I was recently admitted to the Cardiology Ward of the Christchurch Hospital for a series of tests. I watched my heartbeat on the computer screen. It was a unique experience.
Thereafter, lying on the bed, my memories browsed through the struggle and futility of life. “Why should we human beings worry about the future, or even the next day, when death could occur any moment?” I asked myself.
I noticed that some patients had regular visitors (family and friends), while others had none. Some received flowers, hugs, kisses and best wishes for recovery, while others had nothing but solitude and tears.
I realised that all of us become orphans sometime or the other; some at birth, some later in family life and certainly all of us at death. That was when I discovered the comfort and solace of the Bible. It could be the Bhagavad Gita, the Holy Quran, the Guru Granth Sahib or any other Holy Book of your faith.
The Bible was a source of comfort and revelation. I began to realise the futility of selfishness and ego and that anything we treasure could be taken away any time, without warning. The Bible is an inspirational insight into the strength of hope, faith, courage and resilience. When we face extreme adversity and reality, we should gather the inner strength to survive…
My thoughts and beliefs were reaffirmed as I looked at the Holy Cross in the Chapel located on the ground floor of the Hospital.
Cross, suffering, grief and sorrow are all an integral part of human life and only the path to salvation. Once we face and pass them with courage, resilience and optimism, we discover God. That is the moment of truth. There is a reason for everything and whatever happens is a part of a well-planned programme of the Mastermind.
Even Nature’s rampage in the form of earthquakes, floods, cyclones, typhoons and volcanoes could be a part of a Schedule. These should make us revisit the direction and priorities in our lives and things that we value. A correction could be inevitable and we should avail the opportunity without allowing it to lapse.
I recalled the words of Mary Stevenson in Footprints in the Sand:
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene, I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints. Other times there were one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that, during the low period of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, “You promised me, Lord, that if I followed you, You would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have been only one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, You have not been there for me?” The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints is when I carried you.”
