Channels of God

Has it ever occurred in your life that you had an encounter with another person totally not known to you yet has been significant?

Everyday in our lives we meet people - in the streets, in the mall, in public areas. One way or the other a connection is created once we begin to interact with them.

Often, unnoticeably, God makes us His channels of love to our fellowmen even at the simplest deed we make. Giving alms to a beggar, donating to charity, supporting a low spirited person, and a lot more.

I remember the story of a man who was at the bridge of giving up his own life because of the tremendous challenges he had been going through. Almost decided on how he would take his own life, he passed by a church to have a final talk with God. Inside, he noticed an old lady by the door - a beggar together with a child, a granddaughter perhaps. The two were eating lunch laid over a plastic cellophane. The color of the rice seemed yellow, obviously showing its poor quality and the two shared a small handful of steamed vegetable stalk. Upon entering, the old lady and the man caught eye contact with each other and the man saw the eyes of the old lady, though aged and worn, was bright and happy. And, ironically, the old lady even in courtesy offered her food to the passing man. In that short instance, the man felt shame for himself and in church cried to God because, he had not seen the other side of life, and that there were people who managed to remain happy while all he thought of was for his own only. He witnessed the happiness of the old lady and how she and her grandchild share a meager meal. For a moment, the man went blank and made utmost contrition for his plans. Before going out, he emptied his wallet and just left ample amount for him to go home. Upon leaving church, he bundled the bills from his wallet and handed it over to the old lady, he grasped her hands tightly so that she would not see what it was. For a moment, the two had caught eye contact again, but this time, the man knew that his and the lady’s eyes were both at peace.

The man went home hurriedly.

A few days after, the man went back to that church and noticed that the old lady was not by the doorstep. He went inside to pray, but was unease because he did not see the old lady. In leaving, he asked someone from outside if she knew where the old lady beggar was. He got a surprised answer. Someone gave the old lady enough money to start a small store by their place and that they no longer go to church to beg but to attend Mass. In his further inquiry, he learned that amount was more than Ten Thousand pesos, and the very next day since they got it, the old woman did not beg again.

He remembered that the amount was the same amount he had gotten from out of his wallet the day he almost committed suicide.

If we will look into this simple story, both the man and the old lady became channels of God’s love to each other: the old lady’s presence had played a significant part for the man not to take his life, and this man on the other hand became God’s way of giving the old lady a new life.

This story shows us how two totally estranged persons can be an instrument of God in touching lives. Have we ever reflected if we have been an instrument to such a purpose or have people been given to us to touch our lives as well?