REALITY CHECK
When he sins against God, he runs to Him embracing His knees crying Father, Father, forgive me. When getting sleep is too hard for him at night, he shuts his eyes and goes to His Father’s throne and sits on His lap, his head on His right shoulder. That’s how he thinks of His Father. In his daily chores, he always asks his Father what to do and where to go. When he talks to Him, he always answers in a very clear reply telling him if it’s okay or not. He understands his son. His son’s faults, weaknesses and his strengths. He even knows how his son’s life will end. And as always He’s there.
He’s there when he was born and when he’s growing up. He’s there in his first step and when he bubbly utter sounds until the word Daddy were formed. He’s there in all of his birthdays and in his first day in school. He’s beside him in his first encounter of bullies, first fall from the ground while running and first competition in sports. He’s always there.
But one day, the son decided to go on a journey without the knowledge of his Father. He intentionally went out from the house and wander thinking how would it be like if he don’t have his Father at his side. At first, his heart is beating very fast because of the fear and at the same time excitement. He runs as fast as he could and as far as he went. He first met some bums along the way. It was a very dark night not like any night he had known, because the place where he got tired was a very dark street. Bums occupying vacant lots and sleeping along the gutters of the streets on cartons with fire in drums besides them, burning giving them heat to protect them from the very cold night. Groups of vagabonds surround one drum and there were all in different groups for they almost fill the street and the vacant lot. He’s very tired and sleepy by now and tried to blend with one group. He asks one if he could join the circle and the old man looked at him in the face and said you can. The old man had a bonnet on his head; face very dirty as if with greases on it. He had very dirty gloves on with his fingers exposed. Had three layers of old, worn out, dirty, smelly jackets on with boots and socks as dirty and stingy as stagnant water in a canal with dead animals in it. He immediately smells the old man but because he’s so tired he didn’t mind it at all. He sleeps and not minding the cold but tries to keep himself warm. The wind continues to blow and as it does he clutches his hands embracing himself for warmth. Bracing to through the night, he was awaken by the old man he talked to.
The sun was up and so with every vagabond lying on the road around the drums with fire in it, the streets were all clean. The boy asked the old man if he can join him in whatever he’ll do and wherever he will go. The man replied, “Come on, there’s a lot to do”. A grin reflected in his face because of the thought that what will these vagabonds be busy about? They walked for a few miles and lo and behold along the road people joined them, people running going towards the end of that wide and dusty road. Some have many empty sacks on their backs and some plastics. The boy wondered what is it for? Trucks passing them by. Big tonners with a bad smell. He almost vomited because of it. Wait till they reach the end of the road, it’s a garbage dumpsite. Vagabonds go to this place to scavenge things that can be sold in junk shops like the recyclables like plastics, aluminum, tin cans etc. The money from it, they’ll buy their food.
When he sins against God, he runs to Him embracing His knees crying Father, Father, forgive me. When getting sleep is too hard for him at night, he shuts his eyes and goes to His Father’s throne and sits on His lap, his head on His right shoulder. That’s how he thinks of His Father. In his daily chores, he always asks his Father what to do and where to go. When he talks to Him, he always answers in a very clear reply telling him if it’s okay or not. He understands his son. His son’s faults, weaknesses and his strengths. He even knows how his son’s life will end. And as always He’s there.
He’s there when he was born and when he’s growing up. He’s there in his first step and when he bubbly utter sounds until the word Daddy were formed. He’s there in all of his birthdays and in his first day in school. He’s beside him in his first encounter of bullies, first fall from the ground while running and first competition in sports. He’s always there.
But one day, the son decided to go on a journey without the knowledge of his Father. He intentionally went out from the house and wander thinking how would it be like if he don’t have his Father at his side. At first, his heart is beating very fast because of the fear and at the same time excitement. He runs as fast as he could and as far as he went. He first met some bums along the way. It was a very dark night not like any night he had known, because the place where he got tired was a very dark street. Bums occupying vacant lots and sleeping along the gutters of the streets on cartons with fire in drums besides them, burning giving them heat to protect them from the very cold night. Groups of vagabonds surround one drum and there were all in different groups for they almost fill the street and the vacant lot. He’s very tired and sleepy by now and tried to blend with one group. He asks one if he could join the circle and the old man looked at him in the face and said you can. The old man had a bonnet on his head; face very dirty as if with greases on it. He had very dirty gloves on with his fingers exposed. Had three layers of old, worn out, dirty, smelly jackets on with boots and socks as dirty and stingy as stagnant water in a canal with dead animals in it. He immediately smells the old man but because he’s so tired he didn’t mind it at all. He sleeps and not minding the cold but tries to keep himself warm. The wind continues to blow and as it does he clutches his hands embracing himself for warmth. Bracing to through the night, he was awaken by the old man he talked to.
The sun was up and so with every vagabond lying on the road around the drums with fire in it, the streets were all clean. The boy asked the old man if he can join him in whatever he’ll do and wherever he will go. The man replied, “Come on, there’s a lot to do”. A grin reflected in his face because of the thought that what will these vagabonds be busy about? They walked for a few miles and lo and behold along the road people joined them, people running going towards the end of that wide and dusty road. Some have many empty sacks on their backs and some plastics. The boy wondered what is it for? Trucks passing them by. Big tonners with a bad smell. He almost vomited because of it. Wait till they reach the end of the road, it’s a garbage dumpsite. Vagabonds go to this place to scavenge things that can be sold in junk shops like the recyclables like plastics, aluminum, tin cans etc. The money from it, they’ll buy their food.
