June 13th, 2021: Keep Our Path Straight

 

Have you ever gone on a hike that takes you through a stretch between a steep hill on one side and a sharp cliff on the other? The passage is getting narrower as you push on. There is so much rock on the pathway, and you begin to feel as if you no longer have a stable footing. You slow down and try to control your breathing. One mistake can be problematic. Help is nowhere close if you get into trouble.


Dealing with Covid-19 is like that. The challenging hill is our fight against many human reactions concerning Covid-19: Some are fearful. Others are cynical. Some even go further to call it " a farce". The steep hill for governments in Canada and the US is to reach the 70% vaccination rate. Vaccination has been considered by some people as an attempt to attack and control the core well-being of humanity.


If we don't do what we need to do to protect ourselves, we might have to face that sharp cliff on the other side. Some health professionals have been warning us about the dangerous outcomes of our indifference toward this virus. Some others have different opinions about what we need to do. They don't even think the sharp cliff is there. It is an illusion created by some people with a sinister plan.


Rock on the pathway is our temptation to trivialize death. The more we do it, the more we lean towards the sharp decline of our morality. 


So how can we keep our path straight and stable?


Our ultimate protection is from God while knowing that science is imperfect. We need to have an appropriate appreciation for science.  We know that science continues to evolve as we attempt to look for answers. Evil does not exist because of Covid-19. It is the other way around.


We need to think less about ourselves and consider others' well-being before our rights and needs. What does it mean for us to love the least capable and the most unfortunate among us?


We need discernment in dealing with voices of the liar that come from the top of the steep hill and the bottom of the sharp cliff. There will be many echoes, and they can be both distracting and confusing.


Slow down and take a break once in a while so you can hear the voice of God who says:


"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55: 22)

Popular posts from this blog

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

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

Oct 1st, 2022: Be With Those Who Suffer

Image
  Listening to a young woman who shared her experience of being raped repeatedly by a family member for over four years as a teenager made my heart ache. The man who did that was a leader of a church. He was imprisoned for seven months and released. He was her stepfather. Her mother chose to pick him over her after his release. Her life has changed forever. She had to go to a foster home. Her foster parents helped her with her restoration and her faith in God. Her supervisor at work asked me to see her because someone at work was inappropriate toward her. That triggered many emotions within her. I did not expect the story I heard from her. The meeting took longer than I thought, and it was toward the end of the day. She kept talking about her anger and the pain she felt when men treated her like a subject. I knew that the best I could do was to listen. She told me she had not been able to tell anyone as much as with me. God reminded me of the true calling of being a pas...
Read more