The ripple effect
And I guess it was right for me to also attend the After Feast as I was feeling distracted on my walk with God, so I steeled up my resolve and went to Zoom, knowing that I may wind up again with a group that would last until the wee hours of nighttime (even if I was hoping, nah-please don't). After alternating between dinner and that icebreaker and I think somebody also shared a bit-it was time for the big reveal...will I end up with a long-running group? I clicked on the confirmation dialog only to realize...
Yeah, it's another long-runner...hooray...
Why did you ask? It's because I saw Karla, who I happened to be in a breakout room with once and we lasted until 10 PM. There, I just accepted the reality that I can't escape being in a long-runner group and maybe it's God telling me "if you can spend that much time with games, you should also spend time with Me and that's why you're gonna be with these long runners"
It wasn't half-bad, in fact-it was good. I had to set myself aside since Karla and Ken were trying to convince each other to share, so I volunteered to do it as I had an idea of what to share (it was about pain, btw) and I was able to also inspire them on their respective reflections. In the midst of that, Bro. Jan (the Feast Builder of Makati Salcedo) dropped by to see...that we were still up and running, here Angela, one of our groupmates also happened to tell us about her podcast and that Bro. Jan and us could be guests on their upcoming episodes. After an interesting conversation about all sorts of things (can't mention though since I'm a firm believer of keeping things LIPJASS*), it was time for the closing prayer and cue the two once again trying to convince the other to lead the prayer. Lo and behold, I also volunteered to lead the prayer after all, I had to die to myself for the sake of the "cool kids" besides, it was a good way for me to hone my intercessory and speaking skills since it has gotten a bit rusty (no thanks to the pandemic) and we ended up making a groupchat since we all clicked and wanted to keep in touch after this breakout session ended, because we might NOT end up in the same team a week later.
Now, fast-forward a week later-I attended the after feast once again not just because of my newfound buddies. It was also because of the fact that even my teensiest presence in the Zoom meeting could inspire 2-3 people since God was using us to keep inspiring, to keep encouraging and to remain faithful in spite of it all. So despite not being in the same group with the "cool kids" as predicted, I ended up once again in a long-running session that was inspiring and beautiful.
That my readers is the "ripple effect", sometimes we feel that we are probably just a waste of space or a burden in society, and I admit that at times, I feel that way. But when I decided: "ok, I'll attend this after feast-after all, what could happen" and I was led to see that indeed, our presence is enough and God places us there for a reason. In this case, He made me realize that I shouldn't be kept hidden-I had to be seen, so that I can make His presence known.
And yes, intentionality is the key-sometimes, it takes an experience like that to continue a good habit such as the After Feast. Why spend hours gaming, when your 3 hours can be spent with God and maybe inspire others as well. So yeah, I don't regret joining the After Feast and if you happen to be attending Feast Makati Salcedo, I really recommend you to go there-regardless if you're an introvert or an extrovert-you might just end up with a new insight or a changed perspective.
After all, God's good at the life change department.
*L.I.P.J.A.S.S. - Listen, (Don't) Interrupt, (Don't) Preach, (Don't) Judge, (Don't) Advise, (Keep) Secret, (Keep) Sacred
And lastly, here's a link of FMS for those interested in joining:
https://www.facebook.com/FeastMakatiSalcedo
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