Heya! Unang blog post in a long long time.

Kung hindi ninyo alam, naka-mandatory quarantine kaming mag-asawa starting yesterday dahil sa COVID-19. At dahil nagbiyahe kami sa Manila, kabilang kami sa mga select few na kailangang sumunod sa ordinance na ito. Kababakasyon lang namin, bakasyon na naman kami for 14 days. Hindi ko pa alam kung may sasahurin ba ako sa 14 days na ‘yon. Pero ang sure lang sa ngayon is wala pa naman kaming nararamdamang any symptoms na related sa COVID-19. Praise God!

Usong-uso ngayon ang mag-panic dahil sa strand na ito ng Coronavirus. Andami nang nag-panic buying ng alcohol, face masks, hand sanitizers, zonrox, bioflu, at saging. Yes—pati saging. Base kasi sa isang video na kumakalat since today, eh mainam daw na pam-prevent sa COVID-19 ang saging. ‘Wag nyo na akong tanungin kung totoo ba ito o fake news lang, kasi hindi ko din alam. Basta ang alam ko, may saging kami sa bahay; kabibili lang. (Note: hindi kami kabilang doon sa mga nag-panic buying.)

Aside from panicking, madami ding takot ngayon: takot mahawa, takot sa ubo, takot sa singkit or Chinese (sadly medyo singkit din ako), takot madikit sa ibang tao, takot sa news, takot na baka yung na-receive nilang items from online shopping eh may COVID-19, takot na baka maging Martial Law ang sagot ng gobyerno ni Duts sa pandemic. Hindi nga naman kasi normal na magwalang-bahala lamang sa ganitong sitwasyon. Dapat talaga tayong ma-alarma. Dapat tayong maging alerto.

Pero bakit nga ba ang dali nating mag-panic at matakot? May umubo lang, feeling agad natin mahahawa na tayo. Porke singkit, COVID-19 carrier na agad. Porke naka-mask, may sakit. Porke tumataas na ang bilang ng infected, magho-hoard na kaagad ng alcohol, face mask, gamot, at iba pa. Porke kulot, salot na. (Ay, hindi pala kasali ‘yon. Peace.) Aminin na natin: sa lagay ngayon, mahilig tayong mag-build ng false sense of security. Feeling natin na basta kapag naka-face mask, hindi na agad mahahawa ng sakit. Feeling natin, ‘pag sandamakmak ang supply natin ng alcohol, ‘di na tayo tatablan ng virus. Feeling natin na basta nag-social distancing, ‘di ka na madadapuan ng COVID-19. Feeling natin basta Safeguard ang sabon mo, 99.9% safe ka na. (Bakit nga kasi may 0.1% pa silang iniwan, ano? Hehehe.)

Nagre-resort tayo sa panicking at fear dahil tayo mismo eh hindi natin magarantiya ang ating kinabukasan. So we become defensive, even up to the point na nagiging racist yung ilan at yung iba naman eh covetous na—as if kaya tayong iligtas ng pagiging madiskarte at wais natin. But the hard truth is: wala ni isa sa atin ang may kayang mag-assure ng future nya. Walang may kayang i-guarantee even yung exact na mangyayari sa next 30 seconds in perfect knowledge. Wala. What we can do as humans is to simply plan and act according sa assessments natin sa paligid natin. And not even our plans are 100% guaranteed to materialize. At dahil walang sigurado, ang daling matakot; ang daling mag-panic.

Panic? Fear? Assurance of the future? These are reminders sa atin na hindi tayo Diyos; na kahit anong taas mo sa society or kahit gaano ka pa kagaling, kalakas, or katalino, hindi ka Diyos. Hindi natin hawak ang bukas. Hindi natin alam lahat. Hindi natin kontrolado ang lahat ng bagay. Kung tutuusin, napaka-liit lamang natin na parte ng mundo na ito pero sadly, ang lalaki ng tingin natin sa mga sarili natin. Minsan, feeling natin kaya nating i-secure ang mga sarili natin. Feeling din natin minsan kaya nating i-keep yung strength natin. But it’s foolishness on our part to think that we are capable to secure anything by ourselves.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
Psalm 127:1 (ESV)

Unless we recognize na kailangan natin ang Diyos, we will remain in our false senses of security. Unless we depend on His sovereignty, we will remain in fear and unrest. Walang better na assurance sa life na ito other than God’s perfect love manifested through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. It’s our God-given faith in Jesus’ perfect righteousness and blood that justifies us so we can be called righteous before God. Since Christ’s atoning work (His death sa cross) has satisfied God’s wrath, we now have confidence na no matter what happens, we have eternal peace with God dahil inadopt nya tayo as His children through Christ.

“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
Isaiah 48:22 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2 (ESV)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18 (ESV)

And knowing that we are with our Great Shepherd and that He loves us and that all authority in heaven and on earth are His, we will fear nothing; not even evil. For all things happen according to His sovereignty. He knows what He is doing and He does things to accomplish His good and righteous purpose—hindi yung purposes natin. We must remember, He is sovereign. Subject lamang tayo sa sovereignty ng Panginoon.

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
Psalm 115:3 (ESV)

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:5 (ESV)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)

Instead of practicing fear and resorting to panicking, let’s be prayerful and count this as joy. The Lord is faithful and He shall remain faithful for He cannot deny Himself. Yung character nya mismo ang guarantee natin na all things will work for good. We know that we are in safe hands. Kung naiintindihan natin ‘to, we have assurance na whatever happens, life or death, we are the Lords. Mabubuhay tayo victoriously sa life na ito—all because God is sovereign and that He is who He is.

If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23 (ESV)

Let our mouths say that our confidence is Christ alone! God bless.