Love Someone Today: My Reflection and Takeaways
Over the weekend, we wrapped up our “Love Someone Today” session at Woodhouse Ranch and Cottages, led by this amazing couple Sis. Jeri and Bro. Jovan, one of the Feast Light Prince George planters.
We felt sad because it was our last session, but at the same time, we were grateful and happy because we had deepened our relationship as disciples and strengthened our relationship with God.
What We Learned
Throughout the journey, we learned different topics that further strengthened our faith in God. We were reminded of simple but powerful truths:
- God has a great purpose for your life
- God loves you more than you can imagine
- God forgives you even before you ask
- God calls you to repent and live a new life
- God calls you to a personal relationship
- God calls you to follow Him totally
- God calls you to a spiritual family
Looking back, here’s what I learned from my fellow feasters.
Ronan’s Wisdom
I was truly amazed by my husband’s (Ronan) wisdom. And no, I’m not just saying this because he’s my husband. I genuinely saw how sincere he was in the way he reflected on each session. There was depth in his words, and it made me pause and really think about my own journey too. Here are four insights I learned from him.
1. God has been faithful through every season. From living as an orphan (I describe him this way because he had to live on his own after his parents separated when he was 10 years old) until he had his own family, God remained faithful and never left him. God used this situation to call him to a personal relationship, which led him to depend on God all his life.
2. We are gainers, not losers. He shared that, as immigrants in Canada, our struggles help us practice our faith and become spiritually mature. Even if we eventually go back home, we are not LOSERS but GAINERS. The fact that God brought us here to Canada and allowed us to experience His blessings is already a GAIN. We call it Ginansya in Bisaya, Tubo in Tagalog. God has blessed us tremendously if we take time to count our blessings daily.
3. How we see God shapes how we treat others. If we see God as judgmental, we become judgmental as well. But if we see God as a loving and merciful God, then we become merciful and loving to others too.
4. Forgiving family is actually easier, not harder. He debunked what some people say, that it’s difficult to forgive family members (especially parents or siblings) who have hurt us. He said it’s actually much easier to forgive them, because our LOVE for our family should be greater and deeper than the hurt we received.
Jesus Christ Himself demonstrated this by dying on the cross because of His great love for us.
Bro. Jovan’s Story
I was also touched by Bro. Jovan’s story.
Through his brokenness and sinful life during his younger years, God transformed him into the person He wanted him to be. This led him to realize how much greater God’s love is than our sins. He always emphasizes in every LST session: “Without God’s grace, we can do nothing.”
Based on his story, I can tell that God has changed him from glory to glory to glory. It’s like this: if you have given your life to the enemy for many years by being miserable and a sinner, don’t expect God to change you overnight.
God transformed Bro. Jovan step by step. His life didn’t change all at once. Each stage showed growth, healing, and deeper faith. Today I can see firsthand how he loves God, the way he loves his wife, cares for his patients as a support worker, and how dedicated he is in serving God.
Because he has deeply experienced God’s love, he is loving people in return.
Sis. Jeri’s Story
Lastly, I resonated with Sis. Jeri’s story.
We both share similar experiences when it comes to family. We grew up in families where love wasn’t openly expressed, where there was resentment and chaos, and we learned to suppress our emotions while growing up.
Her mom’s battle with cancer reopened their relationship and became a path toward reconciliation. It also brought them closer as a family. She shared her deep love for her family, especially her mother, and highlighted the importance of family relationships.
Because we have experienced God’s love in every struggle of our lives, we learned that we should love beyond our FEELINGS. Loving and forgiving others is not based on our feelings but on the decision to obey God’s will and choose what is right.
We should obey and follow Him wholeheartedly, totally, to experience true joy.
My Own Takeaway
Of course, I won’t end this reflection without sharing my own takeaway.
Personally, Love Someone Today has been an eye-opener and life-changer for me. I’ve actually experienced it twice, first in Davao City, and now here in Canada. Every testimony and every story I heard from my husband, Bro. Jovan, and Sis. Jeri gave me inspiration, enlightenment, and hope.
After our LST, I came to realize that my mission here in Canada is more than gaining PR (Permanent Residency). It’s about fulfilling God’s purpose for me and building relationships with my family, friends, and community. Now, PR has a new meaning for me:
P stands for Purpose, and R stands for Relationship.
I still remember when I was in the Philippines, about to lodge our documents on the IRCC website. I told God that if our application were ever refused (because my Proof of Funds was small), I wouldn’t reapply. But after 21 days, our family’s visa was approved.
Everything has a purpose. I have a purpose here in Canada, not only about my PR, but about fulfilling God’s purpose for me.
My purpose is to disciple other people, to love them, help them, and to build relationships that matter.
If we begin to see the needs of others, it helps us fight selfishness and being obsessed with our own needs.
I love what Mother Teresa said: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Today, I feel honored that my two kids, Chesska and Psalm, are serving at St. Mary as altar servers. I also have the privilege of serving Shepherd’s Corner, a ministry helping people who have experienced homelessness, supporting students with ADHD at the School District, and contributing even in a small way at Feast Light Community. I also get to support my family financially in the Philippines, which is a blessing and something I am grateful for.
Because of these opportunities, I got to experience what it means to share God’s love and disciple others, starting with my own family, workplace, and community.
