Get Up and Walk

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Paul's letter to the Romans:8:37-39


Hardly anything surprises me anymore. But what amazes me is when people are so quick to throw the first stone at someone who is already limping. All of us are handicapped in one way or another, except that some of us are in denial or just knows how to hide it.

On Christmas day, after I went to the traditional obligatory lunch at my friends house, I stopped by another friends house because they had a gift for me and wanted me to chill out with them for the afternoon. When I walked in, I was introduced to the father and John the brother who is facially deformed from a burn. I did not expect him to look like he did because all I heard from my friend, was that his brother John, was a doctor but got into drugs, "so he now bums around and sleeps in someone's couch." My friend talked about John like he was just a moocher and a leech of a brother. Their father was there also, but I could not see the facial resemblance to the son because the son's face is deformed.

After I left there and to this moment, I still think about John who is limping in life. I asked myself this question: How can I get up each day if I was in his shoes? And would I want to even get up? Would I be on drugs too, to numb me so I can get through the day? I admit, I have to learn to extend the same grace Jesus has given me, because I am impatient with people who stays on the ground too long licking their wounds - enough and get up already, I'd say. But really, I have learned to tolerate people who just can not get up, and keep themselves dust free but I have yet to learn to be tolerant of people who can not understand why others are on the ground to begin with.

Man is the only creation of God who will kill himself; no animal, sea creatures or plant will do that, and yet John chose to live in spite of the horror of his existence - that I stand in awe.
The facial resemblance that was once there between John and his earthly father is gone, but I know, that the One who created him, the One who knew his name before he was born is still proud of His creation - the only creation that God has ascribed as: "In My image, I created man." So in this coming new year, get up and walk in this knowledge: you can never be too dirty, you can never be too deep in the pit, where God can not reach you and cleanse you - because admit it, He still loves you.