Plant Now, Reap Later

There is a Tagalog (Pilipino) adage, “Kung mayroon kang itinanim mayroon kang aanihin” (in English “If you plant something you will also reap”.)

At dawn (1:00 A.M.) of July 7, 2014 (Monday dawn in the Philippines), our house beside the Davao City Foursquare Gospel Church, the first Foursquare Church established in Mindanao by American missionaries Rev. Arthur and Evelyn “Nanay” Thompson, in the early 50’s, from whence came out almost two thousand daughter churches all over Mindanao as of today, was cruelly gutted down by fire due to electrical faulty wiring, so the Fire Department call it.

Among the numerous treasures, beside the sentimental value of our home, that I lost was a Mont Blanc ball pen worth P20,000.00 (in pesos) given to me as gift many years ago, by my youngest brother, Benigno “Benjil” D. Cariaga, IV. Benjil, is the nickname given by our late mother to my brother who was under my support from first year high school up to college, because our father by then, have passed away. He worked for a time in my modest law office as my clerk-typist up to the day that a client asked me if he could employ him as clerk in his business enterprise. Of course, I was only too glad to accommodate my client and release my brother. Thereafter, he self-supported himself until he finished his college degree in Commerce.

Then, to cut a long story short, he was taken in by Sycip Gorres Velayo Auditing Office. This prestigious auditing firm was the private accounting firm engaged by then President of the Philippines, Ferdinand E. Marcos. Not long after, the auditing firm sent him to Saudi Arabia where until now he still works.

Without my asking, many years before today, in one of his rare visit to the Philippines, he gave me a Mont Blanc ball pen worth at that time, I was told, the equivalent of twenty thousand pesos as gift (in Tagalog “pasalubong”). The trouble with this ball pen is that its filler is worth a little less than P400.00 and it is only available in Makati City in Metro Manila, Philippines. For all the years that my youngest brother lived and worked with me, he must have noticed that being a full-time busy practitioner of the law profession, I earn my living by writing numerous pleadings and letters everyday. I simply cannot go along without writing almost everyday. Perhaps, I surmised, as his payment for his debt of gratitude for his success in life for which I may have contributed something, out of love, he gifted me with that most treasured ball pen.

In the book of Romans, it is said, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: …” In Pilipino language, “Huwag kang mag-utang maliban sa utang na loob”.

My sadness is beyond description in words when at early dawn on July 7, 2014, my most treasured ball pen turned into smoke and ashes when our residential house which I built in seven years like the city of Rome, got burned. This brother of mine was my companion in gathering the special manggachapoy lumber given by a client from Kialeg, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, Philippines – a distance of more than 60 kms. from Davao City.

When my brother learned from my daughter, Atty. Susan, that my most treasured ball pen got burned, besides allegedly expressing his deep sympathy with a sob, he committed to send a replacement. Indeed, by the second week of September 2014, a package arrived with a ball pen exactly the same as the one that was burned. I was told, the cost was now the equivalent of thirty thousand pesos. My joy is beyond expression in words. Praise God! I used it to write the draft of this article.

The wise king Solomon said, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again” (Ecclesiastes 11:1 NIV). When I supported my brother in his quest for education because he was only twelve years old when our father have gone to be with our LORD, I spent for his education without expecting anything in return. This, to me, was “casting my bread upon the waters”. When a literal bread is thrown upon the waters, of course, we don’t expect it to be fit for food again, but it is lost forever. But to me, there is a spiritual meaning of “for after many days you will find it again”. Yes, I have found my treasured Mont Blanc “after so many days”.

My brother is now in his 40’s but still he is working in Saudi. Perhaps he is a diligent worker so that his employer kept him there for good.

I have seven brothers and a sister. Our eldest was supported by me financially in his 4^th year in college because his girlfriend suddenly arrived at his dormitory and refused to “go home” so my brother was forced to marry her. Since then my father was discouraged, and I had to stop going to school to allow him to continue his studies. Praise God, all their four children are now professionals, two are abroad and are gainfully employed; one work with a solid prestigious commercial bank in the Philippines, and the youngest is a Civil Engineer employed in the DPWH in our Philippine government.

My seven younger siblings were financially supported by me also in their quest for educational degree because our father who was a Principal in the public school, the only bread earner in our big family, had passed away.

Again, the wise King Solomon continued, “Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land” (Ecclesiastes 12:2 NIV).

When I helped my eight siblings in their quest for education, I had no idea as to who will respond to me in my time of “disaster”. And, of course obviously, I did not know that someday my own family will be a “fire victim”. Out of them all, only one responded - the one who gave me my treasured ball pen. The rest (three of whom have already passed away), merely visited me expressing their deep sympathy, nothing more nothing less. Praise God anyway. That is enough moral support and consolation to me.

I am reminded of the story in the Bible of ten Jewish lepers who were healed by our Lord Jesus Christ. After they were healed, they excitedly ran to report their healing to the priest as instructed by the LORD Jesus. Only one of them, a Samaritan at that (a non-Jew), came back to thank the Lord Jesus. Whereupon the Lord Jesus asked, “Were there not ten of you who were healed, where are the nine?” Nothing more I can add or subtract.

The Bible indeed is true. The Lord Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38 NIV). Plant now as much as you can and later you will reap abundantly.