Our BFFs In Our Lives (Part 1)

There are occasions to celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, and why not also BFF’s Day! So, on the third Sunday of June which falls on the 23rd of June this year, I declare it a BFF’s Day! Why not? BFFs also play an important role in one’s life!

May mga okasyon para ipagdiwang ang Araw ng mga Nanay, Araw ng mga Tatay, Araw ng mga Lolo at lola, at bakit walang Araw ng mga BFF! Kaya naman sa ikatlong linggo ng Hunyo o ika-dalawampu't tatlo ng Hunyo sa taong ito, idinedeklara kong Araw ng mga BFF. At bakit namang hindi! Mahalaga rin naman ang mga bff sa buhay ng tao! 

We always feel good when we have friends who understand, inspire, and support us. - Friends whom we can share our hopes and dreams with, and friends who can love us through thick and thin. Masarap talaga ang may BFF. The kind of bonding we have with our friends may sometimes be even deeper than our relationship with our own families.

Laging masarap sa pakiramdam kapag meron tayong mga kaibigang nakakaintindi, nakakapagbigay-inspirasyon, at sumusuporta sa atin. Mga kaibigang maaari nating ibahagi ang ating pangarap at panaginip, at mga kaibigang nagmamahal sa atin sa hirap at ginhawa. Ang bonding na meron tayo sa isang kaibigan ay higit pang mas malalim minsan kaysa sa ating sariling pamilya.     

Proverbs 18:24

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is about David and Goliath. But I won’t be dwelling on how David killed Goliath but I’d like to zero in on the relationships that revolved in the book of Samuel, specifically between personalities like David, Jonathan, and King Saul.

Isa sa mga paborito kong kuwento sa Biblia ay tungkol kina David at Goliath. Pero hindi ko pagtutuunan kung paano pinatay ni Goliath si David pero bibigyan ko ng pansin ang klase ng relasyong nakapaloob sa libro ni Samuel, lalo na sa mga tauhang tulad ni David, Jonathan at Haring Saul.

David, the shepherd was able to kill a lion and a bear that almost ate the sheep he was taking care of. When King Saul heard about David’s power, he called David, befriended him, and made him one of his warriors. Again, the king as well as his messengers were impressed when David demonstrated his power and strength when he was able to kill the giant Goliath without any armor but with a sling and a stone. Kagilas-gilas talaga itong si David! Later on, King Saul noticed that the loyalty of his men began to wither because David was killing 10 times more Philistines than what he could do. King Saul began to get displeased and angry with David. He sensed that his kingdom would be turned over to David. He hated David because he was surpassing him. The resentments of King Saul against David began from that time on. The evil spirit of God was with Saul while the Lord was with David. Nevertheless, King Saul pretended to love David. He presented his daughter to be married with him. But David was then humbled and felt underserving for he was just a son of a poor man. Mababa lang ang kaligayahan! The King’s love and admiration for David’s power was just superficial. Plastik! Offering his daughter for marriage, giving him riches, proposing a beautiful house in Israel was insincere because there was a condition. He wanted hundred foreskins of the Philistines in return. It was also the King’s strategy because at the back of the King’s mind, he had the objective that the Philistines would be able to take David’s life. Traidor!

Si David na isang pastol ng mga tupa ay nakapatay ng leon at oso na muntikan nang kumain sa kaniyang inaalagaang tupa. Noong nabalitaan ni Haring Saul ang kaniyang kapangyarihan, tinawag niya si David, kinaibigan niya siya at ginawa niyang isa sa mga mandirigma niya. Muling ikinarangal ng Hari at ang kaniyang tauhan noong nakita nilang pinatay ni David si Goliath na walang gamit pandigma kundi ang isang tirador lamang. Napansin ngayon ni Haring Saul na nagsimulang kumukupas ang kanilang katapatan sa kaniya. Kinamumuhian ng Hari si David dahil nalalamangan niya siya. Nagsimulang sumama ang loob ng hari. Napasakanya ang espiritu ng kasamaan habang nakay David naman ang espiritu ng Diyos. Datapwat ganito, Nagkunwari pa ring mahal ni Haring Saul si David. Iprinisinta niya ang kaniyang anak na kaniyang mapapangasawa. Mapagpakumbaba si David at naramdaman niyang hindi siya karapat-dapat dahil siya'y mahirap lamang. Pabalat-bunga lamang ang pagmamahal ng Hari kay David. Nag-alok na mapapangasawa niya ang kaniyang anak, bibigyan niya siya ng kayamanan at magarbong bahay ay hindi tapat dahil may kondisyon.  Nais ni David na ang kapalit nito ay isang daang balat ng mga Pilistino. Isang stratehiya din ito dahil sa likod ng isip ng Hari ay mapapatay din siya ng mga Pilistino.

King Saul bared his “friendship and goodness” to David as he told his men to communicate with David how much the King loved him.  "Dapat ipaalam sa lahat ng tao na mabuti ako at mahal na mahal ko siya!" But the truth is, the king realized that in any given circumstance, David was going to be for the advantage of Israel. He was a great conqueror and could be a defender of his tribe.

Ipinagbigay-alam ni King Saul ang kaniyang pagmamahal sa kaniyang mga tauhan. Ngunit sa katotohanan nito ay napagtanto ng Hari na sa anumang oras, maaaring mapapakinabangan si David sa Israel. Siya'y isang matapang na mandirigma at magtatanggol sa tribong Israel. 

The situation of the story sounds very familiar in our life today. We, at times can have the same kind of character like that of King Saul – we treat our fellow beings kindly but with ulterior motives. We can be very kind to our fellowmen but we have a hidden agenda. “Oh, my BFF! Be one of my networks because I can benefit from you! But let me get rid of you afterwards because I have gotten what I wanted. I have attained what I wanted to become and most of all I’m afraid you will be my competitor! In short, I no longer need you in my life! You’re just a friend for benefit. Etchepuwera ka na sa buhay ko pag nakuha ko na ang gusto ko!”

Ang sitwasyon sa kuwentong ito ay hindi kaiba sa ating buhay ngayon. Kung minsan, meron tayong pay-uugali na tulad ni King Saul. Nagiging mabait tayo sa sting kapwa ngunit may masamang hangarin. Mabait tayo dahil may itinatagong adhikain. "BFF, maging isa ka sa mga network ko ha, dahil mapapakinabangan kita. Pero etsepuwera ka na lang kapag nakuha ko na ang gusto ko, naabot ko na ang gusto kong marating, at lalong lalo na dahil baka ikaw ang aking kakompitensiya. Hindi na kita kailangan sa buhay ko. Kaibigan lang kita para mapakinabangan kita!"

Now, let’s assess the kind of relationship David and Jonathan had. They reciprocally loved each other like loving their own soul.

Pag-aralan naman natin ang klase ng pagkakaibigan nina David at Jonathan. Nagmamahalan sila tulad ng pagmamahal nila sa kanilang mga sariling kaluluwa.

John 15:13

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

This was true for both David and Jonathan. They made a covenant before the Lord of friendship and peace. David and Jonathan’s friendship was deep that many times Jonathan protected David from his father, Saul.

Ganito sina David at Jonathan. Nagpangakuan sila sa harap ng Panginoon sa kanilang pagkakaibigan at kapayapaan. Malalim ang kanilang pagkakaibigan at maraming beses na ipinagtanggol ni Jonathan si David sa kaniyang Amang, si Haring Saul. 

David and Jonathan are BFFs. Their love for one another was evident in the following circumstances:

MagBFF sina David at Jonathan. Naipakita ang kanilang pagmamahalan sa mga sitwasyong ito:

1.     When David became one of King Saul’s men of war, Jonathan gave his garments and sword, bow and girdle to David.

Noong naging isa sa mga mandirigma si David ni Haring Saul, ibinigay ni Jonathan ang kaniyang kasuotan at espada, pana, at sinturon kay David. 




2.     When King Saul plotted to kill David, Jonathan squealed to David about his father’s plot. He advised David to hide in a secret place so his father won’t discover him or it would mean his death.

Noong tinangkang patayin ni King Saul si David, nagsumbong si Jonathan sa kaniya tungkol sa balak ng kaniyang tatay. Pinayuhan niya siyang magtago ng hindi siya mahanap ng tatay niya at kung hindi siya'y papatayin.




3.     Jonathan spoke well of David to his father. He questioned his father why he should kill David when in fact he put his life and slew Goliath and other Philistines.

Mabuti lahat ang ibinabalita ni Jonathan sa tatay niya patungkol kay David. Tinanong din niya kung bakit nais niyang patayin si David na siyang nagbuwis ng kaniyang buhay noong pinatay niya si Goliath at iba pang Palistino.




4.     Both Jonathan and David exchanged covenants among each other. Jonathan said to David, "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee."

Kapwang nagpangakuan sina David at Jonathan. Sabi ni Jonathan kay David, "Anuman ang gusto ng iyong kaluluwa, gagawin ko rin para sa iyo."




5.     During the time when David became one of the king’s men of war, it’s a customary, that on a new moon, the king’s men would eat together. Since David was into hiding, his seat was going to be empty but Jonathan took his seat in place of David and he defended David’s absence to his father.

Kaugalian nila na kapag bilog ang buwan, lahat ng mga tauhan ng Hari ay nagsasalu-salo sa iisang hapag-kainan. Dahil nasa taguan si David, magiging bakante ang silya niya. Kaya si Jonathan ang humalili sa kaniyang puwesto at ipinagtanggol niya siya sa kaniyang tatay.




6.     Jonathan visited David in his hiding place, strengthened his hand in God, and revealed to him of becoming the King of Israel.

Binisita ni Jonathan si David sa kaniyang pinagtataguan, pinalakas niya ang kalooban ni David sa pamamagitan ng Diyos. Ipinaalam din niya ang kaniyang paging Hari ng Israel.

I tried to summarize the quality of friendship Jonathan and David had of which you can also evaluate yourself if you have this kind of attribute as a BFF or your BFF might have:

Sinubukan kong paikliin and klase ng pagkakaibigan nina Jonathan at David at maaring pag-aralan din ninyo ang inyong sarili kung meron kayong ganitong katangian o kaya'y ganito ang katangian ng inyong BFF.  

1. BFF is willing to sacrifice and share what he has. (Jonathan gave his garments and sword, bow and girdle to David.)

Puwedeng magsakripisyo at ibahagi ng BFF ang anumang meron siya.

2. BFF protects you from any danger. (He advised David to hide in a secret place to protect him from being killed by his father.)

Pinuprotektahan ka ng iyong BFF sa anumang kapahamakan. 

3. BFF values friendship. He upholds great respect for his friend. (Jonathan spoke well of David to his father.)

Pinapahalagahan ng iyong BFF ang inyong pagkakaibigan. Ikinararangal niya ang inyong pagiging BFF.

4. BFF is a two-way relationship. Both show mutual trust and friendship. (They exchanged covenants among each other.)

Dama ng dalawang magBFF na pareho silang may ugnayan sa isa't-isa. Pareho silang nagpapakita ng pagtitiwala at pagkakaibigan.

5. BFF is an advocate for truth. (Jonathan wanted to find out the truth why his father desired to take David’s life. And he defended David’s absence to his father.

Ang BFF ay nagtatanggol sa katotohanan.

6. BFF strengthens your faith in the Lord, helps you grow spiritually. S/he make you want to follow the Savior and improve your life. (Jonathan edified David by strengthening his hand in God.) 

Pinagtitibay ng BFF ang iyong pananalig sa Diyos, tinutulungan ka niyang mapaunlad ang iyong spiritwal na pagkatao. Tinutulungan ka niyang makasunod sa mga utos ni Hesus at bumuti ang iyong buhay. 

I presented two features of human relationships - a friend whose real intention is to kill you or downgrade you. And the other one is a friend who can uplift you. We have the choice but we can pattern the kind of friendship that David and Jonathan had. “Loving a friend like his own soul”.

Ipinakita rito ang dalawang katangian ng relasyon ng mga tao – ang kaibigan na ang tunay na pakay ay patayin ka o ilugmok ka. At ang isang klase naman ay hihilahin kang pataas upang umunlad. Nasa sa ating mamili pero maiging sundan natin ang klase ng pagkakaibigan nina David at Jonathan. “Mahalin ang isang kaibigan tulad ng pagmamahal sa iyong kaluluwa.”

Do your current friends care for you like what they’d want their soul to be? Or, do you care your friends like your own soul? The saying goes: “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.”

Pinapahalagahan ba kayo ng inyong kasalukuyang BFF tulad ng pagpapahalaga nila sa kanilang sarili? O, ikaw, pinahahalagahan mo ba ang iyong mga kaibigan tulad ng pagpapahalaga mo sa iyong sarili? May kasibihan, “Sabihin mo sa akin ang iyong mga kaibigan at sasabihin ko sa iyo kung sino ka.” 

Pinapahalagahan kami ng aming BFF tulad ng pagpapahalaga niya sa kaniyang sarili.
Our BFF care for us like her own self.

John 15:14

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Proverbs 22:11

He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

Do we consider ourselves the BFFs of the Lord? If we do, then we are those who are faithful, pure in heart, and obedient to obey his commands.

Ibinibilang ba natin ang ating sarili na BFF ng Panginoon? Kung ganun, tayo’y nananalig, dalisay ang puso, at sumusunod sa kaniyang mga kautusan.

What’s the role of friends in our life? Do you know that our friends become increasingly important especially in a teen-age life then, they pose to be significant persons again when one becomes like my age.

Ano ba ang tungkulin ng ating mga kaibigan sa ating buhay? Alam ninyong nagiging mahalaga ang ating mga kaibigan sa buhay ng isang tin-edyer tapos, nagiging mahalaga na naman sila kapag kasing edad na ninyo ako.

Just imagine how life would be if we don’t have friends. There would be no one whom we can share our bliss with!

Naisip na ba natin kung wala tayong kaibigan sa ating buhay? Wala man lang makikinig sa ating kasiyahan!

Luke 15:9

And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

What about you? How important are your friends to you? Please share your experience to me.

Kayo, gaano kahalaga ang iyong mga kaibigan? Ibahagi nga rin ninyo ang inyong karanasan?

Mahiyain ang aking kaibigan.
My friend is a shy-type person.