A “Baguio” experience

I miss Baguio.  Ever since I can remember, from the early 60’s when I was born, my family would always go up to Baguio.  It became a family tradition for us, going up summer time, and then again during Christmas time and new year.  Even when we were teenagers and we had our own gimmicks already, we would still find ourselves with the family.  Especially when I started to drive, and my Dad trusted me to drive up to Baguio – from that moment I looked for that drive, every opportunity to just go through the highways, and up Kennon road.  During my college days my friends and I (The “Friday Club” – Hi guys, just in case you’re reading this!) would just go up at the spur of the moment, leave at 4am, arrive just in time for breakfast at the old Camp John Hay, which was still a US base then.  Our family used to own a property that had a beautiful view of La Union and a river heading out to sea.  All of us would go and build a bonfire, roast marshmallows and hotdogs, and just enjoy nature at its best.  You can just imagine what me and my friends would do while we were there! 

Even when all of us siblings were married, my Dad would still plan trips to Baguio.  He made sure that the “apos”  would enjoy Baguio just as we did.  Eventually the trips lessened, and now that all of us have gone our separate ways, and our parents are now too old to travel, the Baguio trips with the whole family stopped.

Even when I was already in the ministry, and I needed a break, I would drive up by myself and just stay there and rest.  Both the drive and the place would be used by the Lord to restore my soul.  Any chance I could get to go up I would grab it.

That’s why I miss Baguio.  Last December I sort of shot up a small prayer to the Lord, wondering if we would have the time and budget to be able to visit Baguio again with my wife and kids.  But it didn’t push through.  But I’m still hoping that one day we will be able to go up and enjoy the place as much as I did.
But it wasn’t as if God didn’t answer my prayer.  A few days ago our church had a 3 day prayer and fasting in the foot of Mt. Kanlaon, in a place called Rafael Salas Nature Park.  When we arrived this was what greeted me:

                                               

                                            

                                            

The cool air, the fog, the trees and plants, the view – it all reminded me of being in Baguio.  And I found myself thanking the Lord for answering my prayer.  I wasn’t in Baguio, but He allowed me to enjoy the same cool air, the same ambience, that I was looking for.  He answered my prayer not by giving me exactly what I asked for, or by bringing me to Baguio, but in His own way.

This is how God answers prayer.  Many think that God is like a vendo machine (that’s what we used to call them) – choose what you want, drop a coin, and out it comes.  But it doesn’t work that way with the Lord.  Sure we have our desires…but God does too.  He has desires for us, desires that fit in with His kingdom and His plans for us.  So when we bring a prayer to the Lord many times He doesn’t answer us exactly as we wanted it to come out, but if we just sit down and rest on Him and trust Him we will eventually realize He does answer our prayers.

We are assured in His word that God is after our enjoyment:
1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV)
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

But true enjoyment does not come from external things – circumstances, material things, wealth, etc.  True enjoyment comes from the heart.  One child can have enjoyment with his expensive “nerf” gun, while another child can have the same enjoyment with his gun made out of pieces of wood put together.
True enjoyment comes from being thankful, being content, and recognizing that all blessings, small or great, come from the hand of a God who loves us and does want us to enjoy life.  The Lord hasn’t answered my prayer to go to Baguio yet, but He did answer it by allowing me to enjoy a much simpler place but with a similar ambience.  And my soul was satisfied.

I pray your souls may be satisfied too with what God provides for you each day for your enjoyment.
Ecclesiastes 8:15 (NIV)
15 So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.