THE LORD HAD OTHER PLANS FOR ME
by Bro Mario “Mayong” Rodriguez, BCBP Ormoc
It was in October 1995, that BCBP brought the Saturday Breakfast fellowship to Ormoc. But Saturday was my tennis time. After some arguments Janet, my wife, had to go alone. I had a good life. I knew that I didn’t really thank God for all the blessings but I thought my wife could do it for me. Also I considered myself a good catholic. I never intentionally hurt anybody and I was a regular church go’er. However the breakfast affected Janet so much that there was no way she would let me miss the second one 2 weeks later.
Since I was adamant in not going, Janet turned to the most influential person in my life – my Mom as I lost my dad quite early in life – and so with the 2 of them ganging up on me I went though very sure that I will attend only one breakfast and that’s it. One breakfast. . . but these many years down the road I am still here attending breakfast and now even sharing my life as well. It has indeed changed my life forever . . . Why? Because God knocked on my door a little harder that morning. In the Book of JOHN He says, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.”
As I started to live my Brotherhood Commitment card and do our first 2 basic commitments – daily prayer and Scripture time, I slowly came to the realization that indeed God wants a personal relationship with each one of us. HE then started guiding me to areas in my life that needed to be addressed, that needed to be changed. With some trepidation I said, “Lord, here I am.” Then one day while doing my prayer time I was challenged in a reflection to get out of my comfort zone and do several things – accept community service, travel, adopt a child, and run for public office.
At that point in my life I thought that most of these challenges were ‘long shots’ at best. I had just committed to be a member of the BCBP and so accepting a community service was a possibility, though my sights were limited to my BCBP chapter. Adopting a child and running for public office were nowhere in my sights. Those were my plans, but God had other plans for me.
Slowly, God revealed His plans for my life and I could only say, “Yes!” because He prepares me, He opens my mind, He softens my heart to accept His plans with the assurance that He is in control. After a year of service in the community I felt I was already too deep into it and was planning to lie low in service. I was a medical doctor with a private practice, also managing a private hospital, and I had just begun farming.
And so what does God do? He gave me more responsibility as Outreach Head and I heard God clearly in my heart, “You do not serve Me because you are ready, I make you ready.” Soon my service in the brotherhood became more fulfilling but I never considered community service beyond my chapter. But God had other plans so that today I serve way beyond our BCBP chapter at the national level.
God has seen to it that I will have the time and focus to do all the things HE has planned for me: including government service, adopting a child, serving in our parish and in 3 foundations, being with my wife and family who are very important to me, maintaining my medical practice (though now it is mostly ‘gratis’), and for exercise I still play tennis.
Our God is never done with us while we are on this earth. I know for sure that my God will always be there with me and for me no matter what happens. But whatever comes my way I will accept with a heartfelt “LORD, HERE I AM” because I know He intends to use all these life experiences, both good and bad, to strengthen me in this journey and make me grow in Him.
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We encourage you to read Bro Mayong’s full testimony that was posted on this website in July 23, 2011, in the section “TESTIMONIES” entitled “God Keeps Me Busy”.
