Early God-consciousness

As a child, I had a notion of God we called Diyos. My family had always believed in the existence of God although we were not religious. I remember going to church during special occasions like Holy Week, Christmas, New Year, town fiestas, weddings, baptisms and funerals, perhaps on some of my birthdays too. But we were not what you'd call churchgoers.

I had my first formal religious education when I went to kindergarten at the University of the Philippines. A woman from outside the school came to our class once a week to talk about God. I think we had religious instruction until Grade 2, then it was gone.

The only thing I remember from those classes was an impromptu skit where I was picked by the teacher to play someone who was brought back to life. I thought all I had to do was lie on the table, pretend to be dead and get up on cue. I acted the part, and then the teacher looked at me as if I should be speaking or doing something more after "coming back to life". I was confused. We did not rehearse it. Picking up from the teacher's cue, I simply said a lifeless "I'm alive." She didn't seem pleased.

Well, too bad I hadn’t seen a dead person come back to life before. I didn’t even know the story we were acting out. Maybe that was the Bible lesson of the day and I wasn’t paying attention, just looking forward to recess.

But, hey, my acting wasn’t so bad. The 12-year-old girl in the New Testament story I believe I role-played didn't say or do much either. Read Luke 8:49-55 (NIV):

“ ⁴⁹While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

 ⁵⁰ Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

 ⁵¹ When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

 ⁵³ They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.

Did the girl say anything? Did she show any excitement? I'd assume she was trying to make sense of what was going on. She was probably confused. Wasn't this how I acted in the skit?

 After raising the girl from the dead, Jesus did not wait for her to say anything or respond a certain way. He only wanted her to be fed.

That should have been a nice ending to our skit.

Recess.

Ready or not, here I come

Alaska becomes 49th US state, Charles de Gaulle becomes president of the 5th French Republic, Motown Records is founded by Berry Gordy, Jr.,Sleeping Beauty is released;

Swiss men vote down female suffrage, Buddy Holly et al are killed in a plane crash, termed The Day the Music Died, Fidel Castro takes over Cuba;

Barbie Doll debuts, the Dalai Lama flees Tibet and gets asylum in India, Hawaii statehood is approved;

NASA introduces first US astronauts, Japanese Prince Akihito marries Michiko Shoda, Stephen Harper is born;

Soviet forces arrive in Afghanistan, two monkeys successfully return to earth from space;

Singapore becomes a self-governing British crown colony, US sub first carries ballistic missiles, the first telecast is transmitted from England to US;

Canada and the US open the St. Lawrence seaway, Cayman Islands separates from Jamaica, Indonesia restores constitution, Great Britain starts using postal codes;

I am born.

Right time. Right place. Right circumstances. Everything about my birth was just the way God planned it.

It didn't matter what was happening with the rest of the world. I was destined to be born for such a time as this.

Even when some adults joked that I was picked up from some banana grove ("Napulot ka sa sagingan"), or worse, from the dump ("sa basurahan"), mean but common jokes back then, I felt welcomed and special.

But I used to wonder where I was before my birth. Some joked, "Diyan sa taas ng mga puno (There at the treetops)." Ah, things adults said. I often ran to my parents to check them out.

So really, where was I before my conception?

I know. In God's mind.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; 

you formed me in my mother's womb. 

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! 

Body and soul, I am marvelously made! 

I worship in adoration—what a creation! 

You know me inside and out, 

you know every bone in my body; 

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, 

how I was sculpted from nothing into something. 

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; 

all the stages of my life were spread out before you, 

The days of my life all prepared 

before I'd even lived one day.

Psalm 139: 13-16, The Message