"Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" Psalms 66:5
We in The Bahamas like to complain. We complain about everything. When we do, we place the blame at everybody's doorstep except our own.
Maybe we complain because of our close proximity to the United States. Through the years we have become accustomed to a very good lifestyle, probably the best on the planet. This comfortable lifestyle puts us in the 20th percentile of the world's people.
The Bahamas is a very small country with little or no natural resources. Notwithstanding this, we live better than 80 percent of the world's population. Consequently, when something goes wrong and we are deprived of our material advantages, we complain and do so severely. Point of fact, the deficiencies we experienced in the wake of the recent Hurricane Matthew.
During the past weeks I have heard people complaining about the light, about the cable, the telephone and the like. All of these material things are replaceable. I have not heard too many giving thanks to God.
It is time for the people of The Bahamas to give thanks to a gracious God for the many blessings he has poured out upon us. Yes God has been gracious to us. He has guided us through Matthew, without any loss of life.
We are a blessed people. The country to the south of us did not fear so well. The people of that country would have been glad to be separated from such physical conveniences if it meant that their loved ones would have been saved from death. It is difficult to put yourself in the shoes of another, until you experience what they go through. To lose a loved one in a natural disaster is not appreciable to one who has not had the experience.
I am appreciative that many in The Bahamas have been without power and the likes for an inordinate amount of time, but then, we should still say thanks that those are the only major things we are without. We should rally around one another. We have our loved ones.
Some days ago, I was at Cable Bahamas complaining about my cable being off. In a conversation with the young lady who was assisting me, I learned that her family had not had electricity for 14 days. Therefore, if she did not have electricity, she did not have cable. Yet, she was there, not complaining, but cheerfully assisting me.
Some of the very people in the power, cable and telephone companies who are working tirelessly to give us the comforts we have come to think we deserve are also without those comforts. Notwithstanding this, they show up to work every day trying to assist the very people who ridicule them. Doesn't this sound familiar?
Remember the cross at Calvary? Jesus, our Lord and Savior, was on the cross dying for the sins of the world. Yet the people for whom he was dying stood away from the cross ridiculing him. "The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." [Luke 23:35]
Brothers and sisters, instead of complaining, let us rejoice. Let us tell all who would hear, "Come and see what God has done..." for us here in The Bahamas. The God of all grace and mercy has been gracious to us. He has blessed us with life. Amen.
o Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at The Lutheran Church of Nassau, can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas or telephone 426-9084 or e-mail: lutheranchurch@coralwave.com.
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