What Rai taught me
This Christmas season had taught me a few things.
And some lessons/ reflections are natural disaster related. To be precise, Rai (or Odette) and #daruratbanjir related.
For one, man can grow ignorant to imminent obvious potential danger.
Below is a photo of a Philippines village of someone whom I know, after the typhoon Rai hit her place, the week before Christmas.
I remember her telling me that another typhoon was about to hit her place before it happened.
But I didn't take heart. Simply because in the past years, I've heard of upcoming typhoon at her area so often that I had grown, you can say, ignorant to the news.
In all the previous times, it had meant nothing more than heavy rain and water rising.
But this time...
But the houses and every material thing are gone.
Although there was no casualty in her area, it had made me realised that one can grow dull (or ignorant or immune, or whatever word you may use to describe it) to any potential danger even if he/she encounters it frequently, as long as he/she escapes it.
Escape a few times and he may view the threat/ danger as harmless. And grow to underestimate its potential to harm.
And then, one day, when the threat hits full force, one is taken unprepared.
That is what an illusion of safety is, I suppose. And this illusion of apparent safety or protection can cause one to get careless. Or as one may call it 'to slack'.
As I was thinking on this fact, it dawned on me that it is much like how it is when opposing an enemy's attack. In particular, the enemy. Satan has but a few tricks up his sleeves. Escape his tricks a few times, and one may start to get ignorant. Until the full prowl hits you and you are tripped over, utterly defeated.
So, as the Bible teaches us, be sober, be vigilant at all times...
A typhoon is a typhoon, regardless of how many times it has passed by an area without causing much harm or damage.
Similarly, a threat remains a threat. The enemy remains the enemy.
Therefore, remembering that we have the ultimate victory in Christ, being sober and vigilant, resist him, steadfast in the faith, at all times.
Second thing that the Philippines typhoon Rai/ Odette (and the current #daruratbanjir) has shown me is this: there is a limit to our grieve and help.
As much as I empathised and felt the sorrow of those who were affected, there's only so much that I can do with and for them.
We show love and care and help what we can practicably.
But...
We could not take the grief and sorrow away. Only God can.
We could not help in the rescuing, rebuilding, restoring in a bigger sense. Only God can.
We could not pause our daily living to go through what they're going through (at least not for too long).
As I went about my Christmas preparations this year, I was gravely aware of the sorrow my friend has felt. Her family's Christmas this year will be so utterly unexpected and unbearable.
But I did not pause all. Daily chores still goes on, for me. Or as the popular phrase puts it - life goes on.
It dawned on me that sometimes people go through rough time, whether behind closed doors or in open. And there really is just so much others can do for and with them.
But does that mean we stop caring and stop helping? The answer is an obvious no.
Am I saying that we should not seek solace and help from others? Of course not.
I'm simply reflecting on the fact that man is limited. And God is limitless. In fact, ONLY God is limitless.
His comfort, His peace, His grace, His strength, His help, His resources. They are limitless.
Having said that, I know that God uses each willing individual to channel His resources, His help, His comfort to those in need.
So, however small or limited we may be, let's always choose to love, choose to care, choose to help.
Let us be salt and light, as Jesus says that we are. Salt to the earth, that has not lost its flavour. Light to the world, that so shines before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.
