"For There Is No God", Says The Arrogant

"For what profit is it for a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).

I woke up today to a shocking news of a strong earthquake that devastated the impoverished country of Haiti. All media outlets are simultaneously carrying the same news. In one of the videos, people can be heard screaming, "End of the world, end of the world!" This is certainly not the kind of thing that we would want to welcome us for the new year.

Devastations are indescribable. The capital city of Port-au-Prince is literally flattened. Piles of dead bodies are littered everywhere. Officials and aid organizations estimate the dead to be in hundreds of thousands. Even the presidential palace was not spared from earth's fury.

On hearing such stories, one's natural reaction would be to feel sorry for the victims. Then our eyes fixated on television, eager to see graphic details of the news. But when reality starts to sink in, we start to forget and go on with the mundane concerns of our day-to-day lives. We tend to forget to thank our Creator that we were fortunate not to have experienced that awful thing.

For me, every event, phenomenon or occurrence, always brings an unlimited opportunity to tell your own story. And so, this is my opportunity to express my own gratitude to Him who remains faithful and just. For He is able to destroy in a blink of an eye, but is also able to spare us when He pleases.

As the world is becoming more complex, so are our creeds and beliefs. Humans have been overwhelmed by science and mainstream media. Technology is such, that we think our human prowess is invincible. People get the best education available, that they become boastful and arrogant. Man thinks that the world is his oyster, that he controls the universe and that everything revolves around him.

Facebook for one, can become a powerful platform to shout out one's arrogance. In a conservative and deeply religious society like the Philippines, one's show of utter disgust of the Bible is totally unheard of. This man may be famous, eloquent and highly-intelligent, but his reference of the Scriptures as some ancient book filled with crap and heresies, caught me in disbelief.

I am aware though, not all people share a similar view or belief about certain things. Many people may find my own thoughts old and bland, or my way of putting things in perspective abrasively irrelevant. But I am in no way imposing my own belief on anyone. Just like in the early days, when people already had propensities for topics that tickle their ears; and so frown at corny issues.

On a personal note, I am deeply grateful for this blogging thing of late. And I may say, I am a reluctant blogger, because I am a natural sloth and indolent, not so inclined to writing because of my fear of ridicule. But in here, I was able to motivate myself to express my thoughts with so much conviction. In here, I can write what my heart dictates, and refutes the knowledgeable of their worldly wisdom. For the proud always says in his heart, "there is no God".

And this is my thought --that wealth, intelligence and fame is vanity if you don't acknowledge your Creator. People might be in awe of your worldly knowledge, yet you lack wisdom to even explain how your eyes were formed in their sockets and failed to establish, how your belly is able to hold up your organs in a wonderfully and meticulously-crafted way; then maybe you need to rethink that there is One up there who holds the key to that question.

For no amount of fame and riches will ever spare us, when the time comes for us to be hold accountable to what our tongues have spoken and our thoughts have blasphemed. For if God wills and this Haiti thing suddenly befalls us, we will surely be weeping in contrition and acknowledge Him, He that brings the arrogant down to their knees.