A matter of perspective: (This will be long, but I believe it is worth the read, so please give it a go.) Last night a young student asked me how it was I could still have faith in God in spite of what had happened to me ( a serious stroke that left me semi-paralyzed for life); I answered him thusly...
One shouldn't have faith because of what he gets in life; one should believe in God because it is what He deserves from us... Any Christian who's ever read the Bible will know just how much God sacrificed for us and how much He loves us all. If faith is a form of devotion, then we owe Him ALL of our faith for that alone. However, if we MUST go by what we get in life, then, even then, God has been very good to me, you see; He gave me a loving family and many good friends. I always have shelter and good food to eat, plus I have a computer and a good internet connection... What more do I need, really? I've been blessed...
Even my stroke was a blessing, in its own way... I was wealthy, well-respected and constantly bathed in attention and general acclaim while I was in Korea and it caused me to forget about God in my life. I even stopped really being concerned about what was happening back home in the Philippines so much so that I lost touch with my family and most of my Philippine friends; I even decided never to come back to the land of my birth ever again because life was so good to me in Korea... I was rich, full of pride, and arrogant, but then God lay me low...
In one fell swoop I lost my ability to physically be the same, dynamic self I used to be that got me so much money in the first place. I could no longer physically handle my usual 21-hour work days so much so that I had to give up work in Korea and return to the Philippines and, because I am no longer financially raking it in, I'm now relying on my family's love and support to get by. For the first time in many years I'm once again living in a home that has people who love and care about me. I'm reminded every single day now of just how wonderful my family is. How could I not consider this a blessing from God?
Take it from me, the trappings of wealth, while a nice distraction in life, are really just that.... a "distraction;" they blind you to what truly matters in the end... I can no longer afford to be proud and arrogant; I must acknowledge I need others in my life. I must now acknowledge I need God's infinite love and grace to get by day-to-day... There is a line in the Bible that goes, "What does it profit a man if he gains the entire world, but loses his immortal soul?" (Mark 8:36)
Yes, my young friend, God took away my wealth, my prestige and privilege, even my physical body, but He gave me back my family, my friends, my country and my soul... How could I NOT feel blessed??? God has been SO good to me, you see... It would be totally illogical of me NOT to believe and have faith... I'm not a perfect Christian by any means, but with His loving grace, I hope to one day be more worthy of the name... Thank you for reading this far. I hope it's been worth your time... God bless you all!!!
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