Why God Made Saturday

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Saturdays are special. People are usually free from work on Saturdays and have more time to do what really matters to them. I work at home online and am my own boss, so I'm home 27/7. But still, Saturdays are special to me.

First, the wife's here (and when she's around it's a wonderful blessing enough), so are the kids (and sometimes the lil grand kid). Second, there's more time to do other things like laundry, cleaning the yards, defrosting and cleaning the fridge (as if there's something in it that needs cleaning), watching on Youtube or some DVD, or go out somewhere entertaining like a mall.

And yeah, Saturday is when I treat myself to more soya curd (taho). My family seldom joins me in this (sigh).

But often, Saturday early mornings are for more workouts (sometimes brisk walking with the wife). Particularly, it's for teaching some people about my style of Filipino streetfighting martial arts which I designed for street combat and self defense, plus teaching the bible.

My style of Filipino streetfighting is not for competing in tournaments to prove I'm champ or better than anyone. I'm not into that. I never need to prove anything about  myself or to myself. I just need to protect myself and family from bad people.

I'm always a contented person. My contentment is with God alone.

Some say Saturday is Sabbath which is supposed to be total rest day. But doing things for family is "total rest" to me. Jesus did a lot of work on Sabbaths so he was accused of "breaking the Sabbath law." But to him it was "rest" because he fulfilled God's will with the things he was doing. And among God's will is caring for the family.

Saturday is family day. Sunday is the same, but half of Sunday is usually devoted for what happens on Monday. Saturday is devoted wholly for family.

Sunday is not for God. Others believe that Sunday is the "Lord's Day," but it's a shame really to be devoting just one day to the Lord of lords who owns your life. So I believe the Lord's Day is everyday. It doesn't mean I go to church everyday or I have to be religious everyday. I detest religion, religiosity and anything connected to them. I don't "go to church" anymore. Church is where I am with the company of genuine believers talking about Jesus.

Thus, Saturdays are for God and family (because God is family), and that makes it more exciting. Often my family and I just stay home and talk casually while we work or enjoy our meals at the dinner table.

Oh and yes, lastly, Saturday is when either I or my wife cook special native food dishes our kids love---like sinigang na maya-maya belly sa mustasa at miso, almon bigas, grilled bangus or my secret Chyo family burger.

The Better Ones

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Imagine if we were all better than others---if each single individual on the planet were "better" than the next one. Who'd be the "others"? Who'd be the "next one"?

It seems that people around you have become your competitors. I don't know what the competition is all about but they're there trying to compete with you, trying to be better than you are. I'm not sure if I'm any good---definitely I don't think I'm any better than the next guy---but people seem to be always comparing themselves with me.

This guy comes to me and asks how my business is. And then he tells me how he did his business with a hint that he did it better than how I'm doing it. I look at him thinking whether he is there to share some tips on how I can be better at what I'm doing, but no. He doesn't sound like that. He's there to prove he's better than I am.

And he talks like I'm so interested about his ideas and I am just too eager to hear everything he has to say. So I try to figure out---did I ever say I wanted his ideas or ask him to teach me how to do things? As far as I know, I didn't. So what is he doing here? But he just keeps talking anyway, like an idiot.

Almost everyone is out there to prove he or she is the better one. And I guess that's how society is oriented these days. It starts in the family, school, community and the workplace. There is this prodding, an urgency to prove you're better than the other guy. That's why people talk like that. They look for someone to put down, tell him that he's not doing things right, and then magnify their greatness over him.

They love telling people how things ought to be done.

Try it one time. Listen to how people talk. They often talk like they're the sweetest, nicest, wisest and kindest person in the world. Worse are those who talk like they're the only successful guys in the solar system.

And even if they are indeed, so extremely successful, I'm not interested. So what? I'm not impressed. What always impresses me are meek people who often just listen to people---and there are really successful people who are meek like that. I'd love to listen to them tell their stories.

I like folks who talk about how right other people are. Do you know someone who is like that? Here's what I mean. You're reading the headlines over a cup of coffee in a corner of a cafe and this guy approaches you. Umm, let's say he's your friend. It so happens he finds you there and sits across you. Then he starts:

"Hey! You look stunning (without being sarcastic or flattering). How are you? I heard how you did that project in the community! How were you able to put the other guys together and work heartily on that project? That's definitely some leadership! I also once did a project like that but I'd like to know how you did it."

Or, let's say he's asking about your small bible study group. And I emphasize the word small. "Hey, how's your bible study? I've been wondering how you keep your group intact, loyal and persistent. I appreciate people like that, and you manage to train those guys to be like that. What's your secret?"

I'd like to be that kind of person---considering others better than myself, interested about other people. It's dead tiring to hear someone who loves talking about himself and his achievements and how good he is. Worse, how he is better than you are--although he may not say it outright like that.

Ever wondered why when praying, you never hear God audibly talk back to you? He just listens. He's interested about what you have to say. He gives you the option to listen to him, and if you do, that's when he tells you things.

May God help me never to be among the better ones.

Correctors in Your Life

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Once you get old enough, you'd be surrounded by "correctors" in your life---people watching your every word or move, ready to correct your wrong.

Some people watch you when you're right. And then they point out how right you are. There are not many of them because most people around you hate pointing out how right you are. They won't admit there's someone better than they are.

Well, some people may do so---appreciate what you're doing right---but primarily because it reflects what they've been doing all along. They like being proven right---and they themselves  prove it through you. In a sense, they praise themselves when they praise you. You're a conduit to their success.

I'm not against corrections. We all need to be corrected. Being a writer, I've been edited or corrected a lot of times, and I needed them. What I can't stand are people who aren't writers or editors but they like to correct your write-ups. Worse, you see how they have worse grammars than you have.

And I'm not just talking about writing here. You know what I mean? I'm talking about correctors in life.

Basically, there are two kinds of correctors in life---those who want to help you do things correctly and those who just want to prove you wrong each time. What the second type often wants is that you do things his way. Only his ways or views are correct, so you should follow him. That's the bottom line---the bottom of things as far as correctors are concerned.

If you watch closely, you'd see a lot of this type of correctors on Facebook. They know how social networks like FB are worldwide so they use this platform to prove to people how right and smart they are.

The goal of these correctors (let's call them badass correctors) is not really to help you but to:

1. Prove you wrong, as I've mentioned.
2. To show everyone how right he is.
3. To show everyone how wrong you are.

So a badass corrector delights in opportunities when a crowd is watching and he has something to correct you with. He won't do it privately (what sincere correctors would do) or do it in such a way as to spare you from public shame. He intends to humiliate you and show off his rightness.

A Legit Corrector

We all find ourselves in situations where we need to correct somebody. There are ways to correct people properly:

1, Always check your motive. Are you going to correct the guy because you want to help him or is it because you just don't approve of his ways of beliefs? Worse, you don't like the guy. I always check my motive. If it's biased or prejudicial, I'd skip doing the correction.

2. Make sure you have the right to correct. I correct people under me---my kids, disciples in faith, students, office subordinates and other people who work for me. I don't correct people who aren't related or close to me. People have the right to be wrong, especially those who want to be wrong.

3. Do it in private. Take him aside where no one else would hear you talk and gently tell him his fault. Well, there are also badass correctors who correct you in private, but they're intention is no to help you but to prove you wrong. He wants you to bow to his correctness.

And there are also legit correctors who correct you in public because they need to---you've gone way wrong about what you're doing. But they do it to a limited audience---among those who are concerned. There were occasions when Jesus rebuked his disciples in front of other disciples. But no doubt, his intention was not to humiliate but to help the one at fault and warn the others as well.

4. Do it out of love, never of bad ulterior motives like hatred, bias, self aggrandizement or vengeance.