“Gandang tanghali po!”
I turned to my right and saw a man who was smiling. He looked like he was only in his 30s. He was wearing a plain white shirt, white shorts and not so white sneakers. His outfit showed that he was a patient in the Drug Rehab Center where I would be giving a talk. The venue was a bit humid. It was an open space room with one electric fan that had seen better days. This man's smile & friendly greeting was a great antidote for the warm temperature.
“Magandang tanghali kapatid!” I replied back to him. “Excited ka na ba sa talk?”
He did not answer my question. Instead, he shared his past. He told me that he was caught several times for his use of illegal drugs. Then he is released after he settles what the authorities called “bail”. He smiled and said, “pero parang di naman 'bail' kasi iba-iba ang presyo.” Unfortunately, in his last arrest, he could not come up with the required amount. That’s how he ended up in this facility.
He told me that he did not believe in God. Because he could not find God in his past life. Because Jesus was nowhere in sight when he was caught by the police. Because he did not feel His Spirit inside the prison cell. Because God was not with him during his darkest moments. All these led him to conclude that there is no God.
He paused for a while. He then showed me that familiar smile and said, “pero dati pa yun!” He shared that the talks he heard the past weeks made him change his mind. He now believes that God is real. He realized that he did not feel God because his bad habit kept him away from God. Now, he is committed to change his life for God. He is now committed to love God and others.
I felt good after our conversation. I gave a talk to 44 patients of the rehab center on how God can change their lives. The humid venue did not bother me anymore. The air from the ancient fan felt like the cool breeze of Tagaytay. I felt better because this seminar is all about giving these men an opportunity to change. I ended my talk by praying over the participants. I prayed that positive change may start & continue in their lives.
Each person deserves a chance to reform his life. That is how Jesus looks at each one of us. I believe that it is how we should look at each person also.
So why is 1>99?
Because every soul is worth saving.
Luke 15:4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
No comments:
Post a Comment