There is a lot of beauty and order in nature
for me not to believe in a loving and almighty Creator.
There is a lot of goodness and happiness in my life
for me not to be always filled with gratitude to the God who made it all.
This is the irrefutable truth that is in nature,
in my relationships with friends and family,
in the efforts of people and nations to become better.
But this beauty and order is often blemished by imperfections, failures and disasters
brought about by human frailty, selfishness, greed, fear, anger and hate.
During such times, I wonder if there is any future for us men.
We seem doomed to fail.
We seem bent on bringing about our own ruination.
I remember always being challenged to think out of the box
when faced with challenges and difficulties.
I can see now that the Christian message is about thinking
(as well as believing and doing things)
outside of the box.
Christ did not do away with pain and suffering.
He showed us that the failures and imperfections in our lives
are necessary ingredients to our journey towards salvation and perfection:
rough edges have to be smoothened out,
the crooked and bent have to be straightened up,
the empty and wanting have to topped off,
the incomplete have to be brought to completion.