In July 1991, we have committed ourselves and our children to do work in God’s vineyard through Couples for Christ (CFC) and its Family Ministries. For twenty (20) solid years, we have strived to be faithful CFC servants .We tried to touch people for God every way we could. But somehow, somewhere and sometime in our service, we’ve been put to the test… we got wounded… we faltered and missed the mark… we got adrift. Yet, God in His goodness and mercy never fails to lend a hand and help us to stand up strong time and again and mend our brokenness. For months, we relentlessly prayed for guidance and discernment to come up with a clear, firm and spirit-led pronouncement to make a difference in our journey towards holiness. We prayed for patience and wait for the right moment to declare our certitude to align our spirituality with the work with the poor through Gawad Kalinga (GK). We prayed for boldness to choose a course of action in moving forward and the courage to survive the storms we will encounter if ever we go over the other side of the fence.
For a time, we’ve been so perplexed about what’s going on between the top echelons of leaders in community. Even as we assumed a higher service in the sector, we have been insulated and hardly knew the real score that prompted the CFC-GK mess. So, what is the use of hanging around in a community if we start to doubt its leadership and governance; if we start getting hypercritical and judgmental about community’s strategies and plans; if we could no longer get inspiration to keep going; if we could no longer fathom the rationale in unceremoniously removing dedicated leaders from the CFC roster because they’re perceived to be antagonistic to the CFC mission and vision; if we could no longer sense the community’s acceptance that nation-building is one component of innovative evangelization ; if we could no longer get the heightened spiritual enrichment and empowerment as we seek to fulfill our destiny as children and servants of God.
Though we see eye to eye with the life and activities of CFC , there is one area where we differ in viewpoint with the IC - it's not about being right or wrong rather it's about arriving at a decision after exploring the “benefit of Solomonic wisdom and Jesus’ compassion,” so goes the words of an esteemed brethren.
In Philippians 1:9-10, St.Paul reminds us to make “excellent” choice – a choice that emanates from a heart fully committed to the Lord. Here, we are being taught that when love abounds in knowledge and discernment, we’re able to understand what is best so that we may “approve the things that are excellent.”
The Lord’s message to us: The recognition that we have to decide with our hearts, to be strong, and believe that what lies ahead is an opportunity to celebrate that elusive springtime in our journey of faith.
We guess it’s time to make a personal choice - to hit the road that leads us on doing what we can do not what we want to do. We cannot underestimate the impact of one’s choice. It can produce lifelong consequences, for good or bad. Of course, it comes with a price - responsibility. And when one is ready to accept and carry out that responsibility, then the reward is true greatness. The reward is timeless. Choosing a community in favor of the other will not always be an easy task. But it is a choice that brings the kind of consequence we can live with. We do not know where God will lead us, we only know that for those who love Him, all things turn out for the best.
There comes a time in a person’s life when he has to pack one’s bag and come to a parting of ways with a place, person or otherwise. Indeed, breaking up is one hard thing to do. It may not be the ultimate life crisis but it requires a special coping and adjusting. Just how does one say "good-bye" to a life of serving, sharing, loving, caring and friendship? Confidently, God in His kindness and compassion will guarantee us with the ability to let go, move on, depart with a smile and take along a handful of great memories. He will provide us with just enough light to see the next step - enjoy what we can see and not grumble about what remains in the dark.
And yes, who could ever discount the role of a community that has introduced us to God’s work and taught us how to live in it – Couples for Christ, the community that has become a powerful channel for personal and family renewal; the community that has firstly provided us and our children spiritual enrichment and brought us to where we are now in our spiritual journey. Be that as it may, still with a heavy heart, we shall leave CFC – the community we have long regarded as a family, co-worker, companion and friend whom we shared great love, passion, and joy in service. We will carry on the CFC mission as a family in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth. Our CFC identity will remain forever and no one can take that away from us.
We will persevere to be God’s humble and zealous laborers who will do whatever it takes to respond to His call to serve the least of our brothers and sisters. Indeed, it is always a great privilege to become a servant when God calls one to it.
As we are about to cross deeper into the heart of God and our own selves, we will be facing a significant and different perspective of service that determines how we respond to the full revelation of His glory and majesty.
And by God’s grace we’ll be filled with a lively, renewed faith and find comfort in His promise to restore us back to vibrant spiritual undertakings to help us nurture our hope and grow in our relationship with Him.
God bless us all.
Terence and Thel Grana
