I joined Youth for Christ when I was still in high school way back 2005. The reason was very simple, I was invited by my close friends and at the same time, I wanted to be part of a worship band which I believe could help me enhance my skills in drums. After the youth camp, I started to experience the adventure of God’s faithfulness every day of my life as I was marvelling towards my dreams as a musician and as a person. After I graduated high school, I started planning for my future. I wanted to have a band whose members got the same mentality as mine, a band who thinks radically and dream bigger dreams than any other bands in our generation. Young as I was, it was my dream to become a successful OPM (Original Pilipino Music) artist under a music label here in the Philippines. I remembered when I was still eighteen; I was practicing really hard on this craft, and at the same time doing journals and planning on how to achieve this dream.
I’ve been praying and asking God for it because I believe it is Him who planted this desire in my heart. Until one day, after forming my dream band, we composed songs and worked hard every day, individually and as a band. Then the time has come that God slowly led us to His grace and promise, He allowed us to represent Mindanao and compete with all other bands who also represented their Islands here in the Philippines, and whoever wins will automatically have a contract with the biggest recording label in the country. At that time, I thought, “This is really it!” God is leading us to our dreams and is giving us the chance to share our music to the world and at the same time make good money out of it, and put food on the table out of this passion.
Fast forward, a great blessing came! We were told to compose 3 more songs for a recording label, but on this final journey of fulfilling this dream, the Lord started to reveal to me His greater plans and dreams for me as well. Every day during those concluding moments of fulfilling this personal dreams and goals in life, the Lord started to speak boldly. He started to orchestrate everything in my life in His way, which later on led me to be more open not just to my own desires, but to Him as well. It was verses after verses in the bible, messages after messages, blessings after blessings, and events after events that really started to disturb me, shifting the beat of my heart to a vision of seeing greater things more than I ever imagined.
It was 3 months after the final journey of fulfilling my dreams that I decided to give up on it, and start offering all of my life to the Lord. I decided to become a YFC Mission Volunteer and finish college strong. I can still remember that very moment, it was hard and I cried for it. But more than that, I was at peace and extremely happy, allowing the same passionate, eagerness, hyped and excited heart to still manifest in my life, but now not just for my own, but for Him as well. The difference between my younger self and who I am today is a surrendering heart with the grace of humility. It was indeed the best decision I made in my life, a decision that stroke chords to me that affects eternity, a decision that helped me find my ultimate purpose in life, to be and bring Christ wherever I am. Now, I didn’t became famous, I didn’t had the kind of financial freedom I dreamt of out of my passion, and I wasn’t able to fulfil my greatest desire of having an OPM music label. But through God’s grace, He gave me the humblest and greatest label I received in my life. Unworthy as I am, I became a Fulltime Pastoral Worker of Couples for Christ. I took risk in saying YES to this call because I believe that graces are derived from risks. Indeed, greater things start to happen when you make Christ your driving force in life, serving and giving your all for Him every beat of your heart.
