Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Hold onto HIM

The month of May is a triple M celebration for my family. For always, we celebrate our daughter May's birthday on the 9th, Mother's day on 2nd Sunday and of course, Marriage or wedding anniversary of me and Joy on the 17th. It made me think twice about this last night and surely, I know, the Lord has a dry sense of humor for making this month a noteworthy one.

Why is this so? Because this charming daughter of mine, bright and spunky as she is, always makes her mother's nerve stretch to its limit on the way she does things and eventually I and Joy would end up having an acid argument over her. That's what makes this month a Memorable one...May...Mother...Marriage.

But this piece is not really about that. Because at the end of that triple M malaise...everything was patched up and was taken under control thru patience and prayer.

Anyway, our current Christian Life program being conducted in Fairfield, where me and my wife has the privelege of serving, is starting to be bombarded with oppressions from the darkside. The evil one is attacking one of the most important facet of our human lives – our Health.
The loved ones of some of our members and our members themselves are being tested with health and medical problems that would prevent them to serve to this important spiritual renewal of the participants – the CLP.

We then ask ourselves – why is this happening? Why did God allow these things to happen? Last night reading some reflections, I rested my eyes in a verse from the Gospel of John 16:33 “"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace." And a sudden realization came to me then....Jesus has just ascended into Heaven, He had survived the pain and became victorious. He then has just impressed on us that we should and must lift our burdens to Him to have the peace and happiness we desire for.

If I live to be a hundred there are some things I will never understand. Why do some people live, and some die? Why do some people have debilitating diseases and others, perfect health? Why do some have loads of money and others struggle to survive? Why do some get caught
and others go free? Why do some people recover and get well, others don't?

Don't we all wonder about these questions? I do, from time to time, and my answer is always the same, "I don't know." I don't know much, and even less the older I get. My list of questions I want to ask when I get to heaven is pretty long.

In this life, there are a lot of mysteries. We will not humanly understand many things. Yet underlying all the unknowns is the one great thing we do know: God is still on His throne. He is still sovereign, still in charge. He knows what is going on. He doesn't just wake up one morning, look down, and say, "Oh my gosh! Look at that!!"

We may not be able to trust in the system, in people, in circumstances or luck. But we can trust in the Lord God. And the promise is that one day, every tear shall be wiped away. Every sickness, every injustice, every heartache.

Jesus said we will surely have troubles here on earth, but to be undaunted and confident because He has overcome the world's power to harm us permanently.

My prayers to those who are in ill-health and suffering in pain, Yolanda Duque, Joseph Benedict Marcelino, Ronald Sapin. Those who are in recovery and complete healing, notably,Rose Perez. The mothers who are carrying a human being inside their wombs, my wife Joy and Barbra Duque. And for all us, especially those who are serving and those who has committed themselves to serve the CLP, that we rest our hopes and faith to that man-God who gave his whole Life to us so we could live with Him and in Him with the Father in Heaven.

Bottom-line, the answer to all these questions really is- hang onto the promise, and hold onto the Lord.

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