"I came out of Bataan and I shall return", this is the famous speech of Douglas MacArthur which was first made at Terowie, a small railway township in South Australia on March 20. For some Filipinos, these words gave them hope during World War II that someone would save them from their predicament. But for other Filipinos, they knew MacArthur abandoned his troops while they were written off by the Japanese.
“I shall return” –these words, in fact, suggest that one is about to be left behind, he or she has to face the “unknown”, and this is a frightening experience. Fear is there as one anticipates whether the promise to return will be fulfilled or not by the other. Fear is there because one does not know what will happen between the time of the other’s departure and his or her coming back. Fear is there because even as adults, one is really afraid of the “unknown” like a child who fears to go in the dark. What can make one keep going day by day during such time is his or her hope. Hope makes one know how to wait, while patiently enduring trials.
However, what will be the basis of our hope? –what shall we depend upon? Most often, we rely on the promise made by the person. We hope that he or she will do what he or she has told us. Yet how many times have we been frustrated by unfulfilled promises or empty promises? Our hope is in vain. There are many wives who are totally abandoned by their husbands though the latter promised to love until death. There are many children who have been out of school because of peer pressure and have forgotten their promise to their parents to study and finish their school. There are those who promise to pay what they owe but you cannot find their whereabouts anymore. In the course of time, it has become clear that one’s hope is diminishing.
So what shall we do? Do we have to abandon our hope? Well it is but timely to evaluate our life and give ourselves a new basis, a new foundation on which our hope can stand. We have to place our hope on what can stimulate our energies to endure all things while waiting. Our hope can only be for Jesus. He said in John 14: 1-12, “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.” Jesus is the foundation of our hope. He alone can guarantee us of the possibility of the happening or arriving of what we are awaiting. Our hope in Jesus is necessary for us to be able to “receive what is promised”. A wife can hope that her husband will change his mind and return to her as she hopes in the Lord. Parents can hope that their children will finish their studies as they pray to Jesus for their guidance. This same hope in the Lord can help us face our fear; face the “unknown” especially when our beloved one says “I shall return”. Moreover, our hope is always certain in Jesus. When no one listens to us any more, Jesus still listens to us. When we can no longer talk to anyone or call upon anyone, we can always talk to Him. When there is no longer anyone to help us deal with a need, he can help us. When we are placed in a solitary confinement, we are never totally alone because we can still pray and talk to Jesus. We have to remember then every time we are troubled, pray to Jesus and put our hope in Him, only in Him. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment