Annual Praise Report

Time flies fast. It flies faster than I’m maturing. 😉 It feels like 24 hours isn’t enough for a whole day. 7 days isn’t enough for a week. 4 weeks isn’t enough for a month. And 12 months isn’t enough for a year. Definitely, one year isn’t enough to achieve everything in my bucket list.

As I look back at 2013, Not much was accomplished especially in my chosen profession. As a matter of fact, much has been said, done but lost. It wrenched me to know that my failures are overstated and my success – pretty much of a null. However as I pondered deeper, I came up with a realization: my eyes were only focused on my unfortunate events of 2013. I failed to see the most beautiful masterpiece – God’s divine providence and redirection in my life. When I started to count my blessings, I was thrilled and amazed by how God has blessed me this year! Here is my Praise Report for the year 2013:

Martina Louise Valles

Praise Report

As of December 21, 2013

God and Talent

This year, He taught me how to use my God-given talent – writing. I used to have a blog when I was in college. I wrote mainly about my frustrations and every negative element that gets into my skin. Even when I was a staff writer and a column editor in our school publication, I always had an eye against my Alma Mater. I was a predator waiting for its prey to fall in my trap. Early this year, I put myself in a situation that harmed my talent. After that shameful incident, I decided to quit writing for good because one person made me believe that I failed as a writer and a student journalist.

Last month, God shook me out of my existence and gave me back my talent. He gave me the passion to write again, and this time, the overwhelming desire is amazingly different. It was a numinous feeling, I mean me being empowered to write for Him?? I feel like Thor being able to pick up his hammer again!

God and Relationships

This year, I lost too many relationships. Some chose to leave, while others were just gone with the wind [I always jokingly tell myself that the storms in my life are too strong that ‘friends’ were blown away ;-))]. Who wants to be alone in this over-populated, fast-paced and insincere world? Certainly not me.

Praise God for realigning my path! Sometimes, God had to dispose everything to make something new out of the person in you. Was it necessary to flood the whole world and preserve only animals of two and Noah’s family? Without a doubt! God cannot start something new with Noah when everything around him is wicked. I am not saying that I’m the holy one and those people plucked out from me are wicked. From time to time, God had to remove the things that are hindering Him from doing wonders in you, whether these are people, jobs, material possessions and even good health.

After one of my most-valued relationship ended this year, He taught me a very valuable lesson. He taught me to let go and let God. The love story that I was trying to write ended with a single period, not an ellipsis. I learned to surrender the pen to Him and let Him write my love story. Aside from that, He showed me that the right relationship that I should value the most is my relationship with Him. When my relationship with Him is firmly established and intimate, He will take care of my relationships here on Earth.

God, Career and Character Building

When I failed the board exam, I realized how much God really loves me. He knew very well I wasn’t ready. Not only in terms of head knowledge, but it primarily boils down on my character. I was emotionally and psychologically imbalanced. I was arrogant and proud. I was self-absorbed. I was tactless and disrespectful. I was not fit to become a CPA, not just yet. I learned that in Life, the most important exam to surpass is the test of character-building. When you pass that Life-long series of test, little successes will come in one at a time. And the tests that you pass become God’s testimony in you!

God and His Provision

I was an online freelancer. I had a job that can earn big time without exerting too much mental and physical effort but might be dreadful to the future. This year, as part of my character test, God convicted me to quit the job and trust the windows of Heaven for His provision. After all, He promised that I am more valuable than any creature in this Earth, so why worry? (Luke 12:6-7, Luke 12:25-32)

Gods Promise:

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 KJV

True enough, God did! He sustained me throughout my review and two months thereafter, He provided a job that will enhance not just my career, but my patience, my health and my attitude as well! I only asked for a job, but He gave me  all these! Wow thank You Lord! 🙂

God may not have given me what I asked for for 2013, but He certainly has a way of surprising me. He gave me a mess and turned it into His message. He gave me a test and turned it into His testimony. Praise God for 2013!

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth.

Psalm 71:20

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

I would love to hear how God worked in you this year. Comment below and let us celebrate God’s goodness together! 🙂

My Verse of the Year

We all have our tough years. I am only 22 years old, and so far, my toughest year is this year, 2013! I started the year with a public humiliation when I failed in my job and passion as a writer. That event was followed by my first (and God willing, my last) heartbreak. And recently, I took the CPA board examinations and… failed!

No language can speak of my sorrow. My nights became pitch black. The moon lost its power to lighten my darkest hours. The days were even more tormenting. My bitter soul reflected its anguish on my physique. I lost a huge amount of weight. My hair loss became more evident. I always had globus sensations especially at night. I became very sleepless to the extent that I needed calming pills to ease my anxiety attacks. My Mexican (big and beady) eyes became tumid due to lack of sleep and intense weeping.

Then the handsome Lucifer came into the already-miserable picture. He came as a “knight in shining armor”. He started telling me things. Things like:

You deserved all of these. Are you really sure you were meant to become a writer? I mean, just look at you. You are not even devoted to studying the Bible, and you call yourself a passionate writer? He was right for leaving you. Your attitude sucks. You are a hypocrite and a manipulator. You aren’t even pretty. No wonder he left you! And now you think you will become a CPA? C’mon. Your school doesn’t even believe you’ll make it. If they can have it their way, they wouldn’t allow you to take because you will ruin the reputation of your school. Where are your friends now, Miss Congeniality? You used to have a bunch of friends, but now they’re gone. See? Your attitude really sucks. So this is what raw Christianity looks like. Are you really up for this? You can always back out, so better back out now before you rot in your own misery. I have the whole world to offer–money, love. Name it, I have it.

Before I knew it, Satan was able to establish a playground in my head. This I will not deny: Yes, I did suspect God’s goodness. Yes, I did question God’s love. Yes, I did mock God’s sovereign power. Yes, I did doubt God. The spiritual battle in me was a daily activity–bloody and deadly to my soul. This was me, the girl who grew up in a Christian environment, in a crucial decision point of giving up Christianity.

Just when I was in the dangerous point of giving up, God gave me Job. Job, the most righteous man alive during his time, was stripped off of everything that he had–wealth, family (children) and health. But despite all these, he never gave up on God.

…Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Job 1:21 KJV

Then I asked God, “But I will never be like Job. He was righteous and I am way far from being one.” And the avid Listener of my wailing responded in II Corinthians 5,

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

II Corinthians 5:21 NIV

I realized that when we received God’s eternal gift through Jesus Christ, we were already made righteous before Him and nothing (Romans 8:38-39) can take that away from us! Praise God!

Job’s suffering were incomparable to mine but he never doubted God’s goodness. As I went through the whole book of Job, I found the verse that spoke to me and I am now clinging onto,

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Job 23:10 KJV

God knows every step that we make and He knows where every move is heading. Trials and temptations will surely come along the way and they all play a major role in our Christ-like transformation. Rest assured that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle (I Corinthians 10:13) and He will always renew our strength (Isaiah 40:32).

Even at the point of death, Job trusted and obeyed God by faith. In the end, God restored Job’s fortunes and even multiplied it, and true enough, Job came forth as gold.

At the end of the day, these final words will I say: I am glad I obeyed.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

II Timothy 4:7-8 NIV