them to know Him and to eventually become a little light for Him.  Aaven loves playing with flashlights.  He turns them on and goes wild, trying to find where the light hits.  He doesn’t quite have control of the light but nonetheless can tell if the flashlight is on or off.  He has trouble finding the light when the house is already bright.  When hurricane Pedring hit us in the Philippines a couple weeks ago, we were without power and electricity and so we used flashlights all night. The light is so much stronger in the dark and I think he appreciated the light more during the power outage because it’s more apparent when it was pitch black and the flashlights were necessary.  He’s still small and until he can truly control the light, I had to help him guide the flashlight towards what we needed to see. After doing this for an hour or so, I saw it as an analogy.  In our children’s younger days, we have to teach them that they are indeed a light in the dark world and until they can fully understand it, we have to guide that little light.  They are capable of so much and we can only pray that when they are old enough to make important decisions, that they will choose the right path and use their capabilities to serve Him and others.  Until they have full control of the light that they can be, we must guide them and show them how strong and effective a light can be in dark places.  A light is used best in the dark, it is not needed in a bright room and it serves its purpose in places with no light.  Let us be a light to our children and help guide them to be little lights of their own.  Don’t forget to buy extra batteries!  =)

Reflect in Action:
Take a flashlight and play with your child.  Watch them enjoy finding the light in dark places.  If your child is older, talk to them and tell them about how important it is to be a light in dark places.  Pray for your children (or child to be) and ask God to give us guidance as mothers to help bring them up in His knowledge, to be lights ourselves and to help them become a light of their own.

Friday, October 07, 2011

28 . . . so what!


The wisest bottle I own.

So I turn 28 today and I wanted to jot down some key things that stood out to me when reflecting on the past 28 years.  This is more so for my own memory and reflections and I would do it when I turn 30 but my lululemon water bottle says “do it now do it now do it now”. 

Here we go . . . mind you, not that interesting, just a lot of moving, you’ll see what I mean.

October 8, 1983 – Born in Mississauga, ON – Carmi Rose Tunay
1987 – moved from apartment to Valley’s townhouse
– June 21 my favorite one and only sister Maricar Grace    
Tunay was born!
1989 – family drove across Canada to British Columbia in a moving 
             truck, celebrated my 6th birthday in one of the prairies in a Tim Horton’s on a cliff.
            - lived in a motel for about a month
            - moved into an apartment
            - moved to Curlew Drive in Abbotsford, BC (house #5 in my lifetime)
1991 – visited Philippines for a month
1993 – moved from Curlew Drive to another house in Abbotsford
            - moved from Abbotsford back to Mississauga, ON(Ventura’s house)
            - moved from Ventura’s house to Dundas apartment
1994 – moved to Brampton, Ontario (house # 9)
2000 – started dating my best friend Jonathan Edralin (at the time aka ‘madmidget’) hehe
2001 – moved to Hillcrest in Mississauga
2002 – graduated high school at Turner Fenton
2003 – moved to Hanson Rd
2005 – moved to Robert Speck
2006 – graduated from University of Toronto
            - got engaged
2007 – moved to Etobicoke, ON
            - Jon and I bought our first home on Acorn (house #14)
            - June 8 – married my best friend – now known as Rev. Jonathan Edralin (dropped the      
            madmidget)
2009 – September 15 – our gooby son Aaven Carlos David Edralin is born!
2010 – Jon and I bought our second home on River Grove (house # 15)
2011 -  moved to the Philippines (house #16)
            - our daughter Myla Jade Edralin is expected to arrive shortly

When I look back on my life the main thing I think about is change.  In 28 years I’ve gone to 7 different schools, lived in 16 different homes in 3 different provinces, in 2 different countries . . . and more to come I’m sure.  I’ve never really been attached to a house or looked back and related a specific place as ‘home’ because I’ve moved so often.  Maybe that was God preparing me to be a missionary.  Maybe that was God teaching me that my home is not on this earth.  When we were at a missionary conference in Bali, one thing really stuck with me and that was the fact that one day we will all be going home.  Home is not on this earth, and every moment that passes brings us one moment closer to when we will indeed go home.  This year I’ll be spending my birthday in the Philippines.  If God wills me to live until 29 only He knows where I will be. Our lives are His and I’m excited to see where He will lead us.  This life is an adventure and as I look back on my past 28 years I feel blessed.  Not because I’ve done anything super amazing but because He’s allowed me to see His grace in my life and that throughout all the changes that’s happened, despite all the places I’ve lived or been, He’s been there and has been the ONLY thing that’s stayed the same.  That lets me live the rest of my life feeling safe in a world of uncertainty . . . through it all He knows me, my life, my future, and will hold my hand until He needs me to finally come home.  So what, I’m 28 . . . age ain’t nothing but a number, it’s more of a count down of when I finally go home, I’m just trying to keep busy until then.