JESUS Called Me By Name

Sis. Rochelle Maloles

 

 

My life before knowing Jesus Christ...

 

It was a rough & smooth road to my self-defined success and happiness.  I had my own set of goals & well planned strategies to reach them, no room for failure.  It meant total discipline and hard work to graduate with honors, to compete with others along the way, to work my way through college and focus on becoming the best that I can be, a successful CPA Lawyer, perhaps, or better.  I could get married in my thirties and stand out as a working family woman. It was a never ending pursuit for happiness.  And in the worldly realm of things, there seemed nothing wrong with them. But actually, there was, it was all about me, myself & mine.

 

My Life before Christ was focused on worldly ambitions; it was a race not a journey.  I was a working college student for four years and it was in my senior year when I met Bro Jeff (now my husband for 15 years).   I graduated in May 1999, it was a momentous year because this would have become the start of my so called ‘life plan”.  I had landed a great starting career at Philips Semiconductors, one of the leading multinational companies at the time.  I have done it!

 

However, the Lord God in His sovereignty had another plan for my life.  In December of the same year, seven months thereafter, I was married to Bro Jeff.  I was 21 years old then and it was almost 10 years ahead of the plan.  I was not ready for a family life; I was not prepared for this turn of events!  Our marriage was challenging.  We were too young.  I was insecure, selfish, demanding and full of hang-ups due to unfinished businesses in life (Career, money, family support to my aging parents, unfulfilled expectations and many other deviations which I defined as a fatal failure).  Our story has a beautiful part though, which was having our two boys, Justin and Joshua.  Justin at 2 years old was diagnosed with severe ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).  We accepted this dilemma with courage.  It had changed so many perspective but the pressure and financial stress of raising a special child had put an additional strain to an already troubled marriage and to an incomplete, unhappy and unsatisfied life!

 

God called me by name, I came to know Jesus, My Lord & My Savior…

The concept of Jesus as my Savior was not all new to me.  During my childhood, I used to attend the Bible Summer Camps with my cousins and in one of those days, when I was 12 years old, I had accepted the Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior.  During college, I lived with the same cousins in Manila and attended the Church Services and Bible Studies for as long as my schedule permitted.  However, the beginning of my story has already laid out to you the reality that I did not commit an obedient Spirit-filled life. 

 

It was in October of 2006 when God’s intention to change the course of my life happened.  I was invited by my close friend Melanie Rodil-Reyes to visit Dubai and try to find out what it has to offer in terms of career and finances.  It was the determination and patience of Bro. Melvin Rodil and Pastor Erwin Concepcion that led us to know Jesus as our Personal Lord & Savior.  The prodigal daughter is back at last!  In the same year, I surrendered my life to Jesus and was baptized, declaring my obedience and submission to the only Wise Sovereign, Loving Savior who knows me by name.  Life continued to be challenging and not without problems, even to this day, as I write this testimony, but with God as my Rock and Fortress, facing them has become a different story (Psalm 18:2)!  It has made all the difference in the world!

 

My life after receiving Jesus Christ as the King of my life…

In our GGW Graduation (Girl Gone Wise Bible Study), I always remember my concluding speech which was based on the same book, GGW by Mary Kassian.  My life after the encounter with the Living Water, just like with the Samaritan Woman, changed everything.  I was a sinner and still am, for as long as I live in this fallen world the battle between my flesh and Satan will continue.  However, I fight now with God, Whose mercy and grace is bigger than all my sins.  I, just like the Samaritan woman made the decision to believe and follow Jesus.  We had come to the well feeling empty.  Everyday, we felt dry and thirsty on the inside.  We wanted to feel worthwhile, we wanted purpose and meaning.  We were so tired of the emptiness.  We wanted to find fullness and satisfaction instead of constantly carting around an empty bucket.  But Jesus looks right into her heart & my heart and puts His finger on that tender place of all our shattered dreams and failures and promises to quench our thirst with the Living Water.  He is the Messiah, the Deliverer and the Object of our longings and dreams.  He is the only one who can fill our buckets.

 

Just last week, amazing news happened from Justin’s Speech Therapist of 5 years.  She said that he had broken the record on Speech Pathology, that children with severe Autism may develop the ability to speak until the age of 12.  Justin did it at the age of 15.  He has opened his world by his ability now to speak intelligent words.  All praises and glory to Him alone!  The Lord continues to shower me with blessings and surprises, like the coming of our beautiful Baby Juliana, amidst struggles and difficulties and I am forever grateful!

 

My life today is an endless prayer to be a submissive wife, a Godly mother, a soul winner and a faithful servant of God. The life plan has changed…it is to grow in wisdom, be a salt and light to a generation of women who are broken, floundering and looking for answers.

 

My life plan is to be able to tell Jesus my life verse, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”

2 Timothy 4:7