I Believe In Signs

I believe that God answers prayers through signs. In the Scriptures, especially in the Old testament, God manifested himself through signs. He appeared before Moses as the burning bush. God appeared as the pillar of fire. God appeared as a cloud. In the New testament, God took the form of man and became Man-God himself in Jesus Christ. And Jesus worked through signs too! He made wine from water. He cured the blind man by rubbing clay on his eyes. God the Holy Spirit appeared as fire in the form of tongues or as a dove. I believe God even now communicates through signs. Perhaps, it His most visible way of saying to us, "I love you".

I am a believer in signs and during the time I took my medical board exams there have been many signs that somehow showed me that God was every step of the way. In fact, before I took the exams, I asked God for a sign, a sign that would tell me whether I would make it through or not. I did not specifically ask for any sign because I didn't know what sign to ask. But I just asked for a sign. Any sign. If I see it, then I would know it. And there have been many signs!

Sign no. 1 - we left for Cebu City on the 7th hour of the 7th day of the 7th month of the 7th year of the 21st century. I did not really arrange for this happen. We just found out about it a day earlier but we have already planned to leave on this date long before.
Sign no. 2 - The first day of exaams were held on august 4, which is also the day of my favourite grandmother's death. Lola Sol, my mother's mother, was my first teacher and since her death, she has always been my guardian angel. Aug 4 was also the first saturday of the month, a day dedicated to Our Lady and the day itself, if I am not mistaken, is the feast of St. Anne and Joachim, grandparents of Jesus.
Sign no. 3 - 2 days before the final weekend of exams, I was already feeling down. I could not bear anymore my emotions. And so I prayed to the Lord for comfort and another sign that would tell me that everything would be fine. Just as soon as I made that mental prayer, while walking back to our pension house, a schoolmate recognized me and asked me what was I doing in Cebu. I explained to her that I was taking the med board exams. She asked me if I already went to Simala. I asked her about Simala and she told me the story of Simala. I decided then to go to Simala to make that pilgrimage. So the day before the exams, with a few classmates, I went to Sibonga and made a pilgrimage to Simala.
Sign No. 4 - During the final day of exams, upon entering my classroom, I saw a brown butterfly resting on the wall exactly right above where I was seated. The butterfly did not move and was present during the entire duration of the exams. I felt it was my grandmother, my guardian angel, reassuring me that everything would turn out fine.
Sign No. 5 - The day before I went home, we decided to visit the Mactan Shrine our classmate who stayed in Cebu was talking about. I never knew that it was actually a Marian Shrine and the Marian title was Our Lady of the Rule. Our lady of the Rule is also a patroness in our parish in Camingawan. In fact, long before the Church of our parish was built, the faithful would attended masses at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rule in my parish. To me this was another sign.
Sign No. 6 - Aug 15 is the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary's assumption. It was also during this day that I officially became a certified doctor. The results of the national board exams were released the evening of August 15.
Sign No. 7 - Aug 22, a week after the results were released, all of us who passed the boards attended the 11:30 mass at the USLS Chapel before we had a luncheon meeting with our Dean. August 22 is another Marian feast day, the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Sign no. 8 - Since I have to process my PRC license and I.D. I went back to Cebu the week after and processed my license and oathtaking. I became officially registered on August 28, the birthday of my late grandmother, Lola Sol.
Sign No. 9 - Going back to Bacolod after registering for my PRC license, I was travelling to Negros under a partial lunar eclipse. I felt the symbolism of this natural phenomenon.
Sign No. 10 - the testimonial dinner for my batch hosted by our University was held, on the feast day of another Saint, Saint John the Baptist. The reading was taken from Jeremiah and it was about God's assurance of victory. August 29 is the memorial of John the Baptist's death.

These signs and perhaps many more which I failed to recognize have been God's way of saying how much he loves me and how much I was really destined to become who I am now.