What can we deduce from happenings in and around us!

The day I stepped down from the plane after a three week- vacation, I was told to visit a church family. The wife passed away after a small operation to clear her blocked vein. I was told she was still breezy and chatty after the operation and was back at the food stall, looking so well but collapsed with a fever the next day. Virus infection, the doctor said!

Then a strong hard-working elderly man was said to weaken drastically after being diagnosed with lung cancer. When I heard about it I went to visit right after as we were related. “We are getting old now”, he said sitting by the bed, weak and fragile. I haven’t seen him for two or three months and he was on the verge of death. He passed away three days later. On the morning when he passed away, I visited the family with mixed emotions. Yes, we are all aging indeed. I have known him for thirty years and more….

A month back, a youngster in our church was suffering from mild fever for a few days after coming back from outstation working trip. He went to the hospital and was treated for ordinary flu. Later, he was sent in because there was blood in the urine. The doctor didn’t find anything and was hospitalised for observation. Suddenly he passed out a lot of blood while going to the toilet and this alerted the doctor for immediate action. Though they didn’t know what was going on, a doctor suggested an operation to find out the true cause of bleeding. His intestine was perforated with holes. Another virus attack! God spared his life after giving him so many pints of blood transfusion. He is still recovering!

It seemed that we are surrounded by incurable and undefeatable virus attacks all round the world. Is the prophecy of God coming true that we are now attacked by unknown plagues?

According to geologists and scientists, global warming has a part to play in bringing new diseases and viruses to this earth. The balance that God has instituted in creation has been destroyed and so our survival is threatened.

Many people predicted that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. Is it because Jesus is coming and the world is in turmoil? Are people dying so rapidly due to the second coming of Christ? Or do we need to think further to find an answer to our own faults which contributed to our own situation?

Think about how we live and what kind of attitude we have in life. Does living bring us the power of hope in Christ? Or are we blaming God for all the disasters? Do we live in fear or we are prepared to battle it?

We had a Tsunami drill here in Tawau. Newspaper and news and messages were sent to alert people to participate in the training but it seemed that nobody bothered. I was waiting for an announcement along the way to ask us to run to the nearest place of safety but I just heard a siren from a police car or fire engine or ambulance speeding by. How bad that I can’t even identity the source. There were no cars following the siren to alert the public.

My daughter told me once that they had an earthquake drill while in University. No Malaysian students ran out of the building when the siren suddenly burst through the campus. Everyone was laughing and doing their tasks and the students in the whole building ignored the call. Later, they were scolded by the lecturers for being so ignorant.

Life might be at stake if people tended not to listen to warnings and announcements. If the earthquake did happen suddenly and no one listened to the siren warning, all would have perished.

Many incidents have happened due to ignorance and negligence. God is also sending messages to us every day, everywhere and we too turn a deaf ear to his warning signs. May the God of mercy create in us alertness, an ever ready watchfulness to prepare ourselves for the ‘run’ to him for safety

By Chris of Tawau, KK