One half of me is yours, the other half yours. Mine own, I would say; but if mine, then yours. And so all yours. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, 3.2.17-9
The love month of February is here and people are starting to be love-struck. While I’m deciding if I let cupid chase and while I’m mocking him “hit me if you can with a shot of the love-flu”…there hit a bigger shaking that struck the city I’m at now. Cebu, a few days ago experienced a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 for about 10 seconds, leaving the nearby islands around it in severe devastation with cracked roads, landslides and about a hundred death casualties.
When the earthquake happened, I was at a restaurant waiting for my eat-all-you-can lunch to be served and chatting with some friends around the table. My feet started to tremble, things were swinging, there was a shaking that feels anytime to crash, and people were docking heads and running to a safe place. Notably, there seemed to be nowhere a safe place. Everywhere was shaking. Classes were canceled, working people inside tall building were warned to stay out of their offices and cars are halting on roads. For just 10 seconds, all were shocked. People expressed their aftershocks by laughing, praying or not just talking about it. Nevertheless, people are really experiencing literal aftershocks and on the note there were already 700plus listed aftershocks succeeding the earthquake. This is not just the whole story. The action-drama-suspense happened when two hours after the earthquake, there was a city chaos. Information that a tsunami follows earthquake and hitting Cebu shook the city. From downtown Colon and pier area, people were running some leaving their slippers and cars behind running uptown to a higher land for safety. Everyone was in panicked, those eating in restaurants and shopping or riding jeepneys and taxis left without paying, people who have nowhere to go tried to come in and climb the top of tall buildings. Amidst all the disarray, people were looking for their loved ones making calls but with most phone networks down. And what tear most people were when they are not able to be with their loved ones in this time of crisis and that fact that they have to save themselves. Watch panic mode vide0 here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ39hf-lLIo Not only did the earth experience quaking but hearts were then quaking so hard. When news was verified, it was known that the tsunami evacuation was a false alarm and a just crooked cry wolf started it all. People were thankful that it is not true but were aggravated that such folly sparked the dangerous chaos.
Pondering it all, I’m still convinced that nothing happened as accidents or coincidence in the life of a Christian or of any person if only He recognizes God. Everything has a purpose and that God determines the time in His hands. I’m not saying calamities are from God. God would never create such opposing force to Him. But why God allows evil occurrences? The answer I got now is…honestly, I don’t know. It is God’s sovereign will and right as God. But it is important that we keep faith and trust that God is love and His purposes are motivated by love. It was already written in the Word of God what is possible and who God is over this all. Psalm 46:1-6 writes “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.” This picture brings to mind the real news of about 60 people in Negros who fled upto the mountains away from the sea because of incoming tsunami just to be buried under rocks and soil caused by the mountains giving into landslides going down. Trapped. Dead.
What do we know about love? 1 Corinthians 13:13 says “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Everything can be shaken, faith, hope, and love is also being shaken. But love remains greatest. In the testing that the earthquake crisis brought, many of the people’s priorities and love for families, friends, city, nation and God were shaken too. If today, this moment, is your last, can you really say you’ve loved enough- to the extent that all you have is already given away. Whether you answer yes or no, God is not shaken. God is love. God remains. But we, never remain. Unless we, remain in God.
