Only But A Breath

"If not for Your goodness, if not for Your Grace. I don't know where I would be today. If not for Your Kindness, I never could say I'm still standing... But by the grace of God."

It was about 12:56 in the afternoon when I left the house to head to Alabang. I was supposed to leave earlier to have dgroup, but my girls cancelled on me last minute, which caused me to leave a little later. 15 minutes into my drive, I got a phone call from my mum just as I was about to enter Daang Hari road.

I have this habit of pulling over on the side whenever I'm on the phone and driving, since my mum would always tell me of how drivers often get into accidents while talking on the phone. As I turned the hazard lights on my car, I saw a group of teenage boys walking by my vehicle and checking it out. They looked like they just came from swimming, since most of them were carrying towels with them and were wearing board shorts. I brushed them off as a bunch of onlookers.

Just as I ended my call with my mum, my phone rang a second time. It was from a friend of mine. As we talked, from my rear view mirror, I saw again the same group of boys, but this time they were lesser in number. When I put down the phone, I noticed that the three began to slowly make their way towards the direction where my car was parked. I was already a bit suspicious so I immediately released the hand brakes of my vehicle.

It all happened so fast: in a flash, the three surrounded my car. The smallest of the boys (who looked like he was only 10) placed himself in front of my car. The other attempted to open the back door of the passenger side, while the eldest who was sporting a black t-shirt and stripped pink and green shorts came to my side. Upon realizing that all my doors were locked and they were unable to open them, the boy on my side pulled out a gun and pointed it to my heavily tinted window.

Adrenaline kicked in - I switched my gear to drive and stepped on the gas as hard as I could. When the youngest, who was in front of my car, heard the engine roar, he dodged away. I drove like a madman. I think I went 180. I was going so fast that it was difficult for me to manipulate the turns on the road. But sense knocked into me when I realized I was far from danger. I pulled over a second time, but this time I made sure it was a busy street, and then I started to break down. With shaking hands, I called Angelo. - I called him because I couldn't call my mum. Since I told her I was already near Alabang that time. If she found out, she'd know that I wasn't telling the truth. Angelo rebuked me and told me at the time, it didn't matter - my parents needed to know where I was and what happened. Without even asking for my permission, I heard him talk to my mum on his other phone and just sat there weeping, as he relayed to her everything I just told him.

After speaking with my mum on the phone I drove as fast as I could to get to CCF. I was still shaking. But all I could think of at the moment was how MIRACULOUS it was I got out of that situation alive. "Thank You, God. Thank You" was all the words that my lips could utter. Later in the day, I get this message from my cousin:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

My Jesus loves me. And He knows what He's doing.


As for the three teenagers, when I was driving away I checked my rear-view mirror and saw them run away and slip into a corner. They disappeared.


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Lessons Learned:


1. When your parents/authority asks you where you are. TELL THEM THE TRUTH. - Keep them updated when moving from one place to another. Not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because IN CASE something does happen to you, at least they'd know where to start looking. I have no idea why I didn't tell them in the first place - leaving the house a little late wasn't going to get me in trouble anyway. If I died there and then, my parents would start looking around Alabang, where I last told them I was "supposed" to be.


2. Never, under any circumstance, at any time, pull over on roads that have little-to-no people/cars passing by. Not even if it's inside a village. My hold up happened just a stone's throw away from Fernbrook Subdivision and Portofino South. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. Nothing is MORE IMPORTANT than your life. So unless you hear God Almighty's voice speak from heaven to tell you to pull over, YOU STOP FOR NOTHING AND FOR NO ONE.


3. LOCK. YOUR. DOORS. There was only ONE factor that bought me time to make my escape that fateful afternoon, and that was the fact that my assailants couldn't open my doors. - Imagine if I didn't. It scares me to think about the millions of possibilities that could have happened. I wouldn't even be here writing this entry.. For me and my family, it's a rule to never leave the house without locking our car doors, and though I used to brush it off, now, I can see its importance. Make it a habit: upon stepping into your vehicle, lock your door. Especially when in parking lots or isolated streets. 


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Very few people walk out of situations like that unscathed and with all their valuables still with them. I'm very blessed. As I saw the gun barrel pointed at me, my life flashed before my eyes. I remembered all the dreams I still wanted to fulfill, my friends, the grudges I still held, I even remembered how I was upset with my mum that morning just because she was trying to teach me the proper way to clean the house - all of a sudden it didn't matter. The problems I go through, all the good memories, are signs that I AM ALIVE. And it made me realize that I DO only have one life to live- so every second counts.

You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. Psalm 39:5

When I was safe and thinking about the whole situation, I asked myself: "What if I died today? Would my life be a fragrant offering before the Lord? If I presented it to Him, would He be proud and frame it to put on display?" - I felt ashamed of myself. I had nothing excellent to offer my Lord; in fact, He might even point out defects in so-called masterpiece of a life.

Don't wait until the last minute before you can change things. YOLO, as the saying goes. Carpe Diem for others. But what ARE you doing with that ONE LIFE? Have you used it to selflessly serve God and others? Or are you using it instead to pursue your own pleasures?

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As for me, one thing is for sure. My Jesus proved Himself real to me today. His grace is what rescued me. He could have asked me to come Home, but yet He says that He isn't done with me yet. And when you hear His voice, so clear, like that... something inside of you changes. Almost in an instant, your priorities are rearranged and your feelings - your feeble feelings. Don't matter anymore.

I don't matter anymore.

Thank You, Jesus. With all my life. Thank You.