Where is the love?

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blesses by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

                                                  -      Matthew 24:34-40

I missed the days I’m still a child when problem is not in my vocabulary. Everyday will pass without noticing the macro-life. As a child my only concerns is the little things that happens around me like looking for the other pair of my socks, waiting for the Yakult vendor every morning, and many little things that my parents always willingly to attend. That is it, the presence of my parents give me a thousand reasons not to worry. The only major problem that I remember during my childhood is when I’ve had a toothache. If only I’m like Peterpan the boy who didn’t grow.

It is when I’m already eight years old when my mother died that I became acquainted with “Pain.” I began to notice him everywhere.

I grew up in Tondo, Manila and Caloocan City. From there I witnessed the sufferings of poor people who live along the river banks and under the bridges. I also had playmates in the “looban” the place they called the hell on earth. It is the place where every kinds of crime is happening. Name it and it will be there from prostitution to illegal drugs, from gamblers to assassins and many other lawlessness. Even the police are aloof to enter that area. I think my playmates there were already seasoned criminals.

The question is why it is happening? But the big question is why do God just let it happens? Why does Pain continue to steal the joy of many people?

It is also the beginning of my spiritual quest. I search for the question where is God when it hurts? Where is God when many children is dying of hunger and when people died of sicknesses because they’re unable to have a proper treatment because of poverty?

After years of my quest for answers I’ve found answers from His very own Words.

God is not really a distant God and He is concern in the affairs of man. But He had already given man the gift of free will. The solution to our problems lies in our choice.

 God can directly get involved in our daily situations but it compromises the free will he gave us or otherwise we will live like robots. If we want God to literally intervene with our problems then we should let Him intervene in our happiness. Let’s allow Him to program us and surely it will be a utopian life but what is our difference with the robots that emotions and actions are pre-programmed. Where is the sense of life here?

Sometimes it’s easy to blame God in every situation but God already done His part. It is our response to His Word to love others and his other commandments that we should focusing. The real solution to all of this problem is the obedience to His instruction on His Word.

He will not show himself literally to attend our needs.

The church is the arm of God to reach the person who’s in need but sad to say even in our level many neglects the commandment of  God to love others as we love ourselves.

History tells us the attempts to close the wide gap of the rich and the poor. Many bills and laws had passed favoring the poor but to no effect. In the end the condition is still the same.

We do not need any more bills and laws. The Word of God is the ultimate law to help the needy. If everybody in the world really live in accordance of what the Bible teachings then the problem of extreme poverty, extreme hunger, and other social problems will get rid easily.

If everybody really learn to love others as they love themselves. We cannot bring anything in the afterlife. What we can bring is our emotions. What emotions do we want to bring in the next life? Greediness or love?, brotherhood or hatred?

My propose solution is to strengthen the teaching of the Bible in every individual. It is the time that the church engage in more deep teaching about doing the will of God to love the people.

It is only God that can change the heart of each of every one of us…

As Christians we should be the number one arms of God in reaching the poor and needy.