,
Praise God from whom all blessings flow . . .
As we conclude our chapel service this morning, we usually sing that doxology, giving praise to the Triune God. Though it’s a common basic theological knowledge that I have known for decades, this morning the impact on me is something different. I think my current circumstances made such thoughts stay with me more than usual.
Life in Quarters: A Personal Timeline
Today, I am entering what I describe to be the fourth quarter of my life. Reflecting on The Making of a Leader by Dr. Robert Clinton, I observe a pattern in my life every 19 years. The first 19 years, which I describe as the first quarter, were spent in rebellion and hostility.
The second quarter, from 19 to 38, was the early years of productivity both in my theological training and Christian service. It was during this period that I was ordained in the Christian ministry, married the mother of my children, completed my graduate degree, and exercised leadership in educational institutions, churches, and our denomination.
The third quarter was the hardest period. It was the most painful period in my life.
Now that I am entering the last quarter of my life, I think God is leading me to shift my focus from my pain to the pains of people around me. Pain is an inescapable reality of human life. God willing, I will reach 76 thinking of the good of the next generation before I depart from this life.
Pain, Gratitude, and Internal Struggle
Returning to that ancient doxology, if pain and trials in life are seen as divine blessings, gratitude is the most appropriate response. However, thanking God amid pain isn’t easy. I am thinking about whether it is acceptable before God to thank him in our minds and will, even though our emotions tell us otherwise.
Moreover, not only do human emotions seem to go in the opposite direction to gratitude in times of pain, but even our actions show whether we are grateful or not. In my long years of service, I encountered two extraordinary problems shared with me by a friend and a colleague in an educational institution. One was at the end of his rope and became a bum walking on the streets of Manila for days, thinking of ending his life. However, at that point of desperation, he remembered me, and one day I saw him in front of our door. I was shocked. He was so dirty and almost unrecognizable. I let him into our house, and he unloaded his burden. He found peace and was able to sleep. The burden was passed on to me. That night, I even prayed to the Lord to take my life.
Such an instance of an extraordinary problem shared with me has been repeated. I responded with sympathy and understanding and gave hope to that person. What I find difficult to understand is that when I suffered the same pain, I could not find anyone among my close acquaintances who understood what I went through. I was thinking, how come nobody lent me aid during my deepest trial, while I was there providing comfort when others faced their strongest storms in life? I struggle to find an answer to this question.
After several years of enduring pain, when I returned to theological education and Christian ministry, my psychological stance was one of cautiousness and isolation. I tend to shy away from Christian fellowship and public gatherings. I prefer to live alone. Something changed. Something was broken inside. I was not the same man as before during my younger years.
As we started our prayer meeting this afternoon, Trading My Sorrows was the title of the song that our song leader selected. I have been a stock trader since 2015, and I was in pain for 19 years. Entering the last quarter of my life, I want to be a different kind of trader, trading my pain and sorrows for the joy of the Lord.
If the Lord is indeed sovereign, is He not also the Lord of human pain? If He is the Lord of human pain, can He not transmute earthly sorrows and pain to gold of heavenly gain? (Paraphrasing and converting the words of Margaret Clarkson into interrogatives taken from the book Feelings and Faith by Brian S. Borgman).
Ecclesiastes 9:10 and the Call to Work
As Rev. Cecilio Eleazar delivered the Lord’s message this morning based on Ecclesiastes 9:10, the Lord has given me a timely message as I enter the last quarter of my life.
He talked about mediocrity and challenged the audience to strive for excellence. Here’s what Ecclesiastes wrote:
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
As usual, listening to the proclamation of the gospel, I did my initial exegesis and came up with the following insights.
Whatever your hand finds to do
This clause reminds me of the list of things to do that I usually note in my record book daily. As I observe, my list is divided into two categories: basic, or the important matters that should be prioritized, and matters that are urgent. Unfortunately, the list of urgent matters keeps growing, and they usually come from anywhere:
From security to maintenance, dormitory and student affairs, the BOT and government compliances, banks and book suppliers, field tours, and health care companies, the water system in the campus, all the utility bills (Internet, water, and electricity), the salary of part-time faculty in the college, senior high school, and elementary levels, and not to mention the many proposals and projects that came into my table unexpectedly. I almost forgot to mention the concerns from basic education, technical-vocational, the human resource department, the registrar, the office of the academic dean, and renters in our facilities (
Source).
As a result of such multitasking, the important matters that deserve focused attention are set aside, and this affects my productivity in the office. At the end of the day, I feel tired and exhausted instead of feeling satisfied for accomplishing something that will contribute to the school's finances, taking off.
Do it with all your might
This statement tells us that work is honorable. This includes all kinds of work—manual, intellectual, technical, etc.
The phrase “with all your might” shows that excellence should be the goal in all our labor. Giving our 100% should characterize whatever we do, whether in designing a curriculum, preparing our lectures and reports, or using teaching methodology.
The Many Challenges of Labor Today
However, in today’s context, labor is facing many challenges. Multi-tasking is one. Without focus, our work tends to suffer from a lack of creativity and a feeling of dissatisfaction.
Overvaluation and undervaluation of labor is another. There are those who fail to distinguish the difference between manual and mental, emotional, and creative. Some would even argue that manual labor deserves to be rewarded the same as mental labor. What they fail to understand is that the law of supply and demand determines the pay that kind of labor receives.
Other challenges, which I cannot elaborate on further due to time constraints, include welfarism, entertainment, the threats of technology such as AI and robotics, and even the unlimited growth of capital. It doesn’t mean that I agree with all of these. I am simply mentioning ideas that are floating out there.
The Finality of Death
For in the grave where you are going
This last part of the verse points to the inescapable reality of death. With the finality of death, procrastination should not be an option in your work. In your work, you must aim for excellence NOW. Plan for excellence NOW. Grow both in knowledge and wisdom with excellence NOW. Since in death all of these will cease, as far as time is concerned, the focus of doing your tasks with your all should be NOW.
Work as Worship: A Holistic Biblical View
I love how the speaker concludes his message quoting John 17:4:
I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you have given to me.
The escapist mentality that tends to undermine human life here on earth, due to emphasis on the next life, would struggle to see the significance of this text. Jesus is the one praying here. How did he glorify the Father on earth? The answer is by completing his work. The follow-up question is unavoidable. Is he referring only to his redemptive task and not to his work as a carpenter? Such a view of life would be dualistic and would fail the biblical perspective criterion of life, which is holistic. From carpentry to Calvary, Jesus glorified his Father, and that is the work he completed while he was here on earth.
Grace and peace!
