Plastic ka ba?

A close friend and I were talking a couple of days ago and we were discussing "tupperware" people.. yah, ung mga "plastic" .. pretenders, or whatever you want to call them. At first we were so annoyed at how some people can be like this but later on we somehow pacified ourselves and gave the topic a good laugh.

I know I just posted something about back-stabbers and now, perhaps a brother of that are the plastics. Ok - I don't wanna be untrue and not admit that, at one point or another, I was also like this. But as grew older, I came to a point (in which I know most of you have), that being "plastic" becomes such a chore and a burden and I just couldn't keep up with it, especially when other people are like that.

Alam naman natin that it's BAD.. bad, bad, tsk tsk... Pero it's amusing how people love to swim in it. Even if I exhaust all thoughts and compile what my friends think about the topic, it will still boil down to this - it's unproductive, fruitless, pointless, derogatory, childish, foolish.. Here's what the Bible has to say about it.. If you fear the Lord, or if you say you believe in Him, consider these...

Psalm 5:9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.

Job 27:4my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit.

Matthew 23:25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Psalm 12:3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue

Proverbs 19:22What a man desires is unfailing love ; better to be poor than a liar.

Deuteronomy 19: 17-19 17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.

What Pattern is Your Brain?

Your Brain's Pattern

Structured and organized, you have a knack for thinking clearly.You are very logical - and you don't let your thoughts get polluted with emotions.And while your thoughts are pretty serious, they're anything from boring.It's minds like yours that have built the great cities of the world!

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

The Back-Stabber

I’ve come to think about people who back-stab today. Silly me, but the subject just floated out of nowhere, now I feel compelled to say something about it.

I wouldn’t know if I’ve been a victim, but then again, with that Filipino culture of putting on a good face (even when it’s not called for), I’m sure I have .. and even you for sure. As I ponder about the realities of interpersonal relationships, the explosion of gossip and the trouble of people who are fond of making a fuss over simple things, I twist in dismay. Even more when I find myself tap dancing in the same water.. (but thank God not anymore!)

Why do people back-stab? These things come to mind – insecurity, bad childhood, bad environment, not God-fearing, envy, jealous, bad habit, blinded perception. When there’s back-stabbing, there’s gossip. When there’s gossip, there’s bent truth. Friendships come to ruin, trust is broken. Perhaps if we as humans, know how to be vocal about how we feel about things, back-stabbing wouldn’t be so much of an evil thing among us. Look at people in other culture, they are very frank and direct as they speak. We respect them for that and we appreciate their comments. But why is it hard to implement in your own country?

The cure for back-stabbers? To be comfortable with themselves and realize they are not perfect. Instead of bad mouthing the people around you, it is way so much better to approach and say, ‘Hey, I have something that I’d like to open up with you.” I say seek peace! I say down with gossip! I say start focusing on the worthy things in life!

Sow a thought, reap an act.
Sow an act, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap your destiny.

Ped Xing

Every morning I drive down North Edsa to get myself to work. Right past the MRT station and just before you climb up the flyover, if you look to your left, you'll see a conspicuous, clear-cut, straightforward sign in the aisle that says, "WALANG TAWIRAN, NAKAMAMATAY" (no pedestrian crossing, or you'll die!! hehe). From Mondays through Fridays and just about any day that I pass by that same area, I see bundles of pedestrians attempting to cross the wide, car-bus-infested road. I say to myself, 'what could these people be thinking?!' Sure they need to go somewhere, sure they need to get to the other side of the road.. or maybe there's no convenient way to cross over, but, what about the law? What about their lives for crying out loud?

If we think about our spirituality, often times we can identify ourselves with these stubborn pedestrians. The commandments written in the Bible are straight to the point, yet, as sons and daughters of God, we tend to deviate and do what we want, without sometimes thinking about its consequences. Perhaps if we allow ourselves to view the Bible as a direct instruction of living a peaceful, godly life, then we don't have to buckle under the desires of our flesh. Imagine a world with less self-inflicted problems, less stress, less sickness, less unpleasant feelings, etc, etc. No worries, uncertainties, fears, unnecessary risks. God sent the Bible to protect us. Not to suffocate us. Street signs were put there for a reason - public safety. God's Words were written for a purpose, too - for us to be saved. I guess next time we short change God and feel that seeking Him is a sign of weakness, think again.... Everything we have belongs to Him and was given to us on a loan... No matter how much we resist, His purpose will always stand.