As we grow and navigate adulthood, I believe our understanding of what it means to live an abundant life also matures. Life has a way of reshaping our perspectives. We all carry different battles, many of them silent. There are moments when we question whether we're still on the right path or wonder when our long-awaited breakthrough will finally come.
How we define abundance is often shaped by our upbringing, environment, beliefs, and even the limiting narratives we've unknowingly embraced. It is also influenced by the choices we make and the kind of life we decide to pursue each day.
Growing up, I spent countless hours watching Filipino films from the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s. Their stories were filled with drama, romance, action, and fantasy. Yet beyond the plots, it was the fashion, the architecture, and the interiors of their homes that captivated me the most. They became visual time capsules, each one telling the story of the era it belonged to.
Those films, together with lifestyle and fashion magazines, gave me an early glimpse of what the world considered abundance. Opulence. Grandeur. Luxury. Status.
Even as a young boy, I realized that the world often revolved around hierarchy, influence, power, and prestige.
At the same time, another realization quietly took root within me.
I became deeply aware of where I was in life and developed a desire to change the trajectory of my future. Ambition began growing in the heart of young Froi. My imagination became my refuge. I spent hours daydreaming, visualizing, and dreaming about a life I believed was possible.
From an early age, I already knew what I wanted.
The only person I ever shared those dreams with was my mother Wilma.
I was a bullied child, and she became my safest place.
"Looking back, having such a grand vision for my life at such a young age taught me something unexpected: not every dream needs an audience. Some dreams are meant to grow in silence before they are revealed in public."
Coron 2022
As I grew older, I developed a coping mechanism of carefully discerning whom I could trust and whom I couldn't. Looking back now, I realize that this discernment wasn't born merely from wisdom, it was born from survival.
God had already planted gifts, interests, and abilities within me. And I've come to believe that when a gift is genuinely from the Lord, it cannot remain hidden forever. Eventually, it reveals itself. It naturally overflows into the lives of others, even when the person carrying it is still young, insecure, or unaware of its significance.
Being bullied and labeled were one of the most painful experiences of my formative years. It exposed me to how cruel the world could be toward an innocent child.
Yet that season also taught me an invaluable lesson.
Know who your true allies are.
Continue doing the work.
And let your work speak for itself.
Not everyone will celebrate your victories. As I continued my walk with Christ, I began to understand that the way people treat us often reflects what is happening within them. Their actions are frequently shaped by their wounds, unresolved pain, fears, insecurities, areas that still need healing, and even the joys and wonders that fill their lives.That realization changed my perspective.
What once felt deeply personal eventually became an opportunity to extend grace.
By God's mercy, I have forgiven those who bullied and labeled me. The Lord redeemed those painful memories and used them to strengthen my faith. Instead of allowing my past to define me, He taught me to face life with confidence, trusting that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Cebu 2023
If I'm honest, bullying also produced something unhealthy within me.
It cultivated a competitive spirit.
At first, it felt like protection, an armor I wore to make sure I would never become vulnerable again. But over time, I realized that this desire to constantly compete was rooted in wounds I had carried since childhood.
Competition, in itself, isn't always wrong. It can sharpen excellence and encourage growth.
But my heart wasn't in the right place.
I believed that if I climbed higher, achieved more, or became more successful than everyone else, I would finally experience the abundant life I had been chasing.
Instead, something else quietly began taking root.
Envy.
Covetousness.
Bitterness.
Resentment.
Hostility.
Animosity.
Without realizing it, the very things I thought would lead me to abundance were slowly corrupting the condition of my own heart.
June 2019 became a turning point in my life when a close friend shared the Gospel with me. After waiting three months to be part of a Bible study group, I was finally plugged into one on October 24, 2019. A month later, after consistently attending, reading the Bible, and taking journaling seriously again, I surrendered my life to Jesus out of my own free will on November 24, 2019.
It was one of the most transformative moments of my life. The weight I had carried for so many years, the striving, the performance, the fears, the burdens, and the questions, was met with a peace I couldn't explain.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
The process of shedding the remnants of my old self had finally begun. Old habits had to be unlearned. The desires my flesh once delighted in had to be surrendered daily at the feet of Jesus.
I soon realized that following Christ isn't a bed of roses. It is a journey through deep waters of sanctification and the refining fire of God's grace. Receiving Jesus as Savior is only the beginning. Making Him your Lord and Master is the lifelong process of dying to yourself, obeying His Word, and trusting His will every single day.
Following Jesus for the past seven years has continually reshaped the way I see my past, my present, and my future.
Whenever memories of past wounds, failures, or painful experiences resurface whether through spiritual attacks or quiet moments of reflection, I remind myself of Christ's love displayed on the cross. His finished work is enough. He already knows where my story is headed.
Instead of entertaining bitterness, I've learned to pray for the very people who once hurt me. I sincerely pray for their well-being, their healing, and ultimately, that they would come to know Jesus.
Holding on to grudges, resentment, envy, comparison, or unforgiveness only leaves the door open for the enemy to steal our peace and joy. Life already has enough battles of its own. I no longer have room for those things to take root in my heart because they are not part of the abundant life I have found in Christ.
"Looking back, I realized that the movies and culture that shaped my imagination painted only a shallow picture of abundance. Power, prestige, possessions, and positions are all temporary. We often spend our lives chasing things that can be lost, replaced, or taken away."
The peace that Jesus offers is entirely different.
It cannot be bought.
It cannot be manufactured.
It cannot be stolen.
Perhaps that's why the enemy works so tirelessly to offer counterfeits. Jesus Himself said that the thief comes only "to steal, and to kill, and to destroy," but He came so that we "may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
The world's version of abundance always demands more while leaving you emptier. Christ's abundance begins by filling what the world never could.
Bacolod 2024
If I'm being honest, it would be hypocritical of me to say that I've never prayed for a comfortable life.
I regularly bring my dreams, desires, and ambitions before Jesus in prayer. Neither do I subscribe to prosperity theology nor poverty theology. The God I serve knows my heart far better than I do. I believe He desires what is ultimately best for His children according to the unique purpose He has designed for each of us.
"The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it."
— Proverbs 10:22 (NKJV)
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
— Job 1:21 (NKJV)
"And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day."
—Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)
These passages continually remind me that, no matter how diligently we work or strive, God always has the final say, for He is Sovereign. He is the Creator.
Everything we have is ultimately by His grace.
Every opportunity.
Every ability.
Every resource.
Every open door.
He is the One who enables us to do the work our hands find to do. The question then becomes: What are we building?
Are we building His Kingdom?
Or are we merely building our own?
Dumaguete 2025
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is John 15 because, to me, it beautifully captures what the abundant life truly is in a single word:
"ABIDE".
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
— John 15:5 (NKJV)
John 15 also presents the reality of following Christ.
As His ambassadors, we are in this world but not of this world. The values of God's Kingdom stand in stark contrast to the world's systems of power, hierarchy, influence, and status. Jesus never promised that abiding in Him would exempt us from persecution, rejection, or hatred. In fact, He reminded His disciples that the same world that rejected Him would also reject those who belong to Him.
Yet none of these things diminish the abundant life He promises.
If anything, they reveal where true abundance is found.
"The abundant life Jesus offers is not measured by possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is measured by His abiding presence."
It is the peace that remains when circumstances fall apart.
The joy that outlasts success and failure.
The love that transforms bitterness into forgiveness.
The hope that refuses to surrender in seasons of waiting.
This is the abundance the world cannot manufacture and the enemy cannot counterfeit.
No amount of wealth can purchase it.
No title can guarantee it.
No achievement can replace it.
It is found only in Jesus Christ.
Zambales 2026 (Photo by: Ronzbell Lawan)
Following Jesus comes with a cost. We are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. Yet every sacrifice we make pales in comparison to the price He willingly paid for us through His precious blood on the cross.
The abundant life is not a life free from suffering.
It is a life filled with the unwavering presence of the Savior who walks with us through it all.
If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, this is my invitation to you.
Come to Him.
The life He offers cannot be stolen by the world, diminished by failure, or taken away by death.
In Him, you will discover the abundance your soul has been longing for all along.
Jesus is KING!
Sealing this with Love,
FROI
#DoulosDos
