I come from a family that vales hard work. You work hard on something you want to have.
So as a budding teenager, I started working as a messenger for a close friend of my mother, running errands, carrying plumbing wares from T. Alonzo in Binondo to Quiapo, where my boss holds office.
I opened my first bank account at Metrobank for P300. Cool for me at that time, because by the time I quit my summer job that year, I already had about P700 in my bank account, which was a big amount already back then.
I was already excited to withdraw for the first time because I wanted to buy my basketball shoes.
While my parents gave me their blessing to work in a summer job, me? My main motivation to work was to prove that I can earn as well if I wanted to by my own strength.
I carried that on as I grew up, work hard without relying on my parents if I wanted to get something.
But here’s what I learned later on when I became a Christ-follower–that I don’t have anything to prove in life.
I realized how consumed I am for many years about what I feel, how I look and what I want to do or accomplish in life.
Life isn’t about proving you’re good or being successful or amassing all the wealth you so desire.
But it’s about trusting the all-powerful, all-knowing God every single day of your life.
That’s why I start my day with an Amen after praying. And end the day as well with the word Amen.
Amen. It’s a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. It simply means so be it.
It’s like faith that says, “Lord, you will surely fulfill what you’ve promised.”