There is a saying that God speaks to us through our loved ones and the communities he surrounds us with... I say that the Lord reveals as much or even more, through the most distant of people and strangest of situations...
Yesterday, as I was waiting in a HDB carpark for Benjamin, I was brooding over the insurmountable amount of school work that was piling up and wallowing in my inadequacies and misfortunes over the past week... Just as I heaved a sigh and leaned my head onto the head rest, I spotted an Indian man strolling into the carpark... Initially I thought he was in a drunken stupor, as he swayed from side to side and seemed unable to balance himself while walking... In addition, he looked dishevelled and thoroughly worn out... However, as he walked closer towards my car, I realised that he was not at all drunk... He wore an attentive and focused expression as he gingerly treaded across the carpark....
When Benjamin got into the car, I asked him if he had seen this man before... To my astonishment, he told me that this man had a medical condition, which affected his motor skills, that in turn gave rise to his apparent "drunken stupor".... As I listened to his sharing, I immediately felt this immense sense of shame wash over me... I thought to myself, "Here I am sitting in an air-conditioned car grimacing over my so-called "hard life" and here is someone who is struggling with the basics in life, whom would have loved to have the comforts of life that I so often take for granted"... Can I really complain? Are all my burdens really burdens? I think not...
I had such respect for this stranger who though has been dealt difficult cards in life, has faced them head on with resilience and peserverance... Though he may not be successful in life by wordly standards that are often measured by material wealth and academic achievements, in my eyes, he is beautiful and admirable... I will never forget that determined look on his face as he painstaking put one foot infront of the other as he struggled to walk forward... This stranger... His beauty lay in his strength admist adversity...
This man made me realise that all my "burdens" are but gifts from god which are sent to bring out the best in me and that the true beauty of life can only unfold in the hardest moments and most turbulent of situations... I am grateful for my encounter with this amazing stranger, who chose not to surrender to his circumstance... His resilience to me is transforming... I pray that one day I might be able to tell him that... God, please bless this man... Your wonderful creation...
Just thought this would be something nice to share :) Clare
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