Ghenee Escolar

MY BLANKET AND ME It was warm and sweat was coming out from every pore of my skin. Yet I curled up as much as I could under my blanket. I endured that very uncomfortable position until I fell asleep. Toastmasters and guests, good evening! Tonight, comforted by the thought of you being my newly found family, I am at ease to share with you an itty bitty secret about MY BLANKET and ME. When I was a kid, the scenario I shared with you was very common during sleeping time when all the lights were turned off and everything went into a hush. It was when I felt that something or someone was scratching off the roof. It was as if someone was looking at me through the wooden jalousie (which was closed, by the way). It was when cold air gave me Goosebumps and sent chills to my bones. And it was when that my blanket served as the only security that I can hold on to. Growing up, my blanket became part of my every sleep or my every moment of lying down. It came to the point that I could not sleep without a blanket—it was a “You can take my pillows but not my blanket” thing. Without my blanket, I felt naked and unsecured. However, as I grew older, my blanket meant more to me than just being my security during dark evenings. It also became my comfort when times were bad and things were going wrong. When things went rough and my heart was troubled, I just curled up under my blanket. It also served as my hanky for all the tears I shed and for all the mucous (pardon me for that) that ran down my nose. My blanket and me, Me and my blanket. It was like we were inseparable! But wait, there is another Blanket way more than just a mere material that literally warms me from the coldness of the night or covers my body from someone else’s prying eyes. This Blanket gives me not just security but protection, not just comfort but assurance. This is the Blanket I found and I have in God. God was there on the day I was born; He also protected me and spared me from serious injuries when I fell off the stairs; He likewise spared my leg from being hit by a stray bullet, He was there when I gave birth to my child; and He is always there every single day of my life. So in God, I am not just secured, I am very much protected! But it does not stop there. One great thing about God’s protection is it is not limited to me. It extends to the people I love and care so much, my family for example. Whether we are near or far from each other or no matter where any of us will go, I know that God is there to keep us safe and secure. God’s assurance has likewise never failed. When things get tough and my hope is frail, God never ceases to amaze me how he can turn bad circumstances to good or how he can make an accident into a blessing. When we were hurt by members of our previous church, God gave us shelter in a new church. When a guy broke my heart, God gave me a wonderful man, who unfortunately cannot join us tonight. When I was unemployed after passing the Bar, God gave me a Law Firm. When our second-hand car was damaged due to a highway accident, God gave us a brand new car. Amazing isn’t it? There’s more. When I felt socially inactive, God gave me you--Toastmasters. And when I am in need, God always provides. His provisions may not come early, but it never runs late as well. Thus, I can really say that with God, I am not just insured, I am assured. Remember I told you that it was like a “You can take my pillows but not my blanket” thing? Well, I guess now you understand. You cannot take God away from me; because in Him, I find peace. I will no longer be afraid because God is my blanket. And by the way, my blanket is toooooooo big I am willing to share. Toastmasters and guests let us all find rest, peace and joy in the blanket of God’s Love. Enjoy the rest of the evening and Merry Christmas!!!!!