KCAT CAN: A Colorful 2012 for us

Let's have a happy, positive & COLORFUL 2012! It all depends on the choices we'll make, so choose wisely. Choose COLORFUL.

A colorful 2012 for us
by Maria Kathrina Lopez Yarza 
January 8, 2012

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LOR D, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

Every hour, every minute, and every second of each day, we are faced with a variety of choices to make — what do, where to go, who to spend time with, what to eat, what to buy, how to act, and so on.


Our life is God’s greatest gift to us, and along with that gift is free will. Yes, our life may be planned out according to God’s will, but it is still up to us to realize this and to enjoy His plans for us. It is and will always be our choice. Everything that is happening in our lives is a result of the choices that we had made in the past; be it small or big, important or trivial. There may be instances when it seems that we are pushed flat to the wall with no choices left, but in reality, we just do not like the options presented to us. It is worthy and wise to remember that God gives us the strength to do what’s right, but we are the ones who must choose it; God won’t do it for us.

A Colorfu l 2012

In 2011, I have met a lot of people — people who have helped me and people whom I have helped. I have also crossed paths with sickness, happiness, sadness, warmth, weariness, carelessness, and so on, and all of these have made 2011 a worthwhile year.

Nevertheless, it is time to leave the past behind, and welcome 2012 with hope and optimism. The new year is the time to make a change, make a move, and experience with eagerness what lies ahead in the future.

When I was invited to be a guest speaker in an event last year, someone asked, “How do you describe your life in one word?” and immediately, I replied, “Colorful.”

Red symbolizes my courage and confidence; pink is love and beauty; blue is when I am calm; orange is when I am on the go because it symbolizes energy. Green is the color of balance; it is the color that keeps me grounded. Yellow is my radiant color because it describes who I am: happy, optimistic, with the ability to brighten up a dull mood. Purple is not only my favorite color, but it also represents my purpose in life. I look at my life as a rainbow, a box of crayons, a basket of different fruits, a set of coloring and picture books.

But my life is not all bright, it is sometimes cool, warm, dark, light, but it will never be just plain black or white. Besides, my painting instructor once said that black and white are not considered as colors, and I’m sticking with that. In art, white is the absence of all colors and black is the presence of all colors, and both black and white are just mere tones. But on the contrary and in actuality, black is the absence of color while white is the presence of all the colors. I choose how colorful I want my life to be although there had been times when I painted it too hard or too light, or even messed up at times, and mixed up all the colors and produced black.

So let us start the year joyful, colorful and wonderful by always choosing to think, to say, and to do what is good and what is right. Happiness starts with us, and it is always our choices that matter. Let us leave behind the pains, frustrations, and failures of the bygone year, and face this year with hope, faith and love. When something bad happens to us, we have three choices: let it define us, let it destroy us or you can let it strengthen us.

“Every day you are choosing either to be grateful or to be disappointed. You can worry to no end about what you don’t have. Or you can marvel at God’s breathtaking gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. Could you create any of these? These miracles of life are always around you, ready to be celebrated, ready to be welcomed into your life.”

Life must always go on no matter While moving forward with our lives, let us not forget those whose lives seemed to have stopped or slowed down like our brothers and sisters in Northern Mindanao who have experienced the wrath of Typhoon Sendong. Let us do something good and right by praying, donating, and volunteering. It is a good choice born out of the free will given by our loving and gracious Father. May we prove ourselves worthy of God’s abundant gifts.

Happy Colorful 2012 everyone!