It was yesterday evening when I dropped by a 7-11 convenience store inside UPLB to buy instant coffee. I really needed to stay awake for as long as I can because I have three exams within the next five days. Buying a beverage was the easy part, as I picked up two different flavors of Nescafe 3-in-1 coffee. However, buying something to chew along with it proved to be tiresome. I spent about twenty minutes going around the store deciding what to buy next, patiently looking at countless price tags and nutrition tables. I ultimately decided to give up and head back to the dorm with only coffee at hand.
There were two lines of customers at the counter, and I went to the back of the one at the right. While I was about to get my bike lock key from my wallet, I glanced to my right, and there was a little pair of eyes looking up at me. It was a little girl holding a sturdy strip of paper with about seven packs of peanuts left attached to it. I've seen many of them before, each and every one of them telling me that they won't go home for the night yet if they aren't able to sell all of the peanuts they hold in their hand. She asked me, "Could you please treat me to a popsicle?"
I suddenly remembered what Bro. Eli Soriano, the most sensible and fearless Bible preacher of our time, said (I made an attempt to translate his original words in Filipino, to English): "Sometimes when I look at children, I can't help but think that they are helpless. When their parents maltreat them, they can't do anything. When their parents want them to do something, they have no choice but to do what they say.... When my grandson John wants me to take him with me to where I will be going, I couldn't grant his wish, because I know that my destination is too far for him. That's why sometimes when I leave the house, even if John starts to cry, I can't help but continue on my journey because I know that leaving him in the comfort of our house is what's best for him."
"Helpless". In the spur of the moment, there wasn't any other word that could better describe this little girl staring right into my soul. I was moved by the words of my preacher that I had just remembered, so I asked the little girl what she would like to eat. She was already pointing to the freezer, so I asked her which flavor she wanted. "This one," she said as she pointed to the Selecta Pad Popsicle Watermelon fruit popsicle. As I slid the door of the freezer open, she told me, "Could you please buy one for my brother too?" I didn't know she had her little brother along with her. Well, how could I ever say no to a young soul who has no idea when she'll be eating next? I picked up two of the popsicles, and paid for them along with the two sachets of coffee.
I handed the two kids the popsicles I bought, and I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the smiles on their faces as they eagerly sat at one of the tables inside of the store and opened up the ice cream packaging. Her little brother even got jealous at first because he thought his popsicle was smaller (shame on you, misleading package pictures), but then I pointed to his sister's newly opened popsicle. "See? They're just the same size," I told him reassuringly. I asked them where they live, and if they'll be coming home right after they eat, but I guess they were too happy with their snack, because I wasn't getting any responses from them. I just giggled, tapped the little girl on the shoulder, and told her that I would be on my way, because the first hour of my dormitory curfew hours was approaching fast.
I went out of the store, unlocked my bike lock, strapped on my helmet, and hopped on my bike. Before riding away into the night, I stared at the little girl from outside the store for a few more seconds, saw her stare back at me, and waved each other goodbye, with smiles on our faces. I whispered to myself on the way back to the dorm, "It feels so heavy..... Here I am studying in UPLB with everything I need at abundance, while they're out here on their own, striving to make a living." My conscience told me afterwards that God has a good reason for permitting them to live until now despite their poor stature in life, and that there is no other person to thank but God for the lives of these children that became an instrument for me to do good to others.
Last night I was thankful to Him, because the hunger I felt, that I attempted to satisfy with food but to no avail, was instead conquered by doing my little part in partaking in the meat of the Lord Jesus Christ: doing the will of the Father. I am very grateful to have the chance to be a servant of God and His everlasting mercy.
John 4: 31-34 (KJV) -In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?Jesus saith unto them,My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Matthew 4: 1-4 (KJV) -Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.But he answered and said, It is written,Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luke 17: 10 (KJV) -So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say,We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Thanks for reading! More to come.
Take care,
Jesse Mar
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