Pages Navigation Menu
Youtube Subscribers

Like My Turtles

Posted on Mar 17, 2005 in Life | 7 comments

I took home my new pets this afternoon—a pair of baby turtles named Lemon and Lime. I got my first pair of green turtles in 2001. I called them Nathan and Roselle, in honor of my valedictorian friends from UP and Ateneo.It’s a joy watching them turtles. Sometimes I even envy them, for they speak to me of God’s magnificence just by being. I mean, I wish I could say that about me. I wish people can see God in me even if I don’t open my mouth or do anything spectacular. I met a person like that once and I don’t think I have fully recovered from that encounter.One time I brought my pet amphibians to work. I was then with a company that understood eccentricities like mine. “Huwag ka maalaga ng pagong, babagal ang buhay mo (These turtles will make your life slow),” an officemate warned. I brushed his unwanted comment aside and branded it superstition. But many months later, I discovered that the pace of my life had indeed slowed down.I resigned from my job to look for more opportunities to spread my wings, but I found myself stuck in a tight spot, and strangely enough, not even really wanting to budge. And like my turtles, I have become content spending my days lazing around in the comfy confines of my house. Sometimes I wonder if the drive to go back to the rat race will ever return. Perhaps I’m not meant to be a harassed rat but a happy turtle.


Photo: Lemon & Lime (3-17-05)

Paula White said that God sometimes shuts doors to give us time to rest, replenish our strength, and restore our passion in preparation for greater things. I want to believe that this is what this break is for. In the months that I’ve spent at home, I did learn a few things about myself. As a workaholic, I’d subconsciously equated my significance with how much I’d achieved, but God showed me that my worth is far more than my accomplishments and what I do for a living. My identity is ultimately rooted in my relationship with Him.

Second, I learned that I don’t need to be in church or to serve in a ministry to worship God. I can give glory to Him even while doing the most mundane of chores, like cleaning my aquarium and baking bibingka. I just have to do these chores with Him in mind. Third, I learned that God’s grace is sufficient for every season of our lives. I’d always thought I’d go crazy if I stayed home for more than 2 weeks. Well, it’s been more than 62 weeks and this entry is testament to the fact that I am still sane. I am still coherent, am I not?

Because of this self-imposed confinement, I finally found the time to organize my closets, arrange 4-years worth of pictures, attend prayer meetings, take up writing essays again, have 5-day slumber parties with friends, bond with the family, experiment with baking, and travel at whim. Best of all, I shed close to 10 pounds without spending a single hour in the gym! It’s been a fun-filled one-and-a-half-year vacation, all paid for by my Heavenly Father.

I know it’s going to end soon. I just hope I get my wish of becoming more like my turtles at the end of this.

Related Posts

468 ad

7 Comments

  1. just an avid reader =) / March 23, 2005

    your essays are inspirational! i hope i’ll read more soon. God bless.

    Reply
  2. Jennifer Yap Caspe / March 25, 2005

    Thank you! Do you like turtles, too? I’ll try my best to come up with more anecdotes. God bless you, too! I hope I can get your name and email address, though.

    Reply
  3. avid reader =) / March 26, 2005

    as a matter of fact, i love turtles too. maybe i’ll post my name soon but i’m shy. i’ll keep reading your blog. again, God bless and thanks for replying to my comment. =)

    Reply
  4. Riz / March 30, 2005

    hey jenny! I like this one, most especially now that I walk like a turtle! lol (“,)

    I like this part most: God sometimes shuts doors to give us time to rest, replenish our strength, and restore our passion in preparation for greater things. How very true! (“,)

    Reply
  5. Jennifer Yap Caspe / March 30, 2005

    Riz,hahaha! Natawa ako sa yo! Get well soon. Here’s to doing greater things for God!

    Reply
  6. Jennifer Yap Caspe / March 30, 2005

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer Yap Caspe / March 30, 2005

    Avid Reader, you are most welcome! I hope you get the courage to give me your name soon. Blessings!

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This function has been disabled for Mommy With No Nanny.