LOS BAŅOS, Laguna—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday advised the youth to make prayerful discernment and look for the confluence of events in times of challenges and major decisions in their lives.

The President, who made an unscheduled visit to the First Youth for Christ Metro Manila Conference here Saturday (Nov. 16) in the Philippine High School for the Arts, said she based many of her career decisions on these two things.

She said it is easy to discern what is wrong and right, sin or not sin, but it is sometimes difficult to discern what God wants us to do.

"Sa aking buong karera, mula nang ako ay naguumpisa pa lamang, kinilala ko ang discernment, papano maka-discern (In my whole career, even from the start I have recognized discernment, how I can discern). What does God want to do for you," the President said.

The President told the youth to work to have a prayerful common sense. "Magdasal para mabigyan ng linaw ng Panginoon. Gamitin ang utak para mag-analyze kung ano ang dapat gawin at hintayin sa mga kilos ng panahon kung iko-confirm ng Lord o hindi niya iko-confirm yung inaakala nating yun ang gusto niyang gawin (Pray so the Lord may grant you enlightenment. Use your mind in analyzing what should be done and let the confluence of events confirm the Lord’s will)," the President said.

She said that in other words, after praying and prayerful analyzing, one must watch out for the confluence of events.

The Chief Executive noted that doing so helped her accept events in life.

She noted that her unscheduled visit to the YFC event is an example of a confluence of events, saying she had a schedule with the Guardians Philippines Inc. at a nearby venue, which had been arranged early on.

"But I found out that you are here, and so I feel that God wants me to be with you," she said.

The President related that during the impeachment crisis, her popularity rating plunged from being the highest to the least popular public official.

"Sabi ko, Lord, bakit nagkaganito? Yun pala, magiging Pangulo ako dahil sa EDSA Dos. Parang ang mensahe sa akin ng Diyos," Gloria hindi ka naging Presidente dahil popular ka at magaling ka, naging Presidente ka nung ikaw ay pinakamababa sa yung popularity dahil ako ang nagluklok sa iyo bilang Pangulo’ (I said, Lord, why is this happening? What I didn’t know is I will become President because of EDSA Dos. Looking back, it seems that the message of the Lord was: Gloria, you didn’t become President because you’re popular or good. You became President even when your popularity was at its lowest because I willed it)," she said.

The President noted that there are many instances when she felt that the guidance from the Lord is strongest when she makes a prayerful discernment of things.

She noted that when she first ran for Senator, her ranking plunged from being sixth to twelfth in the ballot counting.

"Yun pala, bagong politician ako, yun pala, I never knew there was such a thing as bawas-dagdag."

"Yun ang halimbawa ng mga malalaking broadstrokes sa aking career, na may kinalaman sa ating national history, kung saan nararamdaman ko ang kilos ng Panginoon, ngunit kahit na maliit na bagay, nakikita ko yung kanyang confirmation kapag gumawa ako ng decision through prayeful discernment na tama ang aking ginawa (These are just the example of the big broadstrokes in my career that in a way have something to do with our history and from which I felt the works of the Lord. But even in small ways, I can see His confirmation every time I make a decision through prayerful discernment and, in the end, I can see that my decision was right)."

She further noted that when she invited the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu to Malacaņang to discuss the Sabah issue on a randomly picked date, one when her schedule was not that busy, she found out later that that day was the anniversary of the Sultanate of Sulu from its inception in the 1300s.