The SECOND NUGGETS of WISDOM
Quotes and Reflections for the Soul
by
ARSENIO ABELLA ABELLANA
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Nuggets of Wisdom
Copyright © 2010 by Arsenio Abella Abellana
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Lito Inso and Anne Marialyn Abellana
Smashwords Edition March 2010
INTRODUCTION
This is the second book of the Nuggets of Wisdom series. God has supplied us with a superabundance of wisdom everyday. We can pick wisdom from: creation surrounding us; from the books and articles we read; from the talks we hear and even from the text messages we receive. In 2007, a stroke hit me. The left part of my body was paralyzed. But tragedies are really blessings in disguise. With my difficult condition, my sense of recognition for the things of God was sharpened. I can now easily recognize nuggets of wisdom from the various media the Lord gives daily. Each nugget is an ‘I LOVE YOU’ from God. I shared these nuggets of wisdom daily to hundreds of my friends through texting. They felt so blessed. This book is a compilation of some of the nuggets that I have sent. I hope and pray that you will be blessed by these NUGGETS OF WISDOM.
I dedicate this work to: my dearly beloved wife, Evelyn, who loves me so much and who stood by me through thick and thin all these years of our blissful marriage; To our dear children, the Lord has blessed us with: Arsenio Jr., married to Helen Salvame, blessed with Karl Gian and Kathleen Lara;Arlyn, married to Lito Inso;Arnyl,Augustine,Arnold Jesus, Anne Marialyn,Ariel Joseph. To our unborn children, who were miscarried and are now with the Lord: Loreto Maria, John Paul 1John Paul 2
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1. If your today is not well, there’s always hope. That’s why God made tomorrows, to give us a chance to correct ourselves. God is patient with us. Why can’t we do the same? It was graduation time at the Cebu Institute of Technology, College of Engineering. I was an engineering instructor then. After the graduation ceremony, a new graduate approached me, saying, “Thank you so much. Had it not been for you, I wouldn’t have graduated. I remember you told us that though cheating is considered an art by the other instructors, for you it’s a heinous crime for it kills your character. I didn’t mind your words. As usual, I cheated and I was caught. You meant your words, I got a failing mark. You consoled me by saying to learn from this debacle, get up and be a better person. And I did! Never did I cheat again, and so here I am, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering!” It’s never too late to change our bad ways!
2. There are no accidents in our lives. Whatever we have received and experienced has shaped us into who we are. He was a very talented artist, yet he just couldn’t find a productive activity to showcase his talent. He was broke. He was so depressed that he decided to commit suicide. He stole the gun of his brother in law and went on a jeepney ride looking for some secluded area where he can hide and shoot himself. But there was heavy traffic and the jeepney was crawling at a snail’s pace. He decided to embark and investigate. There was a large crowd for there was a procession. Suddenly a very bright reflection, from something on the ground, struck his eyes. He picked it up. It was a medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He admired it. He felt an urge to join the procession and get inside the church. He knelt down and poured out to God all his problems. He felt a surge of peace and felt at ease. When he got outside he bumped on a person who was a friend from way, way back. His friend said,” What a coincidence! I was looking for you but did not have your address. I have a project just right for you.” That chance meeting led to so many other projects, making him wealthy. God will make a way, even if there’s no way.
3. ‘It is mercy I desire; not sacrifice.’-Mt.9:13.Whoever among us considers anyone as a lost cause is morally wrong, for he belittles God’s love and mercy. St.Therese of the child Jesus learned of a hardened criminal who has murdered many times and was caught by the police. He was sentenced to die and yet remained defiant and unrepentant. She begged for the mercy of God that the hardened criminal will return to God. She prayed and fasted. The criminal was sentenced to be executed on a certain date. As the execution date drew nearer, the more defiant and unrepentant the criminal. People wrote him off as a hopeless case, but St. Therese continued her prayers and did not lose hope. Then the date arrived and he was executed. The newspaper reported that when the criminal was about to be hanged, he requested that he be brought near the priest. He knelt down, kissed the crucifix lovingly and wept. He stood up and was executed. St. Therese rejoiced of his conversion. Never underestimate the mercy of God
4. The more a man dies to his selfish ego, the more truly human he becomes, and so much the better is he prepared for supernatural life. Yes, to die is to live. He was a brilliant businessman. His garments business was booming with many customers from abroad. With his wealth, he was attracted to the glittery world of wine, women and gambling. His wife had a nervous breakdown upon knowing that he had plenty of concubines. His children lost their respect for their father. He did not care for he enjoyed the pleasures of the world. Then it came-huge gambling losses, deliveries rejected due to poor quality, pilferages- and in a short while he was bankrupt. He was forced to seek employment as an accountant and started with a meager salary that was but an insignificant fraction of his previous earnings. Having experienced hardship, he worked diligently and steadily advanced to become a senior manager. His financial position improved as well as his spirituality. He learned to approach God and was now very active in his Christian community. He told me his bankruptcy turned out to be a blessing for it triggered the restoration of the love of God and for each other in their family.
5. If the spirit of harsh judgment invades your world today, be sure it gets through someone other than you. Be an encourager and build; not a critic and destroy. He was suspected to have stolen a valuable item from the company. During the investigation, he vehemently denied it. All circumstantial evidence pointed to his guilt. Everyone in the investigating panel rendered a guilty verdict…except me, his immediate superior. The other members ganged up on me and called me a weak superior. I stood my ground reasoning that even if the chance of his being innocent is less than 5%, I will still hold on to that because I know the man. The future of his career and that of his family will be doomed with his termination. They were tough in their judgment but I was tougher. After some time they wavered and decided to just suspend him without pay for some time rather than terminate him. I readily agreed. He became one of our best engineers
6. God prunes us like vines so we can bear more fruit. It hurts to be pruned, but better to be hurt now and be fruitful than to live without pain and be fruitless. He was a prominent lawyer. The Lord touched him and he decided to follow Jesus no matter what the cost. He shunned unethical law practices and gradually lost his clientele. The family finances was teetering on bankruptcy. Some family members thought he was crazy with his revitalized faith but he was very persuasive telling them that this is just pruning season and that they will be restored, happy and fulfilled. They learned to live with non-essentials and appreciated God’s generosity in the daily provisions He provided. One day his daughter informed him that the lunch they’re taking right now would be their last since they no longer have any provisions and no longer have any money. He calmly answered that God will provide and you will see His mercy unfold. It was already dark when they heard a knock on the door. It was a member of the new Catholic community they established, bringing food. Then other members came with plenty of food .They had a feast that night. That was the start of the family’s economic restoration. Our God is an awesome God! He provides!
7.‘….Those who commit sexual immorality sin against their own body.’-1Cor3:18.The ‘joys’ of immorality are but fleeting yet the consequences are eternal. Beware! He was a middle level executive of a very big conglomerate. With his financial clout, women gravitated towards him. He had lovers in almost every major city in the Philippines. When we have meetings he was the star storyteller, with his many adventures with women. We had a strategic planning meeting in Pampanga and as usual many enjoyed listening to his new adventures. After the meeting we went back to Manila. He was seated next to me in the car. He told me he was not comfortable sitting beside me. He had noticed that I did not enjoy his green jokes and simply ignored them. After some minutes of deafening silence, he broke the ice, telling me how he envied me. He said,” You know, I have been observing you. ?You don’t go with us in our drinking sessions and ‘macho’ activities like watching lewd shows. You often call your wife and children in Cebu. You look so happy. I with all my more than twenty lovers, am not happy. My family is a mess. I wish to be like you. I told him, “Brother, the Lord is touching you right now that you are not in the right way. He is the way, the truth & the Life. Please heed His call. It’s never too late to change.
8. In the world you have no friends and you have no enemies. You have only teachers. The more difficult and persistent a person is, the more important he/she is as a teacher. Learn! I pitied my friend. His boss was the epitome of a cruel superior. Just a little real or imagined mistake of his and he gets a tongue lashing. It was a very rare event that she smiles. She does not give any increase in salary, except if required by law. Many of her subordinates call her a witch, a miser, and other unsavory titles. During one of our conservations, I mentioned to my friend about his tyrannical boss. My friend just smiled and said, “I’m used to her antics. She teaches me a lot to be a Christian, to be patient, humble and kind. In fact, I should be thanking her for I am growing in virtue. Now, she has mellowed a bit. I pray for her everyday.” I was very impressed! Do you pray for those who persecute you?