Jan 29th, 2021: God is in Our Midst


Be strong and courageous Graphic Vector - Stock by Pixlr

Nothing can be more horrid than learning about a homeless died inside a Porta Potty in Montreal after the provincial government instituted the curfew. Some people have asked the Quebec government to make an exception for homeless folks when enforcing curfew violations. The government says it won't do it because others might pretend to be homeless people to violate the curfew. I am not interested in the politics and the stupidity of either argument. I just try to imagine what was going through that man's mind when he was about to die. The entire life of oneself confined to a portable bathroom without anyone around. What is the humanity in this story? It saddens my heart when I think about it. The only comfort I have is to believe that God was with him at that moment because God knows him long before he existed in his mother's womb. Loneliness is the worst form of human suffering.


I sat and listened to a young man who is a new immigrant in Canada. He talked about how much he misses his wife. They got married earlier last year in his home country, and then he moved to Canada with the hope to sponsor her afterward. Then Covid-19 happened. Everything has been delayed. The paperwork is not too far from the beginning. He cannot return home for a visit because of all of the traveling restrictions. He then showed me the pictures of his wedding. I let him share with me as much as he was willing to do so (I had never met him before). My heart aches for this young fellow because he is very much in love with his wife. Love is an amazing gift of God when we have the chance to experience it.


The last story is about a fellow who learned about his nephew's death this past weekend. The nephew was a police officer in the Philippines and got killed in a terrorist ambush. He was married and a father of a 6-month-old son. The uncle kept talking and telling me that night after he got the news, he had a dream of killing many of these terrorists. He then became quiet and then told me quietly that he never experienced that much hate in his life. His nephew just got a promotion to be a staff sergeant two weeks ago. He bought his nephew a congratulations gift and had not had a chance to send it before the horrible news. He could not return to the Philippines for the funeral because of Covid-19 travelling hassles. I just sat there and let him tell me about different boyhood stories of his nephew. Death brings about the memories of life. Beautiful and meaningful memories will never die.


I share with you these stories so we might have a window to view what God has revealed to us in human suffering. Let us keep on praying for everyone's emotional, physical, and spiritual safety.


Deuteronomy 31:6 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

Psalm 43:5 

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation, and my God."

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