Sacrifice. It goes a long way.

I am not even going to intro this with a background of how Yolanda/Haiyan greatly devastated the Philippines. It's all in the news. The whole world is aware. So I'll head straight to tackling possible resolutions to this heart-breaking disaster.

It might be hard to believe this but some people are actually able to shrug this thing off like it's a stain on the shirt. While some are indifferent, some are the opposite of helpful -- people who choose to point finger, blame the government, blame the people affected and call them deserving of such physical, emotional, psychological, and who-knows-even-spiritual beatings, or worse, blame God.

I appeal to every Filipino reading this. US, UK, UAE, and many other countries have already extended their help. While this is good news for a lot of us, I hope we don't take it as an excuse to be complacent and think that no more help is needed. We are talking about people who have lost their loved ones. They have no more clothes to wear and opted to loot from the nearby malls and supermarkets for food and drinks just to survive the next day. They have no more jobs to go back to. They won't have any form of income for I don't know how long. I hope we all see the picture that these people will be completely relying on the government's help to start all over again. Analysts would say it will take us around 2 to 3 months before everything and everyone is back to their restored and functional selves. But do we really know this? Who can say for sure? This is where my point is leading.

We can't just let the government do everything. Obviously, even Samar and Leyte's local government couldn't function anymore. They were practically hit by the typhoon together with the rest of the town. They are part of the casualties, including some of the police, firemen, and other government agencies.

I have seen a lot of people refusing to help because they think what they have to offer is too negligible to give. If this is everyone's mentality, God forbid even the "survivors" won't survive. I hope we find it in our heart to contribute something for this. It doesn't have to be cash. I need not say how even some families here in Manila struggle for daily sustenance. Time and labor are very expensive gift we normally take for granted. We can help by volunteering to repack relief goods in our free time.  I heard a lot of relief stations have tons of goods and not enough number of volunteers to pack them. We can help there.

I have nothing against posting what you eat in social media really, but just like mentioned here, #selfies and #foodporns are not very appropriate nowadays. A simple restraint from doing these says a lot about thoughtfulness and respect. 

SACRIFICE. If you don't have a hundred to donate but you still get to order your daily dose of caffeine from Starbucks after the kind of weekend that has passed, I suggest you check your heart. If you have not the time nor even any amount to spare for the troubled, PRAY. It requires nothing from your pocket but it's very powerful, not to mention it's good for your soul. 

Let me leave you with this scripture from Mark 12.

The Widow’s Offering

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

God bless you and your family. Please continue praying for our country.