The ‘Hiling’ Ministry

Temple, church, house of God… whatever our religious affiliations are, many of us see the Supreme Being’s abode as a place for two confused things: ‘healing’ and ‘hiling’.

Whenever exam season comes, we visit His place to ask for knowledge and good memory. During financial crises, we go to His house, no matter what time of the day, to beg for sources of income. If we need to restore balance in our lives, we long to feel the serenity of His house so we can ask for His guidance. When we think we already see the love of our lives, we go to church to ask for signs from Him to validate our feelings or instructions on how to get close to our object of admiration.

We don’t run out of things to ask for… well, that’s good! It’s better to come before our Supreme Being and ask for His grace and guidance rather than just relying on our own understanding and strength.

Besides, it is said (for Christians), “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.” Yes! The promise that we will be blessed.

Me, whenever I go to the church for sure I am asking my God for something—good health, peace of mind, discipline, discernment, strength, among other things that almost everybody wishes for.

The thing is, many of us when we go to our churches, temples, house of God, or however you may call it, we always go there ‘asking’ for our hearts’ desires then leave thereafter.

Many of us see these infrastructures as places for wishes. And when we don’t get our wishes after arduous asking, we get mad and blame Him.

We sometimes tend to overlook the meaning of what He said, “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.” By this, He wants us to ‘ask, seek, and knock’. Meaning, He wants us to do our part, with our best probably, and he will do the rest for us.

Sometimes, we are even asking for things contrary to His plans for us. Thus, when our hearts become persistent to what they want and we grant our wishes with self-made answers (we go ahead of God’s answers); all the more He also becomes persistent in pursuing His plans for us and keep us back on the right course… to complete the best plan of all, in accordance to his glorious riches and best timeframe.

There are also times when He already answered our prayers, but we just don’t notice them because we are so focused on something else—on what we want.

In times of waiting or blindedness, we don't even tell Him, "God, I already labored with everything and did my best. I have hit blank walls. Whatever you want me to do, reveal it to me and I will follow." Faith. Yes, faith! Asking to increase our faith.

Moreover, there are also times when He wants us to wait and persevere so we can learn and grow from our circumstances first as He prepares us for our premium blessings.

When we feel tired from praying and waiting, we blame Him, we go away forgetting that He loves us and all He wants for us is the best, and only the best.

On the other hand, in pleasant times when our wishes have been granted and when our pains or difficulties ebb already, our gratefulness to him simultaneously recedes… then proceed to another ‘hiling’.

We focus more on our own wants, desires, and needs that we already forget the other equally important actions we must offer Him whenever we visit his abode or even just while spending exclusive time with Him somewhere else.

When we intentionally visit His house, we immediately proceed to ‘supplication’ or ‘hiling’, skipping offering Him praises (adoration), asking for forgiveness (contrition), expressing our gratitude (thanksgiving), and sometimes, allotting quiet time to listen to Him.

We are so active on asking and asking and asking… and we can stay awake on our knees until dawn just to ask. But we don’t get shy come thanksgiving time. We just thank Him in two minutes—dashing like in the last two minutes of a hoops playoff.

Now, as we already mastered the ministry of ‘hiling’, we can now start learning and mastering (with just the same zeal) adoration, repentance, thanksgiving, and listening to Him. And perhaps, we are now ready to explore other ministries so we can better serve Him as we become His instruments in blessing others and as we become blessed through others.

Hope: No good thing ever dies

We watched the Oscar awardee movie Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King last weekend. I so like the plot, it is so good and realistic and the lines are wittily crafted. (Another movie to my short list of favorites).

One of the many good lines that struck me? “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” This is the line that Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) tells Red (Morgan Freeman) in a letter as he hopes that one day they will share the promising good life outside the prison.

The line is true in the real world, not just in movies or in books created by the ingenious human minds. We all aim for something, and we hope we receive or get it… right?

When my father died, everyday I hoped I could strengthen my mother and help her raise well my two brothers. Whenever I fall down and commit mistakes, I hope I can immediately stand up and avoid the same mistake again. Whenever I get hurt, I hope to heal myself soon, reap all the lessons the situation brings, and to have a forgiving heart so I can have peace of mind. When I’m left with couple of coins, I hope next time I will have more savings… and so on.

Everyday we are awakened, stirred up, and sustained by our hopes. As long as we live, whether we know it or not, we have our big and small hopes inside us. Without hope, our lives become meaningless… our spirit withers and eventually dies.

Yes we may still be physically present, but our minds and hearts stop working when we stop hoping.

As we hope, we are able to utilize our potentials, and even discover our untapped abilities. Our hopes enable our mortal selves to make things happen.

Once this powerful optimism and anticipation is coupled with love, whatever we hope to accomplish becomes light, easy, and fun to complete.

But once our powerful optimism and anticipation is partnered with our strong faith, God Himself becomes more compelled to bring about for us what we think are impossible.

Hope and love make us do our best. While hope and faith makes God do the rest for us.

It’s never a waste of energy to hope (ask), love (feel), and trust (faith). Just sit back and gloriously wait for what you hope for… No good thing ever dies.