Different Lenses

Jack (not his real name) is an 11 year old boy who attends school like all other children of his age. He is average-sized with a fist that has a good range of experiences in punching others in the face and other parts of the body. Jack hates to do homework and glares at his teacher when she scolds him. Everyday, the focus and goal Jack brings to school seems not to be on his academics and character development but rather, he is far more concerned about who offends him, getting back at those who offend him, monitoring his temper gauge so that he can retaliate as soon as he finds someone has angered him. Such is a boy, young but yet, a blood-sucker to his teachers, parents and classmates alike. He looks unkempt with his overgrown hair and is an eye sore to any normal human person. His teachers cannot stand him; they have given up on him since he does not even bother about his own life. They're all better off with him being transferred to another class so that they won't have to put up with his bad behaviour any more. He is written-off in their hearts and if only they could write him off in their minds too. He will grow up to be a useless person who will only waste our earthly resources, take up space, create more social problems, cause misery to his parents and future family; better off if he was never born. You might never know he might appear on the Straits Times headlines for drug trafficking or rape or murder one day and people who knew him would say to themselves, "I knew this would be his end. I just knew it!" Death sentence - passed at 11 years of age; struck out. What else would you expect from someone who lives his life like that? 

This is... Human.

Jack (not his real name) is an 11 year old boy who attends school like all other children of his age. His unkempt hair and untidy uniform tells that he does not have someone who really cares about grooming him or guiding him or teaching him to love himself. His temperaments tells that his life is not fulfilling or satisfying and he probably harbours a lot of resentments and frustrations so much so that he is always on the verge of lashing out at others. His life knows no peace. Behind the thick and necessary façade Jack puts up of his bad temper and foul attitude, there lies a fragile and deprived heart longing to be loved completely and to receive goodness. There lies a poor soul that is not shown his purpose and direction in life; a child of God, made in the image and likeness of God Himself. This life, God has breathed into him, creates a direct personal relationship with Him. He was born for great things like everyone else yet not given the environment that is nurturing, patient and loving to bring out the greatness within. His face is harsh and rebellious, behind which hides a tender spirit crying out in emptiness. This child is to be respected and believed in for there lies goodness within him since God, who's created him, is the source of goodness and what is created in love is love itself. Like everyone else, Jack is capable of loving, of acting in peace and relating in harmony. He is capable of good academic results and deserves friends who are of good influence. When God created Jack, God created him to do good and to take his place in God's own plan of kingdom building here on earth. This boy can grow up to be a good son, husband and father. He can be an upright employee and a trustworthy colleague. He is destined for goodness and can attain goodness. 

This is... Humanly Impossible to think of but made possible through the 

Inspiration and Prompting of the Holy Spirit

We meet people everyday; those we like and don't like, based on our perceptions of them. How do we see them? If we put on our normal human lenses that are tinted, we will see everything and everyone tinted. If we put on the lenses of judgement, arrogance and indifference, our vision will be blurred by our judgements, arrogance and indifference. We will never be able to see and more importantly, recognise the God in each person. How, then, would we be able to act in love towards our neighbours as God teaches us to? Our neighbours are those we meet in our everyday lives, be it family, friends, colleagues or mere acquaintances. How we look into the eyes of a person we're walking past at a traffic junction can convey rejection or love, harshness or compassion. How our faces look even without the eye contact does affect the onlooker's moods and lives. How do we like going to work in the wee hours of the morning with faces we see going past us with no smiles, no compassion, no warmth, no care? Will not these attitudes infect us too? 

If we say Jesus is Lord and that we love Him, we must love ALL about Him and not just the aspects of Him we can put up with humanly. Jesus, for one, does not choose who He died for or who He loves more. Since He loves all, and in this case, even Jack, we must love all that He loves too. A groom cannot say to his bride, "I love you but not your family. I will have no connection or take any concern for your family." For the fact that God has created all things, all things are in relationship with God, therefore, we must want to love all of God's creation. This is not humanly possible as we are flawed and lacking in love. But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can consciously choose to put on different lenses; we can put on the lens of obedience to the Father's will, the lenses of love, compassion, patience, understanding, forgiveness, empathy and humility. When we substitute our tinted lenses with the pureness of our new lenses, our words, thoughts and deeds will communicate GOD's love, compassion, patience, understanding, forgiveness, empathy and humility to the marginalised, deprived and those who are so lacking in goodness. This is what God calls us to be and do as His disciples - to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. This is a very difficult cross to carry and along the way, we are bound to fall. Jesus calls us to, like Him, get back up onto our feet when we fall and continue on our journey towards Calvary. 

A perfect role model to learn from is Jesus Himself. If Jesus were to look at us the way we look at others, we will never have the graces we have been bestowed nor will we ever partake in God's salvation. He who is perfect and infinite - how can He love a human who is imperfect and finite? The lenses He uses to look upon us are perfectly pure in love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion. Let us imitate Jesus by using such lenses (though they can never be as pure) to look upon our fellow man so that we can identify the God living in each person and fine tune our own attitudes and biases towards them; so that we can be God's instrument of love, peace and joy; the love, peace and joy that only God can give and He gives them through us. Isn't that the best privilege? To be found useful and obedient to be God's own instrument. 

08 August 2010

10.37pm