Sitting in the Seat of Mockers

Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

I just feel so sad that American news channels actually feature the mockery of Gov. Sarah Palin by Saturday Night Live comedians. What is sadder is that some Filipino Christians (non-Americans/non-US residents) join in the mockery and post and send links about Sarah Palin's "bloopers" on their blogs and social networks. For me, this is plain and simple "sitting in the seat of mockers". As an outsider, meaning being a non-American, I think it is hatred disguising itself as comedy. It is also highly partisan, in my view, because they don't satirize the Democratic candidates the way they do the Republican candidates.

Psalm 15:1-5 says:

LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

We must not slander others and we should not cast slurs on our fellow man.We must not sit in the seat of mockers. We must not mock others, even if they are of an opposite political belief. We are Christians first, because our citizenship is in heaven(Philippians 3:20).

Makeover 101

Around 1 month ago, My friends, who are parents of students in my kids' school, gave me a makeover lesson. I have not been using makeup regularly though I had a few items in my makeup bag.

They put foundation, blusher, lipstick, eyeshadow and brow definer, and mascara on me. I didn't even know there was such a thing as brow definer! I have had a previous allergic experience to mascara, so I haven't used it in years. I didn't even know how to use a lash curler. Really. Actually, I have long, curly lashes already. But I found out the lash curler does make them look nicer.

I got a lot of compliments that day! My husband didn't notice at first (or he noticed but didn't say it right away), but he also said I looked nice later on. Woohoo! :-) So he didn't sleep "outside the kulambo", haha. ("Outside the kulambo" is a Filipino idiomatic expression dating back to the times when everyone used mosquito nets or "kulambo". When a husband is told "you will sleep outside the kulambo tonight" because he offended his wife for some reason, that would mean he couldn't sleep beside his wife on the bed, but moreso, he would be feasted upon by vicious mosquitoes. All as punishment for the "offense".)

I put on makeup almost everyday now, not because I want to impress anyone or because I'm insecure about my looks. I am not putting on makeup because I fear my husband will leave me if I don't have makeup. There are days I like to look extra nice, there are days I like to have a bare face. I am happy and I feel good about myself with or without makeup. But one thing I have noticed, I smile at my reflection more if I have some color on my face. :-)

As a result of my makeover 101, I bought some makeup I didn't have before: black mascara (I wasn't allergic to VMV Hypoallergenics' mascara, and it is waterproof), brown brow definer (Maybelline), black as well as brown eyeliner (L'Oreal...it was the softest of the mid-price-range ones...and I wasn't allergic to it. I got an allergic reaction to Clinique's eyeliner. L'Oreal also doesn't run.), and pressed powder (VMV Hypoallergenics-this is a high-quality, real hypoallergenic, somewhat expensive Filipino brand developed by a renowned Filipino dermatologist, but available on the internet). I also bought lip and eye makeup remover (The Face Shop, a Korean brand), a lash curler, and a brow comb.

I was able to test some of the products in the store, and then observed them for the rest of the day to see if I had allergies.

I thank God for friends who helped me "bring out my God-given beauty" from my makeover!

Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few

Our pastor, Pastor Jerome S. Ocampo, once shared a sermon about this verse, 1 Samuel 14:6: "Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few." Jonathan said this to his armor-bearer. His dad Saul was resting under a tree, right in the middle of a war with the Philistines. The Israelite army, for some foolish reason, decided to have their swords and weapons sharpened by Philistine blacksmiths. Only Saul and Jonathan had swords. But Jonathan, without his dad's knowledge, went to see the Philistines' encampments. Then he told his young armor-bearer,

"Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."

"Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

In the following verses you will read that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were able to kill twenty Philistines, and God sent a panic among the Philistines. 1 Samuel 14:23 says, "So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven."

I will never forget what our pastor shared that day. Sometimes we think that what we do is too small, or insignificant. We forget that it is the Lord who saves, it is the Lord who acts. God will save, and nothing can hinder Him. In Isaiah 46:10 God says,

"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

God's purpose is to save, and He will save whether by many or by few. God asks you: This is My purpose. Are you in or are you out? He will save. Will you participate with Him?

Jonathan didn't rescue Israel, God did. Through Jonathan and his armor-bearer.

One person can make a difference. Even the world with its godless humanism says this. But two persons participating with God in His purposes can save a nation, like Jonathan and his armor-bearer did.

Even one person participating with God can save a nation. Esther was one person who made a difference by participating with God. At first she feared for her life. But Mordecai sent a message to her:

"Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"(Esther 4:13-14)

God would have saved Israel through someone else had Esther chickened out. It wasn't all on her shoulders. But she chose to risk her life for God's people. And she risked it not just once, but twice. And through her the Jews were saved from annihilation.

So it's not all about us. It's all about God. And obedience to His heart. All because we love Him. Because He first loved us.

Postscript to "God Made Me Beautiful"

Lest anyone think that my previous blog entry is "unrealistic", as if it were "all breakthroughs" and "no struggles", haha, I also wanted to share some of the struggles in my mind that went through before and after I wrote the post.

I got a little depressed after the insult incident because I had been recently making an effort to "look beautiful", meaning, I have been putting on my makeup more often, dressing up nicer, etc. Then here comes someone making a coarse joke which struck a bad chord in me because my looks were precisely my source of insecurity. I thought, if I look ugly at my best effort in looking beautiful, then I must be really ugly! All these thoughts started going through my mind. I felt so bad.

Sometimes when we let these bad feelings overcome our thoughts we drown out God's voice of affirmation and assurance. I have a group of friends at my kids' school (our church's school, a Christian school) who are my encouragers. Yesterday, all the bad feelings surfaced again and I cried. I opened up my problem to them. They encouraged me that I am beautiful because God made me as I am. I told them I knew it, but somehow the bad feelings kept coming back. One of them prayed for me.

Throughout the day yesterday I still kept on nurturing my hurt. Then last night I was able to talk to a cousin of mine, who encouraged me with much laughing and some funny experiences. She was able to help me understand my feelings and reactions. She helped me to also understand the offender. The Lord also made me realize that I still had not forgiven the offender. I hated him for hurting me with those words. I told my cousin, you know what, in my mind, when I "rewind" to the scene of incident or "replay" it in my mind, I find myself slapping him or giving him a hard stomach punch. I was thinking of ways of getting back. I realized I was letting the hurt control me and my feelings and actions. I had to get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, and to forgive as the Lord forgave me, as the word of God says.

Through the Lord's grace, I have been able to forgive, and also to accept myself, and now a heavy load is off my heart.

God made me beautiful, and no one can tell me I am not beautiful. They'll have to argue with God! :-)

God Made Me Beautiful

I recently had the unfortunate experience of being insulted by someone because of my physical appearance. The offender made a totally inappropriate, off-color "joke" to my husband, in front of me, to this effect(he said it in Tagalog): "Weren't you with someone else last time? The beautiful and sexy one?" Now I know some of you are thinking, why she should have slapped that *$#?* offender then and there!! She shouldn't have allowed someone else to speak to her like that!! Aside from insulting me, he made a reference to adultery and unfaithfulness.

Well, it's a common joke among non-godly Filipino men, however, this offender had the nerve to say the "joke" in front of me. I am thankful that I was "slow" enough to not get the joke right away... because I thought the offender was going to make a sudden turn-around with a compliment. It was only when we got in the car that I realized I had been severely insulted because there was no "follow-up" compliment. In retrospect, my husband tried to change the topic, maybe he was also confused at what was being said.

Why I am I sharing this on this blog?I am not here to bring out negative feelings toward the offender. I am not here to destroy the reputation of the offender. I just want to encourage everyone with the encouragement God has given me. Maybe what happened to me has happened to you.

After crying out all my feelings and hurts, I asked the Lord to encourage me with His word. The Lord reminded me of Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31:10 says, "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. "

The Lord spoke to my heart that He sees my character and that is what matters to Him. Proverbs 31:30 says,

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

The Lord also reminded me that I am His creation, I was made in His image, so I am beautiful because God says so. Why would I complain to God why He made me with brown skin, a small, flat nose, and large hips? What the offender said was like telling me straight to my face that I'm ugly. But God formed me how I am. And He made me beautiful. I do not live and will not live to please the offender's taste in beauty. Will I have a nose job, a bleaching job, and liposuction just because he said that? The offender spoke hurting words which hurt to the core. But God has turned it around...he turned around what hurt me by encouraging me to realize that my self-esteem need not be based on what people say to me, but what God says to me.

In the book of Song of Songs, the lover (God) says to the beloved (His bride/Christians), over and over and over again, "How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!" We are beautiful in God's eyes because the blood of Jesus covers our sin. I will listen to God's voice instead of the voice of the ungodly speaking hurting words to me. The beloved in Song of SOngs had self esteem issues.

Song of Songs 1:5-6 says, "Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected."

She may be dark, but the lover (God) calls her lovely. Let God speak His affirmation to you. Even if we are not affirmed by others, even by our own parents or husbands, God affirms us. Always. The beloved even said in Song of Songs 2:1 "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." She was calling herself beautiful! This reminds me of Isaiah 54:5 " For your Creator is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." The Lord is our Creator, and only He can satisfy our deepest longings for acceptance, affirmation and esteem. Before He formed us in the womb, He knew us. (Jeremiah 1:5)

God made me beautiful. Therefore I AM beautiful.