Aug 14th, 2020: Five Months Reflection

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It was five months ago when the Covid-19 shutdown started in Montreal. I was there visiting my father, who was going through some serious issues relating to his Parkinson's. A hotel front desk clerk told me that I needed to stay in my room, and the lobby was no longer accessible to guests. From my hotel room, I was looking at one of the busiest streets in any city in Canada (St. Catherine), and it was quiet and deserted. That was a disconcerting view of Montreal. 


I started praying and asking God what would be the most effective way to care for people when I can no longer have face to face conversations. "Write", was the message I got. That is the beginning of my Covid-19 writing. What have I learned since then?


God reveals Himself via simple conversations. Even yesterday, while waiting in line to get some paperwork done for my business, a young lady asked me about my business. I told her that I provide Chaplaincy support and care for working folks. She then shared with me about a girlfriend who just "lost it" because of Covid-19. She then asked me how she can best support her friend. "Seek first to understand and not to be understood and remember it is not about you if you choose to care for your friend". She thought about it and then said: "That makes a lot of sense. Thank you." She then asked me for my card just in case she would like to talk further.


God reveals himself when we choose not to think of ourselves. It is not an abstract concept as it sounds. Last week, I went to see a friend whose wife suffered from a heart attack last year just to check-in. He is not an easy fellow to be with because of his negative view of life at times. But not this time, he was happy that I called and told me he had been working from home. He shared with me that he is thankful for the time he has to work from home. He enjoys small breaks he has from "work" just to reconnect with his wife. After the surgery, she has become very withdrawn. He has also learned not to be preoccupied with his own issues and started to embrace what his wife has to share with him about her thoughts and feelings.


God reveals when we are honest with ourselves and with what we are going through. We want to give other people the impression that everything is going well only. We want to project the image that we are strong and capable. The more we are doing that, the less likely for us to see God. To be honest with oneself will open our eyes to what God sees in us. That is the beginning of a gracious journey in learning how to accept ourselves the way God has welcomed us into his presence. God's revelation always brings about truth and compassion. It is the toughest tension in learning how to live with ourselves.


So I will write as long as I believe that God wants me to and continues to guide me. I simply hope and pray that it helps those who read them. 


Deuteronomy 29: 29


"The secret things belong to the LORD our The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

 

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