How Do You Want People To Care for You?

Note: There are two versions of the video below: the transcript in Filipino and the subtitle in English. On God’s unique and personal way of shepherding us.

Transcript in Filipino:

Sa anong paraan gusto mong alagaan? Para sa mabungang-buhay, tayo na po’t magkape’t pandasal.

Tinatanong ka na ba kung paano mo gustong alagaan? Gusto mo bang babatiin ka ng “Good morning” at “Good night” araw-araw sa text man o tawag; O, isang bouquet ng bulaklak tuwing birthday at valentines; O, alalahanin ka tuwing monthsary? Iba’t iba ang tugon natin sa ganitong mga tanong, nguni’t iisa lamang ang gusto nating maranasan: ang bukod-tanging pag-aalaga sa atin ng nagmamahal.

Personal ang pagmamahal ng Diyos sa atin. Wika niya,

“Ako ang mabuting Pastol. Nakikilala ko ang aking mga tupa; at ako naman ay nakikilala ng akin.”

John 10:15

Kilalang-kilala niya tayo. Totoong mas kilala niya tayo kaysa sa atin. Hindi natin nakikita ang ating “blind spots” ngunit hindi natin ito matatago sa Diyos. Sulat ni Haring David sa Salmo 139:

“Sapagka’t ikaw ang may gawa ng aking kaloob-looban, ang humabi sa akin sa sinapupunan ng aking ina.”

Psalm 139

At dahil dito, magkakaiba ang pag-aalaga ng Diyos sa atin. Samu’t sari ang nakapagpapasaya sa atin; magkaiba ang ating kakayahan; hindi pare-pareho ang ating mga kuwento at landasin.

Personal ang pagpapastol ng Diyos sa atin, dahil nagmumula ito sa isang malalim na pag-uunawa sa ating pagkatao. Kung tayo ang tatanungin: nililingap ba natin ang iba ayon sa ating pagkakilala sa kanilang mga pangangailangan?

Manalangin tayo:

O Diyos na makapangyarihan, akayin mo kami sa landas ng kabanalan bilang ang aming Mabuting Pastol na si Jesukristo. Amen.

English version:

How do you want people to care for you? For a fruitful life, join me for “coffee and prayer.”

Have you ever been asked how you want to be cared for? Do you want the person to greet you, Good morning or Good evening every day through text or call? Or give you a bouquet of flowers on Valentines or birthdays? Or remember every monthsary? We respond in many ways to this question, and yet we only want to experience one thing: the unique love of those who love us.

The love of God is personal. He said, “I am the Good Shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.” God knows us. He knows us more than we know ourselves. We do not see our “blind spots” and yet they cannot be hidden from the Lord. King David writes in Psalm 139: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Because of this, God’s care for each of us is unique. We differ in what makes us happy; our talents varies in many levels; our life stories and journeys are not the same. The Lord personally shepherds us because He begins with a very deep and intimate knowledge of our person. May I ask you: Does your caring for others stem from a deep knowledge of them? Let us pray. O powerful God, accompany us in our journey towards holiness through Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Amen.