Theological Reflection 1: Mirror

Imago Dei – God has created us and is continually molding us to His image and likeness. With this rooted firmly and deeply into our hearts, we people living in the world today can still overcome the threats that are poisoning the virtues, morals, and faith of people. Even if we have the intrinsic disposition to sin due to our imperfect nature as humans, we are still born good and have the capacity to search for something greater. We still have the gift to love and be loved by God as well as other people. However, problems stem out as questions stir within us due to the everyday struggle of each and every human being. In my opinion, the continuous erosion of spiritual and moral values, the ambiguity of moral standards, and the decay of dignity, liberty, and human rights are the fruits of this very venomous tree. The negative things we face in reality can sometimes cause our faith to tremble and lose its solidity. When times plunge to the darkest, one may question if what is happening is still a part of the great plan of God for each and every one of us. God has revealed Himself to us, yes, but even if He has descended to the earth fully human and fully divine to make our experience of His revelation more personal and more direct, we still did not understand much. The mysteries of our faith are all but too profound for us to understand, but God did make clear that He is inviting us to follow Him, and he is calling us with open arms to repent. He called and is constantly calling each and every one of us to be free from our selves which keep us from realizing our fullest potential – to be with Him when the time comes. However, it is up to us how we will heed His call to us. It is always up to each and every one of us how we will act to live our potentials. It is in our decisions where we answer God’s call to us. But what matters most is that we decide for ourselves, in doing so, we answer God’s call to us to live life unique to every individual. However, questioning one’s status amidst the state of things cannot be avoided as we are humans with the capacity to love, and to get hurt as well.

In my own experience, I have questioned my belief in God’s goodness time and time again. Amidst extreme hardships and losses in my life, I return to my faith in God. However, as the years passed and the struggles I faced became more and more personal; more and more devastating, my faith in God has all but just reduced to a five-letter word linked to a three-letter name. My belief in God became smaller and smaller to the point that I do not believe in His goodness anymore. Every time I face the somber realities of life, the more I get separated from God. As I look around me and see the suffering of many people, I ask God if this is what He wanted. But I know that the pain and suffering existing in the world are caused by decisions of many people – the same decisions that they take to follow their own vocation, their own way of life. But even though I grew to have a very negative perception in life, I still believe that it is up to us to choose whatever needs to be chosen. Setting my faith aside, I have learned through both regret and fulfillment that what we are today is the mirror of what we have chosen in the past, and what we are currently choosing in the present.




Sigh.
If all else fails, use force.