On Finding Life’s Meaning

We have just gotten back from our long vacation to US a couple of days ago. And I must say, it was such a vacation. Going to New York, then to Florida passing through North Carolina, then to Indiana and back to New York all in the span of two weeks or less by land – that was just something, according to friends who have long-time residency in the country.

Suffice it to say, it was a tiring one. It goes along with perks of having a father who loves driving, a sister who loves exploring (and someone who has degree in tourism – who can argue with her?), a mother who knows how to budget finances and family friends who tags along without complain. Yes it was a privilege to be a part of this family.
For me, tiring as it was – not having enough to time to reflect after every tour on a famous spot – it gave me enough reason to escape all the weird thoughts in my brain. I might never mention it, but yes I have those thoughts for helplessness and incongruity too. So this trip  has given so much more perspective in life.

For one thing, almost every church sermon and preaching that I’ve heard when we were visiting churches in places we’ve passed through, was all about money. Not money in a sense of giving all tithes and offerings to the church but money in the sense of how to handle it properly and giving real purpose and meaning in acquiring more. As a business-minded person, this is truly a help to me in drawing back in my attention the real reason why I’m doing what I’m doing. It certainly molded my perspective again.

Aside from that, this trip gave me a glimpse of what its really like to live away from home – from my birthplace. I’ve seen different kinds of people with different kinds of background having different kinds of perspective and reaction in life. You know, if you’re a visitor in a place and you’ve seen fellow countrymen in the area, there are tendencies of comparison which sometimes cannot be avoided. Like, when you’re seeing people who are born in their home country and raised in the US and then you see them acting like they don’t understand their own language when they are surrounded by parents and friends who speaks it so fluently almost everyday. I can’t help comparing them with people who have the same situation but honest enough to say that they still understand the language, just not enough to speak it.

It’s annoying that they have little sense of patriotism in them. But looking on the brighter side, it still amazes me how some of our folks would risk everything just to go to a strange place to work and earn enough money to support their family back home. Its such a huge contrast to the  perspective that some heartless bummer could have here in the country. You know, those people who thinks that just because they have a relative abroad, they have all the fine things in the world. Such a poor perspective to be in.

I cannot iterate in one sitting all the good things that I’ve learned on this trip but in all honesty, all I can say is that God has been so good in my life. I have never felt His touch in my own life so strong as these past few days. When I have felt so lonely and alone, He showed me that I could never be, as long as I abide in Him. When I felt that I have nothing, He showed that I already have too much in my life to be thankful for. When I felt sad inside, He taught me to value the things that I have and be happy for everything He has given me. It’s just a worthwhile journey to be in and it brought me back to what I’m supposed to be focusing on – giving all the glory to God in anyways I could!