By Gina Agsalon
(October 12, 2004)
I have chosen to be free.
I have chosen not to be a slave of guilt…
… I will not allow any sin to prevent me from coming before my God.
I have chosen not to be a slave of laziness…
… I will eagerly do what I have to do despite my negative feelings towards it.
I have chosen not to be a slave of unforgiveness…
… I will decide to forgive others despite all the pain they have caused me.
I have chosen not to be a slave of despair…
… I will avoid dwelling on my negative experiences and instead focus on the lessons I have learned from them.
I have chosen not to be a slave of insecurity…
… I will continue to discover my gifts knowing that I have a mission in this world that only I can fulfill.
I have chosen not to be a slave of apathy…
… I will open my eyes to the needs of my brothers and sisters and allow myself to be God’s hand to them.
I have chosen not to be a slave of fear…
… I will not let my anxiety paralyze me from serving God and fulfilling the mission that I am sent for.
I’d rather live a short life of a free woman than a long life of an enslaved one.
This is my choice.
What’s yours?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gina Agsalon was a pastoral carer as well as a professor of Theology at De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde. Aside from giving talks, she also guided people in discerning their career and state of life. She served as an Awesome Kids ministry teacher & Bulletin contributor/proofreader while heading the Formation Ministry of Feast Southwoods Mall Biñan. Rather than considering herself a seasoned writer, she described herself as a seasonal one since she only wrote when suddenly struck by divine inspiration. She published her book of poems entitled Musings: Inspirations from a Non-Writer shortly before she died in February 2022.