Eto Na.

If you haven’t been living under the rock in the past week you may have probably heard about:

1. Charice admitting who she really is and
2. Richard Poon and Maricar Reyes’ first kiss in the altar

While I highly commend Charice’s bravery, I believe that everything that needs to be said has already been said about the topic. All I can say is that I commend her for speaking so bravely about the woman she loves – which is more than what I can say for most of the men I know.

While a lot of things have also been said about Richard and Maricar, it is an issue quite close to my heart, and while I don’t know them personally, I am absolutely touched by their commitment to wait until they were married.

Growing up in Christian schools and in an overall Christian environment, stories like theirs is no longer news to me.

I was given the book I Kissed Dating Goodbye when I was 13 and proceeded to “kiss” dating goodbye at that age. I soon found myself reading Saving My First Kiss and When God Writes Your Love Story in high school over and over again that it often prompted my classmates to say, “Binabasa mo na naman yan!”

Books that I have read when I was younger promised of stories like this one and while I have been familiar with many of them (and cried over a lot of them), I have never come across one like Maricar’s.

If  you also have not been living under a rock, you would more or less know the major battle Maricar fought a few years back. Her strength as she rose from that sad scandal was inspiring to many but the story that unfolded yesterday got everyone talking about a different video of Maricar's. 

It is one that is full of hope and one that greatly tells the story of someone redeemed by Jesus.

In a world of puwede na, is it really possible to find an eto na?

Seeing Richard’s dedication to his bride made me realize that maybe a love story as exquisite as theirs was still possible in this world of friends with benefits, endless dates, and multiple partners.

I was crying for joy when I first saw the video, but when I came across their interview on TV patrol, I felt a bit sad.

Maricar, who is like the epitome of BEAUTY was teary eyed when asked about the best thing about Richard. She spoke about feeling “worthy”  and “important” for the very first time ever and I feel that every single woman felt their hearts break a little because they too long to feel worthy of the kind of love that Richard displayed.

With all the men that I have encountered through my friends and some on my own journey, I have always felt unworthy. I was once called “stupid” in a meeting and was even told that I was  too fat to be seen with anyone and while I fought back like any new age woman, I don’t think I ever fully recovered simply because those comments said more than once left me feeling very insecure. As if love had anything to do with one's weight, looks or any other superficiality.

Just like Maricar, women carry around a sense of unworthiness inside of them and when men like Richard float out of thin air, everyone cries with joy but some of them question it as well, What can a girl do to feel that kind of love? That kind of respect?

The answer is nothing.

Imagine, a creature as perfect as Maricar Reyes was once treated very badly and even she thought that she lacked. I bet she also cried, never imagining that God will replace her tears with so much joy. But that’s the kind of God He is – a God of anything we could ever ask, think, or imagine.

The great thing about Him is that His gifts for us are never based on what we did or didn’t do. And while, He would love for us to stop going from one person or another trying to make someone else responsible for our happiness, He doesn’t condemn us for our past mistakes. His gifts for us are just that – gifts. Nobody can force you to give a brilliant gift to someone, you do it because you love that person and you want what’s best.

The truth is, God has a plan and a perfect fit just for you. And no, you don't have to be perfect in order to have that kind of love story: you just have to be you because when the day finally comes, the soon to be love of your life will see God's light in you that can never be bought in a store or lost in the gym.

You see, I once thought that in order for one to discover a love story as such, one should be perfect. Meaning doing things that would make you “worthy” of that great story that  the greatest storyteller of all time was crafting. This was the premise behind the many “nos” that I have said and the many “let’s hang” I turned down (joke, isa lang talaga ang na receive ko na let’s hang, ha ha ha).

The whole time I was thinking, “I have to do good or else He would erase my lovestory,” and so I walked away from friendships that didn’t measure up to the Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin and Atom Araullo (ha, ha ha, of course may local version!) in my head.

But the truth is, I can manipulate this to my liking. I simply want what God wants for me.

If there is anything that I have learned it’s that what I want often falls short of what God wants for me and while past experiences have left me skeptic and cynical of my own love story, it is stories like Maricar’s and Richard’s that revives my heart back to its core: hope.

It reminds me to not give away my heart too soon. It reminds me that while I understand that the packaging maybe different, there is a core set of non- negotiables that I should stick to. That while it is so easy to fall for the bad boy, it is much more enjoyable to be with someone who understands that commitment I made to someone higher than him.

Trust me ladies, it is worth it to wait for the man who will make you feel secure and not leave you crying every night, wondering where he is or why he isn't calling. God created you for so much more and it doesn't matter where you've been or what you've been through -- NOBODY CAN TAKE AWAY THE FACT THAT YOU DESERVE THE VERY BEST!  So don't allow anyone to make you feel that way.

It is quite important to fight for your worth because often you end up with the things you are strong enough to fight and wait for.

Yes, FIGHT for your worth, more often than not the one who really loves you would treat you right - period. Those who don't, well, you can always show them the door and never waste a tear again. Don't sacrifice who you are and how you should be treated for someone who doesn't even want to treat you right.

God has a plan, don’t let a smooth talker with nothing to back it up take that plan away from you.

So, bring the tissue out and let’s watch this video again, knowing that in time, someone else would be inspired by ours.

One day, you will be someone's answered prayer.