Rebirth, Rescued, Revived

[amai heian]

We turn a blind eye to things that really matter when we are consumed by one great desire. Isn't it time we wake up from this illusion?


The month of love rolls in with expectant sighs and wishful thinking for many of the love-struck followers of Christ all over the world. It's a primary need of man: to love and be loved, to feel a sense of belonging, to be protected and to know that you are safely nestled in somebody else's arms. Sometimes, we can't help but feel a sense of longing to finally, after a long time of waiting, have a February with someone special by our sides.

Sometimes, in our desperate longing to find someone we can be with for the rest of our lives, we neglect to appreciate the things around us, the things God has blessed us with, the people around us who patiently listened to our tearful pleas and provided comfort though we never realized it. Sometimes our fixation for things we think are important can lead us to overlook the things that are really important. Blinded and consumed by our one desire, we often turn an unseeing eye to those that really matter.

When was the last time, during a particular joyful moment of your life, that you realized that God was just there, right beside you, yet at the same time cheering from the crowds? When was the last time you opened your eyes and realized that the world is beautiful because it is imperfect?

When was the last time you felt that great surge of pride to be Christ's follower? When was the last time you felt the fire of passion burning deep within you? When was the last time you were unshakeable in faith, never wavering, always striving?

Some of us have lost the fervor, yet keep going because they have nowhere else to go. A number of us trod on painfully, wondering whether this was the right way, or perhaps they have chosen wrong after all. A couple have lost the road completely, but pretends to keep the faith on the outside, though on the inside they are torn with guilt and need.

When we go back to that one great moment when, for just a blinding instant, we realize our mission, our purpose in life, everything that we had ever hoped for and more, we miss it. We pine for the days when we were convinced that nothing could come between us and God. That no matter how hard Satan tries, and no matter how hard we fall for his trickery, we would always bounce back unscathed, as if nothing had happened. But not all of us accomplish this. For a large number of people, falling from grace cannot be reversed. From there on, the only road is downhill.

But then...there are times when, tired of a pointless existence, we look back and think that we can probably try again. Even if the road upward is tough, maybe, we hope, we can still reach the top. After all, the goal is worth it. True, difficulties lie ahead, but then again, no one said it would be easy. All they said was that it was worth it.

This is the second month of 2007. It's time to be renewed, our faith revived, and toil on forward in the vineyard of the Lord.

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In Nomine Domini Nostri Jesu Christi
In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ