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It's all too painful. This nation dubbed as the happiest in the world must be reeling from some kind of multiple sclerosis, its head not knowing left from right, right from wrong.
"What were they thinking?" might be a question all of us wanted to pound our lawmakers with, after the 10 billion peso Napoles-cum-lawmaker PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Funds) scam blew in their faces.
So all this time, we were being taken for a ride? Our taxes not spent for their intended purpose? No wonder our politicians cheat and bribe and even kill to get elected. And no wonder barrio folks don't even have access to clean drinking water and electricity.
What is so current about electricity if it sputters and dies on a daily basis and people just could not go about their normal way of living—or making a living? And we're surprised that they brave mega-populated Metro Manila to get a job—any job!
You have, of course, read all the back and forth on why typhoon Yolanda was more tragic than it should have been. With communities summarily destroyed and thousands of families grieving—for their dead, their presumed dead and their stolen past—experts say the physchological cost of rebuilding will be astounding.
One would assume that if the Philippines hosts more than 20 typhoons a year, we'd be a more organized event planner so that when Yolanda's cousins come bursting, we'd be ready with our battalions of to-go defenders, responders and aid.
Oh, we could list a litany of laments. And I'm sure you're sick and tired of that. Enough!
Haven't we gotten the message yet? Isn't it too obvious, as obvious as the clear morning light, that this merry or sorry-go-round of tragedies and social ills could not be solved or remedied by politics or pow-wow?
Businesses could only do so much. Every child must have access to education, but even that is not enough. As a matter of fact, we're one of the best exporters of labor—highly skilled, professional and English speaking workers.
Because neither employers with their strict code of ethics, nor education with its teachings on life values and principles, can tame the wild pasaway beast inside.
Just look at how drivers cross the red light or take the lane supposedly for oncoming vehicles. Consider the under-the-table shenanigans not only in government offices but also in businesses. Note the statistics of separated couples or teenage pregnancies.
And yet, even more developed economies are not immune from all these nor the natural calamities which batter us year in and year out. All these are signs of things to come.
Matthew 26:7,8,12 remind us that there will be famines and earthquakes in various places; that there will be an increase in wickedness and that the love of many will grow cold; and yet, these are just the beginning of birth pains. The earth as we know it will no longer be the same.
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Yet, we still have hope for our nation:
Psalm 33:12—Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.
Isaiah 9:6—For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.
It has been a constant refrain, and we all need to ring it louder as the day of His coming draws near: Preach Jesus. Live Jesus. Model Jesus.
And let's continue to pray for our leaders, because unless Jesus takes the lead over their lives, the lord greed and I-Me-Myself—with no regard for the welfare of our people—will continue to consume them.
For many of us at the Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) and the people we've reached, Jesus has indeed become our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. Wouldn't it be nice if Jesus would be all these—not just a name in their consciousness—in the lives of our loved ones, neighbors, communities and most especially our leaders?
I became a believer when someone from CCC shared Jesus with me. I didn't know I was lost until I found—rather I've been found by—Him. Like everyone of our kababayans walking around and believing themselves to be gods and masters of their destinies, I realized soon enough that I was INDEED a sinner, but could be saved and transformed by His grace. Then I realized: My heart has been changed, and could indeed OBEY Him!
That's the gift everyone needs to receive this Christmas and all the days of their lives.
Jesus is Immanuel, the God who is with us!
Change? Yes! Only Jesus can make it happen. Because He resides in our hearts. He is our Shelter. Let the rains and the winds batter. If the greatest One lives in me, of whom—or what—shall I be afraid?
We as a nation need never be afraid.
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