reflection 101: called to obey

So they are aware… in fact, they are hurting… they are crying!
Pleading to God for mercy, for forgiveness, for healing, for restoration… of justice and righteousness in the land. Among and for the Filipinos and their children’s children.

This was the scenario of the first praise and prayer morning of the six-day leadership-discipleship camp here in metro manila. More than 135 college students and young professionals from all over metro manila, cavite, laguna, Batangas, and Mindoro were kneeling down and crying out to God for mercy and healing for our land and people. For not more than 30 minutes, not one eye was dry, not one mouth was shut up, not one heart was crushed. Everyone was praying, body-soul-spirit, in utter brokenness before the throne of grace. Not one heart was unaffected. Not one person was uninvolved and unconcerned.

I was proven wrong. I so thought that the youth of this land simply do not care for they are either unaffected or busy doing their own thing. I thought that they are protected by their own concerns and created worldly cares. I thought that they are covered by their easy-go-lucky posture and loose pluralistic worldviews these days. But, I was proven wrong.

Our youth are affected. They are aware of what’s happening around them. And they are hurting. They are concern and they want change. They want to take part in the process and make a difference. They are, just like the rest of the world, tired of the status quo, the injustice they are suffering in all forms, colors, and shapes. They are crying and begging God for mercy, healing and restoration.

If there is one huge concern that they are crying for, it is the crisis of leadership. And I am filled with hope and joy seeing that they want to be movers of hope and change. And that is to start change within them. If our problem is a crisis in the good leadership and governance of the country when our leaders would loose face and integrity, our hope now lies in the hands of these young men and women, who are not afraid to allow change to begin from among and within themselves.

There is hope. We declare hope. For as long as we have the life of hopeful change from among the ideals of the youth, we will never fall. We will never loose faith. We will never be put to shame. We can declare that we shall see the sun rise again for the Filipino people, and their children’s children. We declare the day when justice and righteousness will shine like a noonday sun again in our land.

Gat. Jose Rizal is after all still calling… that the youth of this land will remain our hope. For they are aware, in fact, they are hurting and crying for change… which is within their hands. Change that is happening as it begins among and within themselves.

As they pray, the answer is coming… their hearts are changed… they become the answers to their own prayers! That is the power of prayer! Prayer changes hearts and people. After all, the heart of the matter, in fact, all these things that matter to us, is simply the ‘heart’ of the man! One changed heart towards God’s holiness, is one changed nation. One hopeful future for the land.

And that was only the first morning. So imagine the prayers still poured out during meal times, the sessions on rekindling the love for the country, the missions nights, and the rest of the other morning prayer times.

And that was only this years LCDC… How about the other five more I had witnessed the past six years of my staff life? And the other five more when I was still a student? This land has and will always have a future, as long as the youth of this land are aware, concern, and desire to be the hope and future of this land. As long as the change or transformation of the heart starts from among and within themselves. So long as God does the overhauling of the heart of the matter which is simply our hearts.

~Hadassah Leung