Standing with the Truth

by Frodelio C. Pichay
(as published 4 years ago in MVP)

Introduction

Just arrived from a long and tiresome mission trip outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  As I stepped inside my room and looked around - some of my things scattered on my desk, bunch of soiled clothing waiting to be washed and most of the things inside are disorganized.  I don’t know really how to start fixing all the mess.

No time for me to fix everything.  All I want to do is lock my room, remove my shoes, just lie down on the bed without changing my clothing and wrap my body with thick blanket to protect myself from the coldness of the night.

Desert outside the City of Riyadh

After that, I have no idea what followed.  The thing which I am sure of was that I woke up realizing that I came from a deep… deep… sleep.  After regaining strength from exhaustion, that was then my time to pick up the pieces, start reorganizing things and do all the chores.  Then I sat down in front of my PC checking emails… a lot of emails.  For three weeks, I never logged on and surf the net.

This is always the walk of my life here in Saudi Arabia, experiencing for 16 years the sadness and pain of living alone, away from my wife and not enjoying the laughter, kisses and embraces of my children.  It was so heartbreaking that I am not with my children, guiding them and raising them up, feeding them the proper values to become a better person.

Walk of life during the first time

It was hard during the first time that I was living in a place where I couldn’t find any outlet or a way to be comforted.  A telephone bill was so high.  No cinema theater.  No TFC (kapamilya) or Pinoy TV (kapuso to make it even) and no internet. No where can I find news concerning the Philippines.  It was totally a news blackout for me.  All that I had was to wait for two to three weeks for the letter or voice tape of my family.  So hard that the law of the land has lots of restrictions.  Nightlife, wine and gambling were not legal, even now.  It was also quite hard because the native people here have a different culture and belief.  All these put together drove that longing for my native Magsingal hometown even more.

Crazy things I miss

I miss the Christmas Ball (every piece never missed), the simbang gabi with friends (upang masilayan lamang ang mga naggagandahang mga dilag), the Barangay Fiestas (busog ang tiyan), the Serenade for a lovely lady during the night (censored). Basketball tournament where I played the role of a cheerer (Nagpigsa nga kumantiaw).  In St. William’s Institute at the back of the eastern most building, I missed the mansanita tree.  Under that tree, it was there where we talked about our Lolos and Lolas (payabangan).  It was there that we talked about the strange feelings we felt during the first time (unang pagsinta. Yung iba inukit pa sa puno ang 2 puso at pangalan ng kanyang pagsinta na inulos ng pana ni kupido).

Other things I miss

I also remember that every Tuesday and Friday nights, I and other friends would go to the market place to witness how the butchers kill a cow, and part by part the meat was divided.  It’s fresh red meat, we will then buy a kilo with primera papait and cook it into papaitan, sinanglaw or kilawen with matching gin and coke.  The Tropical Hut, the famous meeting place for lovers to be.  My mother also used to cook a newly harvest sitaw, saluyot, patani, marunggay fruits, ampalaya and talong (pakbet) topped with chicharong baboy.  At the start of plowing the paddy fields in the wet season which normally comes early June, we collect bisokol, cooked with lemon grass (baraniw) and other spices.  It was really a delicious kiss.

Those were the days where life was easy for me. No major problems, no major responsibilities.  Makikipag-away lamang kung nadadaya sa laban ng basketball.  I never felt then the hardship of directing a family as I was innocent on this aspect and under the care and guidance of my parents.

Realization

But when I reached this stage of being a family man, now I have responsibilities to meet.  I needed to feed my children and give them proper education.  In my case, I have no good opportunity in our native Philippines.  To have a good employment then in our country means to have a strong Padrino.  I got nothing to attract a Padrino.  This is always the standard in the Philippines, and considering this fact, I made a decision to travel in a long, distant place called Saudi Arabia, wherein they were in need of OFWs.  Wherein at first, considered it as a hell for me.

Coping with all these odds  

But again, I was then a family man.  This was my very big reason and gave me the determination to endure and face this mountain of despair.  And somehow, everything must change, as the day turn into night, as the cloud becomes rain and the young becomes the old, etc.  God always works in mysterious ways.  He used good people and they showed me the Light that guided my feet into the path of peace.  It was clear to me that living in peace is to know and accept the Truth that sets people free from the bondage of carnality.

I have to accept that during those days my reasoning was full of carnality.  It is a fact that living carnally means no contentment in anything that you have attained and possessed in this world.

From the Holy Scripture it is written;

        James 4:1-5
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your
            desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill
            and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do
            not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive,
            because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on
            your pleasures. You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the
            world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
            becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that
            the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?(NIV)

This passage clearly affirms the fact that I was driving out awhile ago and tells me that I have to stand for the Truth.  By standing with this Truth gave me strength and helped me in facing this enormous test of time that the world set forth.  This Truth is the strongest foundation in living on this chaotic, corrupted, distorted and evil world that we move about.  Living by the Truth will not put anyone into public disgrace. From that Truth the worldly standard was overlooked.

Praise be to God.

Now sixteen years has passed.  I did not acquire a lot of fortune to satisfy the needs of my fleshly desire.  All that I have is just good enough for the welfare of my family and children.  But looking back at the past, I see how God works in the life of those He called.  Thinking about all of these gives me a smile on my face.

I am not making a conclusion that I am now perfect enough.  I am just a man molded by my creator from the dust, created in the image of God which is trying hard to respond and comply to His calling.  God said “Be Holy because I AM Holy” (Lev 11:44).  To be Holy is to be righteous.  This is a hard thing to do and nobody in this world became righteous by his own merit.  As it is written from Bible:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  (Prov 3:5-6) (NIV)

I am not righteous by my own.  I am just depending on these very words of God.  All that I am, all that I have, and all that I am uttering right now is not from my own but from Him who gave me the inspiration to write all of these.  Maybe I can claim that I am stronger now than before.  I am not longing any longer for things that satisfy my earthly needs.  I am content with this job place of Saudi Arabia.  In any circumstances good or bad, in any place and in any time, I learned to stand for the Truth.  Thanks to Him who guided me, who loved me in those darkest hours of my life for He is the Truth.

Who is this Truth?

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (NIV)

Jesus is the Truth.  Do you want to learn more about the Truth? Then read and study the Bible, the words of God. God bless you Magsingal.