The Woman of Faith and the Earthquake...

My blog will not be complete if I will not be writing about my reflection on the earthquake in Japan which took place last March 09, 2011.

My family lives in Fuji, a city in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. Fuji is the third largest City in terms of population of the 23 cities of Shizuoka Prefecture. Shizuoka is part of the East part of Honshu island, where a magnitude of 7.2 earthquake struck off last March 09, just midday local time.

It was about 12 o'clock noon time... Minnie, my daughter in law and I were about to have our lunch when all of a sudden I felt a sort of shaking...I thought I was just tired and so I had an outbalance after having done the laundry...that day I was domesticated. But I felt it again and so I started to look around and tell Minnie that there is an earthquake. Silence followed... we looked around and saw the things in our place shaking. Our apartment is on the 4th floor of the building so we could really feel it. Though the magnitude was less, my immediate thought that time was to be still and pray.

I was taught "the prayer of the heart" before I flew here in Japan during our Bible Camp. I was in deep silence as I start to listen to my heart and begin communicating my thoughts to God. I started to establish "connection" with Him as I call on Him in prayer.

As I start to express my thoughts in silence, I found myself fearless, with no trepidations whatsoever, so calm.. just expressing my gratitude for the life my Lord has given me. I was in deep prayer of offering our situation to Him. I believe in my heart that God is amazing, that He is powerful who reigns above everything and that there is nothing that He cannot do. In my heart I know Him deeply and powerfully and I know too that He cares and loves me, that in spirit He is with us...I claim that I am God's beloved and that His presence is always with me. I had this thought, that if it His will for things to happen, then this will be done. My faith says...He knows better what is best for me.

As I talk to him I have realized that I really don't care about life anymore. I know that if God will take my life at that very moment, I believe in my heart that by His grace, I have already lived my life with a sense of purpose...that of being a daughter, a woman, a wife, a mother, an educator, a community worker, a friend and a sister to other people here on earth. I am confident that with His Divine Providence I have already done my mission which is to help and make a difference in the lives of other people, our less fortunate brothers and sisters, by touching their lives with the use of my talents, my abilities, and my God-given gifts...I know that the blessings He has given me I have shared and I am fully aware that I have lived a life with compassion for other people because ALTRUISM is my advocacy.

I can have an endless sharing about how faith has withstand the different situations in my life, but what I want to share is...I thank God for my parents' legacy about faith because this has impacted me. I am grounded with this legacy. As I listen to my heart and to my life, I see that its mystery is fathomless. I thank the Lord for the moments He has given me in this journey to life...moments that I consider graces from Him.

I know my FAITH as a woman will continue to LIGHT the paths to my journey. After my experience with the earthquake, my faith has leveled up...it has grown deeper and has made me realize that, "FAITH means being SURE of the things we HOPE for and knowing that something is REAL even if we do not see it." Hebrews 11:1.