The Rebelution in the Philippines

Alyssa Chua (left), a 17-year-old rebelutionary from the Philippines, co-authors the blog Godly Ladies in Training with her good friend Christin Alvarez. She has given us permission to post the following essay she wrote entitled 'Finding the Rebelution'.

"Changes ain't totally pleasant but they're excellent things," says Mr. James Harrison in the book Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery.

Less than a year ago, I would have disagreed with Mr. Harrison. I didn't like change. In fact, I didn't like anything that would make my life - or even me - different. I wanted things to remain just the way they were. But God had other plans.

This past February, I came across something that changed my life.

A Turning Point
I was browsing through one of the forums where I am a member, when I came across a strange name in a topic title that immediately caught my attention. I opened the topic thread and read its contents. There was a link to another webpage. Out of curiosity, I decided to click on it and found myself at The Rebelution.

Simply clicking on that link changed my life. I learned to look within myself, and I saw the person I really was. I had never done that before. I had never looked at my life and my actions or ever wondered about myself before.

I saw the things that needed to change. I saw the selfish desires that had kept me from serving God fully. I saw the faults that had hindered me from serving others. I saw the pride that had kept me from admitting that I was wrong and the impatience that had kept me from trusting God about my future. Within myself, I saw the "weight" that was keeping me from running my race freely. I saw that I had to change.

The change was not immediate. It took long hours - days of thinking, and meditating on God's word. I had to go through the fire of purging and refining where my past thoughts, actions, and judgments were rebuked. There, I confessed to God of my wrong ways and asked Him to change my heart and my life. Like Mr. Harrison said, the change wasn't totally pleasant, but it was an excellent thing.

A Personal Challenge
Until I came across The Rebelution, I had never ventured out of my "comfort zone" where I had grown used to serving God. I had never accepted the challenges that looked too difficult. I enjoyed things just the way they were. Until then, I had never fully surrendered my life to God.

My comfort zone was a place where everything was just the way I wanted it to be; a condition where I never had to make extra effort or do something difficult; a state where I would sit back, relax, and enjoy myself.

Before, I did not want to step out because I was afraid of failing the challenge and failing in my service to God. It was some time before I realized that no matter how many times I fail the people around me, God will never consider me a failure, and I can always trust Him to give me the strength and courage to get up and go on.

Coming across The Rebelution brought about a challenge to look deep within myself and see the person I really am in Christ. It also brought about the challenge of stepping outside of my comfort zone. It wasn't easy, but looking to God for help, I stepped forward, away from the easy, relaxed life that I was used to living.

Outside my comfort zone, I found that I could serve God more fully and use all my talents unreservedly for Him. Outside my comfort zone, I learned to lean on God for strength, instead of leaning on the small pleasures of this world for comfort. Outside of my comfort zone, I learned to "do hard things."

"Why bother to do hard things?" people always ask. "Why can't you just do the things that you enjoy the most?"

For me, doing hard things meant doing the things I had never done before, the things I considered too difficult, such as serving with a glad heart, looking for a way to learn from my mistakes, obeying whole-heartedly the voice of God. For me, it meant taking action and living more like Jesus.

Without doing hard things, there would be nothing to challenge us to become better people. Without doing hard things, there would be nothing on which to exert ourselves and to mold our character for the better.

A Life-Changing Call
After visiting The Rebelution, I thought, "Now what?" I felt that I couldn't just sit still after that. I felt as if God was calling me to do something.

My friend, Christin, and I created the blog Godly Ladies in Training as an answer to that call. Ablaze with the fire of the Rebelution, we decided to create a joint blog where we could write all about our spiritual journey and the lessons God taught us as we went through life, such as modesty concerning dress.

Why do I want to be a rebelutionary? It is because I want to take a stand in what I believe is right in the sight of God.

A Defining Purpose
I had wandered unintentionally into The Rebelution, and the next thing I knew it had changed my life. It was an experience that I never regretted because it made me a better person. It was a stepping stone that helped me see the things I never saw before. It was a journey that taught me an important lesson that I shall never forget.

I've learned a lot, and I'm still learning, through God's grace.

I don't believe that it was "by chance" that I came upon the thread and decided to click on the link out of boredom. No, I believe that God led me there for a purpose.

I've made a commitment to spread the Rebelution in the East, starting with my country, the Philippines. It's not that easy - teenagers these days would rather "go with the flow" than go against it. That way, they would blend with the crowd and not be labeled as "odd" or "weird." Teenagers aren't that open to changes that would make them different.

Progress is slow. Culture is demanding. Many teenagers don't seem to care. But I won't give up. I'll stand firm. With God's help, we'll start a Rebelution.

Be sure to visit Alyssa and Christin's blog and thank Alyssa for this guest post.

Girls, we greatly appreciate your share committment to spread the Rebelution among our generation around the world. May God bless you and your efforts.