The talking donkey

Did you ever read about the talking donkey, the angel with intent to kill, and a clueless character too focused on the journey and the job he nearly got his head cut off?  Yes, there is such a Bible story in the book of Numbers and it tells about a man named Balaam who had been hired by an evil king to place a curse on God’s people. In the beginning the man resists the offers to do the job but eventually falls to the temptation of riches and sets out on the journey riding his trusted donkey. The scheme obviously displeased God so one of the angels shows up with a drawn sword to put a stop to the idea.

The donkey caught sight of the angel with a drawn sword so the donkey turns away from the path and heads into the fields. Balaam was annoyed at this and whacks the donkey back in the right direction. But once again the angel shows up and now they are in a narrow path and the donkey tries to get away again but ends up pressing Balaam’s leg into a wall. As expected, he whacks the Donkey which forces the Donkey to go on until there is no turning back and the donkey decides to simply lie down on the floor pinning Balaam worse than before. This time Balaam unleashes his whip on the donkey until the poor animal actually speaks out and asks why she was being whipped considering she was simply turning away from the angel intent on a slaughter. The shock of a talking donkey must have jolted Balaam into his senses because he finally saw the Angel and fearfully knelt with face to the ground. Only then did Balaam learn that God did not approve of his plan and both the donkey and the angel were there to block him.

Yesterday, I was talking to a very experienced businessman in his mid-70s who has been working for the last 60 years and in the last five years we have talked about his need to slow down, retire or walk away from all the businesses that have lately caused him so much personal and financial problems. But just like Balaam, he loved being in the circle of power and influence and he was always excited in making and closing deals. The problem was his former glories are now his present heartaches and have slowly sucked the life out of him. Business challenges are one thing but when the writing is on the wall that it’s time to take that walk, you either do it or God will do it for you. And that is what has happened to him, and I assume, for many other people who simply didn’t know or didn’t want to quit. The Luzon quarantine essentially forced him to stay home and gave him an idea of what “retirement” feels like. Even those who are younger and far from retirement have been forced by God through COVID-19 to see the more real and more important aspect of life; our families, spouse, our homes and gave us a contrast between being addicted to “busy” versus appreciating “life”. He also helped many to get right with God.

Many of us might resent such interruptions and delays, but it would be well worth considering that God could be putting you on top of a talking donkey so you won’t have to get sliced and diced by the angel with a samurai.

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While watching one of the many international news coverage, I saw one about how COVID-19 has and will continue to wreck the airline industry, aircraft manufacturing and airport operations all over the world. And that’s when I realized that all the delays, challenges and obstructions that were thrown at RSA and his SMC-Bulacan airport project may have been meant for evil by his enemies but God has turned it into good. All those obstacles was one big donkey that is only now beginning to tell us that God did not want the project to take off then because he knew the disaster that is upon us and the industry now. According to the International Air Transport Association or IATA, the industry has suffered a 55 percent decline in revenues from 2019. For the Philippines, the forecast is a 36 percent  drop in demand for domestic travel and job losses to as much as 419,800 jobs. Many friends who work in the airline industry and regularly go through airports have referred to them as hollow chambers that fit more in doomsday movies. Come to think of it, even the other bidders for other airports may have been placed on slow going donkeys to save them from building white elephants as well.

All bets are canceled as far as airports go, but not all is lost. The land that is intended for the SMC-Bulacan airport may very well turn into the country’s very first high tech and modern agricultural facility or a well balanced, well planned new city where business, manufacturing plants and communities are consolidated complete with workers housing, schools, hospitals. This will be the new normal as people and businesses decide to migrate outside of Metro Manila after the ECQ and what better place to build it.

COVID-19 has certainly forced all of us, government included to find new purposes for many of our old buildings as well as fairly recently built facilities like the new Clark City and the Athletes Village. We’ve all squabbled over those things but God is now humbling us by showing us how all of the best laid plans by mice and men fall apart overnight as God transforms and use those very same structures to preserve and protect communities as well as turning them into places of healing. Now go thank God for the talking Donkey.

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