The Old Man Gets a Job

Man, I'm totally wiped out. Image courtesy of 123rf.com

Today, I rejoined the workforce.

My head is spinning after more than eight hours of studying SEOs, KWPs*, and a whole lotta stuff that would make any nerd from Big Bang Theory drool. What's more interesting was we spent the whole day trying to unlearn the lessons that took me 16 years to finish!

Yup, like so many Filipino professionals, I ended up in a BPO*. Another thing is the writing here is so much different from the ones that I tried hard to master, but I am no less thankful. I consider this stint a blessing, not just because it puts food on the table and pays the bills, for three reasons.

First is it allows me to further hone my craft, although in a different form. Writing good copy for websites may not win Pulitzers or Palancas, but it does have its own standards of excellence. As such, I am challenged to do my best, and to adapt my writing style in a way that persuades the casual viewer to become a paying customer. I realize then that it is really no different from Journ class, since, as one teacher put it, we are supposed to write story leads that grab the reader by the, um, the balls of one's feet and throw you onto the ground.

Secondly, and no less importantly, I am making use of the education given me by the Filipino people. Well, not exactly in line with my original course, but at least I'm not being a burden to society. Not to mention the fact that the remaining semester of my studies was funded by some very blessed people who are also very dear friends. So, as Mikey Bustos put it, it's time that I work and "repay the feybor."

Thirdly, this experience allows me to write another chapter in the adventure called life. Work is not the end-all nor the be-all, but it allows me the opportunity to be a blessing to someone, whether a colleague, an end-user, the people I hold dear, or even those I hardly know. Work gives us the chance to be successful, but more than that, it offers that rare chance to be of significance.

In the next few days, we will be spending more time in taking apart everything that I learned about writing in school and in my past work experiences, but I'm not complaining. I will do the best that I can, because I really have much to thank God about.

*search engine optimization, keyword phrases
*business process outsource

True Holiness

Devotees try to get close to the image of the Black Nazarene during the annual procession on its feast day. The image is widely held by its faithful followers to possess miraculous powers. Image courtesy of Xinhua.net

The upcoming annual Feast of the Nazarene coincided with my reading of the Book of Leviticus in the Bible, which perked some interesting questions in my faith and what i believe in. Below are my thoughts on God's holiness as portrayed in Leviticus. Comments (except derogatory and demeaning ones) and questions are welcome.

Lev 5:3  If you unintentionally touch anything of human origin that is unclean, whatever it may be, you are guilty as soon as you realize what you have done.
Lev 6:27  Anyone or anything that touches the flesh of the animal will be harmed by the power of its holiness. (passages from The Living Bible)

It comes across as one of the biggest puzzles ever. If anyone touches a ritually unclean object, he or she is deemed automatically unclean. On the other hand, if one touches a holy object, he or she is doomed to die. It all boils down to this maxim:

Sin is contagious. Holiness is lethal.

Why is it that sin, or uncleanness, spreads so easily? Why not holiness? Why not become holy when touched with a holy object?

The answer may lie in this passage in Isaiah:

Isa 6:1  In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple.
Isa 6:2  Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying.
Isa 6:3  They were calling out to each other: "Holy, holy, holy! The LORD Almighty is holy! His glory fills the world."
Isa 6:4  The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5  I said, "There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

Holiness is lethal because only God ALONE is holy. Verse 3 does not say that the whole earth is filled with his holiness--rather, the angels acknowledge God alone as holy, and this radiates around the earth as his glory. Holiness is God's alone, and we, as sinful creatures, can never share in that holiness, because sin cannot last in God's presence.

Touching a holy object will not make us holy. In the early days of the Israelite nation, touching the holy Ark of the Covenant meant immediate death. In our day, touching a so-called "holy" relic or image will not make us less sinful. In the same way, being sprinkled with "holy" water will not, in any way, take away our guilt nor our sin.

True holiness is lethal.

The good news is, God, in His great love, does not want us to be consumed by his holiness, rather, he wants us to be filled with it. In the olden days of Leviticus, the blood of sacrifice was enough to cover a person's sin. In Isaiah's commissioning (verse 6 of the above passage), it was a burning coal. In our time, it is Jesus who died in our place to take away our sin, and rose again so that we may have a holy, Spirit-filled life. In this case, we have been made holy--that is, set apart, as instruments of God's purpose.

When we are made holy, the earth we walk on is not filled with holiness. The people we touch are not made holy. Instead, we radiate God's glory in us. That is so people will realize their own need for God and come back to him, so that they, too, will be made holy.

Holiness cannot spread like the plague. Sin does. In the same way that an epidemic takes one-on-one shots to be eradicated, so does sin. God is the doctor, and the cure for our sin is to be injected individually with a mega dose of his holiness. Only then can we live lives that are truly pleasing and holy in his sight.