It Came with the Wind!

CEBU, Philippines -  We have seen how vulnerable we really are. The series of disasters that occurred in recent months have placed us face to face with the ultimate truth about ourselves. We have been made humble - humbler than the dust, because that's what we really are.

We are nothing! We bow our once high heads, and weep on bended knees. And there's no one to blame, for who can question nature's fury or, much less, stand up to it?

Even our amply equipped homes failed to protect us. We ran outdoors, seeking refuge in open spaces. Our faith tottered like that Biblical ziggurat brought to the ground because it was too ambitious in its stance.

In ordinary times, we drown in our own search for material wealth, fame, prestige; zealous over things of the world and individual pursuits. We try to be fully in charge. In the process, we tend to forget that even stars, in all its splendor, eventually fade to die.

There are some things known only to us and our Maker. Many things incommunicable by words. Now and then, nature takes centerstage so we may continue to keep clinging to our Creator. Because, whether we like it or not, our relationship with Him is the only thing that matters in the end.

In the events of disaster, the Creator becomes very real; manifestations of His presence abound. It is in crisis that we embrace the value of a beacon, a buckler, a shield. It is in times of trouble that we see God clearest.

The spiritual self-indulgence that has sprung up from our modern mindset leads us nowhere. It leads us nowhere to focus on ourselves so much and to forget to nurture our relationship with God. Calamities often lead to a resurgence of faith. They force us back to the conviction that better times will come after the tempests, hope often being the only resort left. We need the shakes and the jolts, the surges and the storms to re-learn that God is our only real refuge.

Those who have experienced being crushed get a glimpse of the Absolute Truth. The One Truth that is the focal point of our existence. The thirst for the Almighty that makes all our other pursuits unimportant and, therefore, unreal.

We had seen the world crush the dust under its feet. And we had recently, by natural calamities, been crushed by the dust - because we are humbler than the dust.

But we have also witnessed how great love groans deep for us. Unconditional love silently comforts us. We have trials only because our God wants to remain relevant in our tremendously nonchalant generation.

God's message came with the wind. It came with the force of a howler. It came, too, with the fury of the earth shaking. But, most important of all, it came from a Loving Source.

Again, those were trials. Believers see it as loving reminders; unbelievers may take it as punishments. But the truth remains that God governs the whole of life. Blessed is He who has given and who has now taken away!