Which Candle Stand are You?

I lit 3 candles tonight and left them by the window. A strong wind blew in from outside. I went away. When I got back, only 2 were burning bright. The other was extinguished, most probably because of the strong wind since its wax has not been used up. But they were all placed next to one another. Why did 2 continue to burn while the other did not? 


The 2 that remained lit were on the candle stand that has a glass casing surrounding them. The one that was extinguished did not. Nothing was there to shield it from the wind and it could not fight against it. One blow and it is snuffed out. 


How often do we find this depicted also the nature of our life experiences? That glass casing is likened to God's graces and saving help. We surround ourselves by God, the glass casing, by relying on Him for everything we need, and we are protected, shielded, safe. Friar Mike would always begin his blessing of religious objects with, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Our help, truly, is in the name of the Lord and what miracles can occur in our lives when we place all our trust in Him, even when what lies ahead is nothing but a complicated network of paths clouded in so thick a mist that we are left feeling helpless and clueless. 


Without God, one crisis hits and we are snuffed out. Defeated. But with God, the 'where', 'how', 'when', 'what' will all be revealed in due time. What was lost becomes found again. We need not fret for He now becomes the Light that shines the path to take. He now becomes the hope that all is not lost. He now becomes the wind that blows away the mist so that we may begin to see more clearly. 


Faith does not seek to find all the answers to explain what we do not know.
Faith is from a knowing of who God is, from a personal and intimate encounter of Him, and from the recognizing of how God has not failed us all our lives even though we have failed Him repeatedly.
Faith is a gift from God. 
To have it, we must desire for it, and ask God to bless us with this gift. 
To continue to have it, we must desire for it, and ask God to increase what little faith we have so that we may trust in Him more and more. 
Faith needs time to nurture... as we unwrap our presents. Faith needs our patience. 


Question is... 
Which candle stand would you want to be? 


Saturday 16 June 2012