Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. We are created out of love by our Creator to love our Creator in His Creation. That is our core, our nature. However, we are lured away from our nature, influenced and tempted by the devil. We allow negativities into our lives, drifting further and further away from God. We venture, layer by layer, from our core, outwards and we become shallow in thoughts and short-sighted in wisdom. We are out of touch with reality, our nature and purpose. If we find that we are not burning with love and desire for this God who we were intended to love, it probably signals our lack of touch with ourselves, our deepest selves for there lies, beyond the layers, our connection with the Father who first fashioned us in our mothers' wombs.
Taking an onion in hand, we would see its outer shell, a very thin and fragile layer easily torn away by our fingers. If we run water over it, we would be able to rub away this outer layer too in just a few seconds. So is the façade and image we put up every day as different situations we face demand different sides of us. This outer shell we keep as a layer of protection hides what lies within us; it is thin and fragile and does not stand firm. It does not show who we really are and when we continue to deceive not just the world but also ourselves, we will lose sight of who we really are, what we are here for and certainly, who we really belong to.
Layer after layer of flesh covers the bud of the onion that lies in the deepest centre of the onion. The older the layer, the thicker it is. Time after time, when we lie, cheat, gossip, back stab and do all sorts of things that are out of sync with our nature of goodness, we build up yet another layer around our innocence and childlikeness and venture further and further away from our core. As time goes by and more layers accumulate, and the older layers thicken, the more difficult it is to peel off the thick layers to find back our true self.
Anyone who has tried chopping up an onion would testify that it is nothing fun and pleasant to do so as we will soon feel the burning sensation in our eyes. It is like the onion's way of getting back at us when we "attack" it. How often are we like these onions too! When we feel threatened be it our egos, safety or job security, or we are injured or hurt, we fight back. We insult, curse, tell tales on others, spread rumours, complain and the list goes on. We make sure that others' lives are miserable, inconvenienced, jeopardised, etc. An eye for an eye!!
However, when we peel off all the layers of the onion, we come to the core - the bud of the onion, from which the new shoot and the new root will sprout. It is in this bud that possesses new life. It needs the nourishment and food supply of the layers around it to grow. This is only possible as in the flesh of the onion stores goodness for the new plant. So too for our lives. Our core, our source of purpose and love lies in the deepest centre of our beings. God is in this centre of our being and in Him there is new life. If we surround our lives with layers of goodness, these goodness will nourish us daily and provide the supplements we need to generate life, to be life-giving in our relationships with others. God can create in us a new life; a life that emulates His goodness and a life that is rich in love and fulfilment. Then only will we be able to spread on God's goodness unto others for the greater good just like how an onion gives much flavour and benefit to those who use it in their dishes. On the contrary, if we surround our lives with meaningless, fruitless and superficial things, none of these can possibly sustain us let alone nourish us. We would be like a rotten onion that cannot develop into a new plant and worse, cause food poisoning to those who eat it.
With these, let us humbly ask the Lord for wisdom to discern what is good and what is bad for us, to choose the things and activities that nourish us and say "no" to those that kills the life within us. Let us put our trust in God so that we can peel off the layers around us and feel comfortable and secure with the real person God has made us to be - full of goodness and love. That no matter how vulnerable we may be without our "protective layers", we will surrender our lives into the mighty and faithful hands of God, choosing every moment to keep our faith in Him who loves, guides and protects us.
16 August 2010
10.52pm
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