Sept 2nd, 2020: Casualties of Covid-19

 

 Are Your Product Margins Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place? | Channel Instincts - A Marketing Blog By Greg Bonsib
 

I have been having an on going conversation with a young fellow about an important decision he has been considering. He is a parachuted Canadian just like I am. He came to Canada through the foreign worker program a few years back. He worked hard and eventually saved enough money to go to school. He works for some people I know, but recently he becomes worried about the prospect of being laid off. He has a wife and a kid and is expecting the second child. She is 14 weeks into her pregnancy.

He called me about a week ago and wanted to talk about their thought of having an abortion. He is quite stressed about not being able to take care of the needs of the family financially. He and I had a casual conversation about the topic about a year or so ago. He wanted to go over what I shared with him again. I asked him whether they have already made up their mind. He seems to be certain. My heart just sunk. 

I can understand his fear about the future because he is not alone. Many people I have talking to are dealing with the same anxiousness. Fear of having no job and no income to take care of their families. I will need to do more with this fellow than just telling him I don't support their decision. So it is a dual effort for me in dealing with his situation. I am trying to make contact with people I know to see who is considering candidates with his potential and experience while having conversations with him about not being panic and pray for God's provision. It is one of those situations where the answer is clear and challenging.

There are more casualties to this pandemic than the numbers about Covid-19. There are post Covid-19 complications, psychological effects, and emotional impact that we need to expect as a society. We have to keep our eyes open and listen to others carefully. We might discover something we have never known before. We need to pray for compassion, patience, courage, and creativity to face our challenges. 

Regardless of what their choice is, I will not stop walking with them. It is the right thing to do. That is my response in dealing with human pain and misery while trusting in God for His mercy and compassion.

Hebrews 4: 12
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Popular posts from this blog

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

May 18th, 2020: Why Forgiveness?

Image
  A young man called me last night and he was tormented by his relationship with his mother. It is not because she was a horrible mom. It was unresolved grief that is caused by his dad's suicide a few years ago. Emotionally, he blames parents for his father's death although he knows intellectually that it is not right. I knew the father a bit because his mother and her family came to see me for help when they first arrived in Canada. He was a brilliant physician and who was quite loved by people of a small northern town in Alberta. He was awkward in some ways and very uncomfortable in social conversations. This young man has had many conversations with me ever since the suicide. His father's death has been a major topic of our time together. Most of our conversation yesterday was about forgiveness. We were talking about forgiving people who never ask or haven't got a chance to ask us to forgive them. The question is whether we can forgive without being asked. His father...
Read more