In a world where we often feel pressured to have it all together, Sibagat’s Inner Conditioning Workshop (ICW) graduates remind us that healing doesn’t begin in perfection—it begins in honesty.

Held under the soft hum of shared prayer and laughter, this week’s ICW Kamustahan felt like a warm hug from heaven. Four voices. Four lives. One radical grace. And anchoring it all was a Bible passage often glossed over but deeply alive: Matthew 9:14–17, where Jesus reminds us that new wine requires new wineskins—and that grace can’t be boxed into our old ways.

It wasn’t a grand sermon or flashy retreat. It was raw. It was real. It was Sibagat.

“Si Jesus wala diri para sa mga matarong, kundi para sa mga makasasala.”
Jesus didn’t come for the righteous, but for sinners.

Vivian said this with the kind of boldness that only comes from surviving deep shame. Her voice trembled, but her words were solid.

Many of us carry quiet guilt—those tucked-away sins we can’t confess even to ourselves. But Vivian reminded us: freedom begins when we stop pretending and start surrendering.

“Patawarin mo sarili mo.” (Forgive yourself.)
“Ikonpisal mo tanan.” (Confess everything.)
“Para hindi ka mabigatan sa imo ka-loob-looban.” (So your inner soul won’t feel so heavy.)

Grace Ann followed with a radiant honesty that only grace can give. “Jesus accepted people even in their worst,” she shared. And He still does. For her, faith is not about scrubbing ourselves clean before we show up to God—it’s about showing up messy and letting Him do the washing.

She says it plainly:

“Change your wicked heart and have faith, and He will hear your prayers.”

And in that moment, the room wasn’t filled with judgment—it was filled with hope.

Richard offered a different kind of grace: quiet strength. No theatrics, just truth. “Maraming bagay ang natutunan ko—lalo na ang pahinga at suporta ng iba,” he shared. (I’ve learned many things—especially rest and the support of others.)

It’s a lesson often overlooked in development work: sometimes, we think transformation only happens in busy schedules or productivity charts. But Richard reminds us: rest is holy. And when we rest in the arms of a faithful God—and in the company of a supportive community—healing becomes sustainable.

Joy Cris brought us home with the most relatable confession of all:

“Minsan, mabilis akong manghusga.” (Sometimes, I judge others too quickly.)

Haven’t we all been there? Playing Pharisee in the name of “concern,” pointing out the speck while ignoring our own plank? But Joy’s breakthrough wasn’t guilt—it was empathy. She saw herself in the judged, not just the judging. Her reflection turned critique into compassion. “Let’s stop pointing fingers,” she seemed to say. “Let’s start holding hands.”

All of this—every tear, every insight, every honest pause—is exactly what the Integrated Participatory Accountability and Transparency towards Sustainable Integrated Area Development (IPAT-SIAD) program of Solution Ecosystems Activator (SEA) Inc. is about.

Because real development isn’t just about infrastructure or forms. It’s about people. Hearts. Stories. Systems that support the soul—not just the census.

In Sibagat, we see how inner conditioning isn’t a side activity. It’s the beating heart of social transformation. You can’t build sustainable change on broken spirits. You build it on healed ones.

“Di bale nang mabagal basta may tinutubo.”
It’s okay to grow slow, as long as something’s growing.

“Ang bagong alak, para sa bagong sisidlan.”
New wine must be poured into new wineskins.

The ICW Kamustahan in Sibagat wasn’t just a check-in. It was a soul check. A reminder that Jesus doesn’t need us polished—He needs us present. Ready. Willing to be made new.

In Grace Ann’s trust, Vivian’s vulnerability, Richard’s quiet endurance, and Joy Cris’s humility—we saw the new wineskins. We saw what faith looks like in flesh and struggle. And we remembered: grace doesn’t require perfection. Just participation.

And maybe, that’s the real miracle.