Some people loudly wailed with the unexpected amount of teardrops that the clouds cried on that one particular Saturday. Others were not so fortunate to shed a tear for another day.
A few days after, people scampered for and rabidly fought over boxes of relief goods. To date, the interim shelter given to those rendered homeless are becoming cramped by the day.
The number of damaged vehicles due for restoration has reached a level beyond the capacity of car dealers. The floodwater in some areas simply refuses to recede below the waist. The concrete roads that people used to walk on are now negotiated using improvised rafts, if not inflatable beds.
These are the images that easily come to mind by the mere mention of Typhoon Ondoy. Oh, there is one more image that comes into the picture: God, although He appears in a rather negative light.
I’m sure you have heard about “Acts of God.” The phrase is often mentioned nowadays to describe the incalculable damage that the super typhoon wrought. Although the phrase may be legally precise to describe events which are outside of the control of humans and for which no one can be held responsible, it is, nonetheless, subject to a lot of misinterpretations.
The ordinary layman, for instance, may reason out that if the deluge was not attributable to man, then necessarily God should be blamed as the proximate cause of it. Poor God. I can almost hear Him lovingly making a correction: “Uh, you might want to call it by another name… like ‘Caused By Man’ for example?”
This morning, the heavens reiterated the point I had wanted to make. While I drove my kids on the way to school, a R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. peeped in the heavens. Yes, today I just saw a complete, colorful bow at 6:30 o’clock in the morning.
I know that for a lot of people, this is nothing to wonder about. But, when a colorful bow presents itself in the heavens after a ravaging typhoon – and on an exceptionally sunny day, at that – not only is the magnificent work of God revealed; the Divine promise to man is renewed.
“When… a rainbow appears in the sky, I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life… The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise” (Genesis 9: 15, 17 CEV).
Indeed, when all promise of relief is insufficient, this one promise from God is a sufficient relief.
May I suggest a paradigm shift? Let’s call a spade a spade. We can start by calling a rainbow – the promise of life and restoration – something more appropriate. Perhaps, an “Act of God.”
Quote for the week:
“And when it rains
on your parade, look up
rather than down.
Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton
A few days after, people scampered for and rabidly fought over boxes of relief goods. To date, the interim shelter given to those rendered homeless are becoming cramped by the day.
The number of damaged vehicles due for restoration has reached a level beyond the capacity of car dealers. The floodwater in some areas simply refuses to recede below the waist. The concrete roads that people used to walk on are now negotiated using improvised rafts, if not inflatable beds.
These are the images that easily come to mind by the mere mention of Typhoon Ondoy. Oh, there is one more image that comes into the picture: God, although He appears in a rather negative light.
I’m sure you have heard about “Acts of God.” The phrase is often mentioned nowadays to describe the incalculable damage that the super typhoon wrought. Although the phrase may be legally precise to describe events which are outside of the control of humans and for which no one can be held responsible, it is, nonetheless, subject to a lot of misinterpretations.
The ordinary layman, for instance, may reason out that if the deluge was not attributable to man, then necessarily God should be blamed as the proximate cause of it. Poor God. I can almost hear Him lovingly making a correction: “Uh, you might want to call it by another name… like ‘Caused By Man’ for example?”
This morning, the heavens reiterated the point I had wanted to make. While I drove my kids on the way to school, a R.O.Y.G.B.I.V. peeped in the heavens. Yes, today I just saw a complete, colorful bow at 6:30 o’clock in the morning.
I know that for a lot of people, this is nothing to wonder about. But, when a colorful bow presents itself in the heavens after a ravaging typhoon – and on an exceptionally sunny day, at that – not only is the magnificent work of God revealed; the Divine promise to man is renewed.
“When… a rainbow appears in the sky, I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life… The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise” (Genesis 9: 15, 17 CEV).
Indeed, when all promise of relief is insufficient, this one promise from God is a sufficient relief.
May I suggest a paradigm shift? Let’s call a spade a spade. We can start by calling a rainbow – the promise of life and restoration – something more appropriate. Perhaps, an “Act of God.”
Quote for the week:
“And when it rains
on your parade, look up
rather than down.
Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton
