We can prepare for this too!

The fearful feelings of people are heightened by apocalyptic movies & predictions, the likes of 2012 and others. Religious end-times fanatics are on the feast – so, on the later part of “Successive Earthquakes” blogs I will give some layman-spiritual insight about it. I have posted also a blog about why God allowed earthquakes to happen? (Check out: http://prudy.graceplace.ph/god-allowed-the-earthquake-in-haiti ).

When I was a kid these are the things I was afraid of during earthquakes: the idea of a disastrous earthquake itself (I panic, who isn’t?), the earth opening up and swallowing me alive, be separated from my parents or one of them becoming a casualty, being dizzy and lastly if I die I might not be saved (I’ll talk about this last item on the latter posts).

After a losing fight with panicking and being dizzy, I just resolved to jumping up and down during the earthquake duration so I won’t feel the earth’s movement. Or I climbed the nearest Aratiles (wild Philippine sweet-berries) tree, and just imagine that the tree is just swayed by the wind! Smart isn’t it?

Today, let me share with you simple to do things during an earthquake from my informal research on it. I found out that there are three areas on how to be prepared to this unwelcome natural phenomenon [1] before [2] during, and [3] after the earthquake.

• On 1, we’ve learn to the best that we can not to panic. I don’t know how are we going to do that, but the best so far that I know is to trust in God, that no matter what, He is in control of uncontrollable forces of nature.
• Second is to have a family contingency plan if an earthquake occurs. Locate the safest place inside your house during the quake and make it a point that everyone goes there. Or if it happens during the working hours, when everyone is outside, have a location (rendezvous spot) where you can meet within the day, in the circumstance that mobile communications won’t function.
• Prepare a striking color bag (preferably backpack) with emergency items, torch (battery powered), emergency medicine, light food, such as few canned goods and crackers, have candies and bottled water too. Place it in an easy accessible location within your house.
• And lastly, be courageous and brave as we don’t know what will happen during these disasters. Be ready also to help other people who are more damaged and unfortunate than you are.

On my next post I will share things to do during earthquakes.

Are there people who irritate you in your workplace? The gossips and those who are only working when the boss is around, or those who feels like he/she is the boss, those who are always negative and irrate but unfortunately affecting the entire staff performance, or those who feel like they know everything and those who feel like your work place is a vacation-getaway!

You just wish they disappear from the surface of the earth but they seemed to be immortal and eternal and to make matters worst they are influencing the saints, like you! Bad of all bad, no amount of calling the attention of the HR officers no action is done!

Here’s a story Jesus told to give you some thoughts to ponder (Matthew 13: 24-30):

There is…”a farmer who planted good seed in the field. But that night…his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat…When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

“The…workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted good seed is full of weeds!…’

“‘Should we pull the weeds?’ They asked.

“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.”

Lessons:

1. Our workplace is one of life laboratories where we can practice the virtues we learned.  If there are no places and people like the ones mentioned above, we will not be able to exercise patience and the like attitudes.
2. Many times we only think of our concerns and our seemingly right solution to these concerns, we do not see the big picture and the bad consequences our thoughts may affect the affairs of our entire company.
3. God is more concern with the development of your character than eliminating those things, bad it may seem, that will contribute to your growth as a person.

I hope this thoughts will give you new perspective as you deal with your irritating colleagues!

Just one very graphic picture of the aftermath in the terrible Haiti Earthquake!

Some people sent me messages regarding the earthquake in Haiti.  They asked questions about God! Specially when Pat Robertson made an unpopular comment which gathered a lot of unfavorable responses from non-Christians and Christians alike.

People became more aware of God and questioned His existence, abilities, powers, His omnipotence and omniscience because of this tragedy and other natural and man-made calamities: storms, flooding, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, forest fire, wars, bombings, brutal crimes, massacres, sea vessels’ tragedies and many others!

I have posted a blog in my other site when typhoon Ondoy devasted the National Capital Region of the Philippines with deadly and destructive flood last September 2009. I am re-posting it here:

How can we answer the question, “Why does a perfect, good and all-powerful God whom we believe and trust allows tragic disasters to happen?”

I’ve learned some things from the Bible, that I think, presented 3 simple but profound answers:

[1] The world is evil, not because of God’s creation or His will, but because of the evil forces, that is against Him, and mankind’s wrong choices.  On the latter point, I’m talking about the choices of the first man & woman when they choose not to follow God’s guidelines.  It was a bad choice and unfortunately in doing so, the natural movement of the forces of nature abandoned the good plans of God too, a very unfortunate consequence but real.

[2] On the other hand, God is in pain and suffers with us because He cares for those who are suffering in the midst of tragedies. That is why He touches the hearts of the people who have the capacity & capability to help! Through them He extends His assistance. Let us become aware that it is always a privilege to be of help!

[3] Lastly, God’s purpose is to make one day to do away with evil that caused all of these disasters.

I look forward to that time when eventually God will say, “Enough is enough, those evil things has to stop now!” I hope and pray that many of us are looking forward for that to happen. May it be  very soon!

One…had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him…he asked…”Would you like to get well?” (5,6)

Jesus talking to the paraphlegic man near the pool