Meaningful Birthday Gifts from the Man Upstairs

A few days before my birthday, I was feeling pensive and melancholy.  Was it because of turning a year older?  I'm tempted to blame it on my hormones because the "monthly visit" came on my birthday.  Or maybe it was because of the beautiful solitude in Guimaras, where I spent my birthday weekend?

Fast forward two days after my birthday, thanks to my husband and a very dear friend, I realized that in my wistfulness, God had actually given me the most meaningful birthday gifts:

• A new perspective about friendship: the old adage about true friends being those who give you their time, and stick with you through thick and thin, are misleading clichés.  It's actually easy to give people some of your time and tell them "I'm here for you".  It's harder to make the relationship meaningful at each encounter.  Quality over quantity.  Friendships should be consistently edifying and encouraging.  As my friend said, you should be building each other up in God's word, not pulling each other down or being a stumbling block to others.
  I'm not very good at keeping in touch all the time.  But when I am there in the moment, I want it to be an enriching experience, not just a mere gabfest or a tiresome exchange that leaves you with headaches instead of smiles.  It doesn't have to be life-changing, but it just has to be wholesome and memorable, and it makes you cherish the relationship more.  Life is too short; invest your time on what matters the most.
• God is the Expert Pruner.  He has no qualms about doing away with anything superfluous.  As I told my husband, Buti nalang matapang si Lord.  I thought that I was bitchy and brave enough to do the "dirty job" of removing bad influences and unhealthy relationships from my life, but I realized that even if the ax was already in my hand, I couldn't -- wouldn't -- swing it.  I don't fully understand the fear and hesitations I have around this.  Maybe because it's a part of me that will be cut off and it will be very painful?  Probably so.  And what makes it harder to face is because God won't give you anesthesia before He brings on the pain.  I believe it's because we've gotten so used to the bad parts that we can't see how harmful and burdensome they really are. Or maybe you know they're bad for you, but you won't or can't get rid of them for one reason or another.  So when God hacks them out of your life, you have to experience the pain of letting go to appreciate the joy of freedom and relief afterwards.
• Some people are "toxic plants".  It's an unfortunate reality, but it's not easy to perceive.  The worst ones are those who are blind or have blinded themselves to what's right and brings someone else with them down the wrong way; blind leading the blind.  Crab mentality of crabby people who don't know they're crabs.  
  I just hope and pray I won't be and am not a toxic plant to anyone.  I want to strive to be a blessing to others, just as the Lord wants us all to be.