When chaos invades your life and your inner world shatters
"Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It's the belief that God will do what is right." - Max Lucado
A. Cortés
6/29/20244 min read
The raging waters crashed against the mighty ark, sending waves of terror through the trapped animals. He, his wife, and their sons, hands clasped together in a desperate plea, begged the Almighty, who had sealed the ark's door against the storm, to shield their souls from the fury raging beyond. How had they come to this?
Just when everything seems normal
Just a few months ago, life flowed at its everyday pace. The streets echoed with laughter and lively conversations, while feasts and revelry continued without end. Lovers were joined in marriage, merchants hawked their wares, and neighbors discussed the weather, oblivious to the impending catastrophe. News from distant lands, whispered by pilgrims in taverns and squares, fueled the fire of doubt: Did the Creator, in his infinite power, still watch over his creatures? Had that forbidden bite in Eden been the seed of human decadence? Questions that were lost in the wind, for to most, life, back then, was still one grand feast.
Missed Signals of Salvation
According to the sacred account, Noah was the only one who found grace in the eyes of God, and through that grace or divine favor shown to him, the Divinity extended his love and mercy to all who repented and changed their way of life. Thus, that great ark, like a primeval Titanic, rose as an imposing refuge amidst the impending disaster. Whoever crossed its threshold would find salvation, a safe passage to a new beginning
Of course, ascending this majestic vessel, each step taken would become an act of faith and obedience; the acceptance of divine grace; the beginning of inner change; that is, the path to repentance. This call to inner transformation, as the sacred narrative suggests, resonated in every hammer blow, in every plank assembled, for decades, perhaps even a century, like a persistent echo of divine mercy.
Although destiny was written in the great divine clock, and Noah and his family knew the imminence of this cataclysm, the harsh reality far surpassed the images they had forged in their minds, as if fiction paled in the face of the harrowing reality. All those years had been ones of mental, spiritual, social, and even moral preparation, but this; this cataclysm that was about to unfold before their eyes, transcended any known order: After the sad final creak of the door, their lives were plunged into unsuspected anguish. The following seven days became indistinguishable, marked only by the nauseating stench of the beasts and monsters that shared their confinement. The heat, a constant torment, exacerbated the anguish of this forced confinement.
Reality is stranger than fiction
Sometimes, life whispers warnings that we ignore, until the storm hits us with unimaginable force, making us realize our vulnerability and mortality. Other times, life lashes out at us with unexpected storms, for which there is no umbrella or shelter: You are at home, lulled by the murmur of a soccer game, when suddenly, an icy claw tears through the calm, your world changed; the grim news bursts in like thunder transforming the present into an atom: Your beloved son, victim of an unexpected accident; a medical diagnosis, bearer of a relentless illness; the earth convulsing in a devastating earthquake; the specter of war, casting its menacing shadow over your existence. In the blink of an eye, life has fractured, leaving behind an abyss of uncertainty and pain.
Just a few months ago, my life changed: I left my home, my work, my loved ones, the comfort of the familiar. Overnight, I found myself adrift, seeking shelter and sustenance in an unknown sea. My life, once a solid construction, crumbled like a sandcastle before the relentless tide of change. In a fleeting instant, the life I thought unbreakable, ended. From being at the top, I fell into the abyss of insignificance; from a revered benefactor, to a persecuted pariah.
Embrace the strength that lies beyond you
In times of tempest, what compass guides the soul towards peace? What was the secret of Noah, the man who defied the flood? The answer, according to Genesis, lies in divine remembrance: "And God remembered Noah." Amidst the chaos, Noah found refuge in prayer, a connection that sustained him through adversity. The key, then, lies in unwavering trust in a higher power, in seeking this shelter when the world crumbles around us.
Furthermore, verse twenty reveals an act of profound gratitude: "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord." Noah, a man marked by adversity, yet with a grateful heart. And how could he not be? He had witnessed destruction, but also divine salvation. His unwavering faith had guided him through the storm. It is no wonder that Peter and Paul called him a "preacher of righteousness," whose faith "condemned the world" of his time, a world that had lost its way.
Today, I invite you to live with faith, prayer, and gratitude; to live with joy, savoring those small moments of life that God gives us. If the storm rages and doubts assail you, seek refuge in divine hope. Believe that God will give you a better tomorrow, a clear horizon after the tempest. Persevere in the search for that Higher Power that transcends your strength, and in the contemplation of your finite being before the vastness of the Infinite God, you will find the strength to carry on. You are not a random byproduct: You are a child of God! Never forget it.
"That great ark, like a primeval Titanic, rose as an imposing refuge amidst the impending disaster. Whoever crossed its threshold would find salvation, a safe passage to a new beginning".
In the blink of an eye, the life I considered immutable vanished. I was cast down from the summit of success to the chasm of anonymity; from a revered benefactor to a despised pariah.
You are not a random byproduct: You are a child of God! Never forget it.
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