THE STORMS OF LIFE

 

 

I once had a discussion with a group of friends where a question was asked if we chose our parents in pre-mortal life. Many of them agreed that we didn’t because if we did, we would have all wanted to be born in the Church to goodly parents. I disagreed because I do not believe that we wanted to land on  a bed of roses and glide through mortality, otherwise what would have been the point of coming here? I believe we wanted to come to receive further progress and not to languish in worldly ease. We wanted the storms. We wanted storms because we wanted to become big ships at sea and not languish as little boats at the shore. 

 

I get it. Now that we are here, we don’t want the storms. It’s called being human. When we walk out of the baptismal font with hope of a better life, or walk out of the temple freshly wedded to the eternal companion of our choice, we tend to feel that we have made it and are on our way to celestial kingdom. Never in our wildest dreams do we envisage storms that are ahead of us. We do not plan on divorcing when we marry; or plan to bury a child when we enter the labour ward; or schedule chemotherapy when we commit to live the Word of Wisdom. When we commit ourselves to the journey that will take us to eternal life, we often expect, by virtue of our obedience, a smooth ride that will deliver us to the pearly gates.  Obedience, however, is not the teacher but the means of arriving at our chosen destination. The teacher is life. 

 

Every opposition in life is meant to teach us something,  help us overcome something, or make us rise to heights unknown. It all depends on our response. Will we sink or swim in the face of the storm? The ultimate though is to walk on water. Peter had the chance to learn that when he walked towards the Saviour in the midst of the billowing storm. He couldn’t grasp the lesson back then but I am guessing it didn’t take long after the Master was gone. Peter became so powerful that people brought out their sick into the street in the hope that his shadow would heal them (Acts 5:15). Now THAT is a big ship.

 

The naked truth is that God will not spare us the discomfort or hardship in this life if it will be for our ultimate good. We placed that trust in Him long ago. He will, however, be there to lift us up when we can’t go on; when the storms of this life seek to swallow us and the winds combine against our strength to break us. He will come in the final hour after we have learnt to trust, accept and seek His help to overcome. He will come. This is exactly why we were not afraid to come to difficult lives. We knew that He would come and empower us to overcome, to endure, to rise. We had faith back then in His capacity, His ability and His integrity. We did not only have faith that He COULD save us, but that He WOULD, at all cost, without fail.

 

This Christmas may we reflect on the faith that we had in Him long before He was born. May we renew our devotion to the Shepherd who desires to lead us, to love us, to protect us, to honour us, to exalt us. He would have us become our best…..to this end was He born.

 

How dear to the heart of the Shepherd

Is the flock of His sheep!

With tenderness and love

He watches over those in His keep.

How much do they love their Shepherd!

How closely they stay by His side,

With every footstep they follow

To forever in His care abide.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(ART: He Is My Refuge by Yongsung Kim)