what's left?

it has been a weekend of thoughts and intrigues.
first, it was the video we watched during cell,
by ravi zacharias.
the other, being the movie '2012'.

let me expound on the former further?
it was a long video,
but i brought home one thought wif me.
would i rather feel pain, or be unable to feel pain.

ravi zacharias, amongst other things, quoted a story.
where a girl who was diagnosed wif a rare disease
Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis
called 'CIPA' in short..

if you want more info, here.
but in layman's terms,
it is basically a disease or rather, a disorder from birth,
the inability to feel pain.

some of us try so hard to 'mask' our fears,
some of us yearn so much for 'recovery'.
but dis girl, she was born without pain.
but to me, that was the most painful diagnosis.

because of CIPA,
she's gotta haf 4 teachers specially attached to her,
making sure that she doesn't suffer any cuts or bumps,
lest, she bleeds excessively unknowingly.

during her recess time,
she'd hafta put ice into her steamy hot food,
so that the food she place in her mouth,
doesn't scald her tongue or oesophagus..

day after day after day,
her mum aches in her heart.
uttering prayer after prayer at each sunset.
"all i ask for, is that she'd at least feel some pain"

at that instance, i thought to myself,
isn't pain, heartaches, disappointments such a blessing?
that girl didn't know what is dangerous,
she is literally in danger everywhere she goes.

for us, we feel pain, knowing that
certain things ought to be avoided.
we know we shouldn't go near a lighted stove,
or stand near an exhaust pipe of a motorbike.

even in heartaches and disappointments,
we know how to handle those upsets better in future.
we know what ought to be avoided,
and how to avoid in future.

so is pain really a curse, or a blessing?
is it God's way of averting us from a potential fatality?
if that is proven sound analysis,
den shouldn't our prayer of recovery be changed?

instead of asking God to take away our pain,
shouldn't we be thanking God for 'warning' us before its too late?
and at the same time,
pray and ask for discernment and wisdom to handle it?

think abt it..

on sunday, i finally got to watch 2012 wif 9 other friends!
although it was an expected plot,
where the world is coming to an end,
and how men would overcome it etc..

but from that movie,
i picked out one thing as i see the 'calamities'.
God is ALMIGHTY.
we're literally nothing, in every sense of the word.

i noticed how often we shake our heads in shock,
when we see buildings and man-made mega infrastructures collapse.
how pple were killed from natural disasters,
and how vast the disaster upon men was.

but we will hardly move a nerve,
when we see nature destroyed.
without the drama of crashes and fire and screams,
we wouldn't feel much 'pain' from that, would we?

in fact, we feel at ease or relieved when we see the calamity
strike a piece of no-man's land.
away from civilisation,
no calamity is too big to be considered one.

but looking at how an entire city slides into the engalfing waters,
just reminds me of how 'temporal' our 'state-of-the-art achievements'.
what remains, really?
what remains?

as i see how men run, hide and preserve living-kind,
just shows how ignorant and highly we think ourselves to be.
in actual fact, the world will come to an end,
but not as easy to be predicted.

we're so snobbish to a certain extent
that we think we could outsmart God.
using man-made technology to predict the end of time.
and to prepare ourselves for it.

the truth is, we can't.
even Jesus do not know the time of rapture.
so can we really prepare?
did the bible tell us to prepare storage for treasures?

no. the bible only tells us to be ready for the time to come.
ready not in terms of material-preservations.
but ready in our hearts, the one and only thing
that we can and ought to preserve!

are we ready for the time to come?
or are we just 'waiting' for the time to come?
will we only say the sinner's prayer at the last moment
in efforts to 'book a spot' in Heaven?

thank God, that He is a just God, and not just a God.
a Judge who needs no statements of case and defence.
He is the all-knowing God, who knows beyond the exterior.
He sees within..

so will last minute prayers work?
i don't know.
but it is really a matter of grace and discipline.
do rmb, God is gracious, at the same time, righteous!

dear Lord, i thank You for giving us a natural warning system.
an emotion that could detect pain, and avert from the worse.
and many warnings that You've gently given us..
we want to cling onto You!

thank You for choosing us.
thank You for assuring us that all would fade away,
but Your word will still remain.
dis day, carve your words in our hearts, Lord God Almighty!

in Your Son's gracious name we ask,
amen.