“Dia sudah mengirimkan Rok KudusNya untuk seluruh muat manusia. Dia memberikan damai dan kasihNya secara cuma-cuma buat kita semua. Yang harus kita lakukan hanyalah mengampuni sesama kita dan menerima damaiNya.”
Dan disitulah susahnya. At least buat saya. Sulit untuk mengampuni sesama. Saya bisa saja (mencoba) untuk melupakan kesalahan orang lain. Tapi untuk betul-betul mengampuni? Sulit juga. Tapi apakah itu artinya saya tidak layak untuk menerima damai dan kasih Kristus?
I have always been a believer that one needs to try everything at least once to be able to say that he’s lived a full live. Well, at least I want to be able to say, “Yup, I’ve been there. Tried that. Done that.”
As much as I think I have been through a lot, I still have not done half the things I wish I had done. I think there are still lots more that I have not done.
But a couple of nights ago I learned that one does not have to actually try to do everything to be a full man. Some things we can learn through other people’s experience. We need not make the same mistakes other people make. And for once in my life I can actually be thankful that I have not tried everyhting in this world. After all, if what I do would hurt myself or worse yet, others, then why do it?
This, by far, is my favorite photo of the month.
It talks about friendship. It speaks of the spirit of independence. It describes strength and courage. It shows how quality time. It’s got life. We’ve got life. Laugh. Love.
I have a favorite saying: Angels don’t always have wings; those ones that don’t, are called friends.
And tonight I met one of those angels. Here’s the story.
Tonight we all went to Senayan City for dinner. It was around 7 o’clock, Saturday night. You can imagine how crowded all malls are on Saturday nights. And so was the parking place at Senayan City. I drove very very slowly looking for any empty spots – no luck. I went event slower waiting for people who were leaving – again with no luck. I went around and around the parking place, getting more and more frustrated. I was trying very hard to be patient, because I knew that sooner or later I would get a parking spot. But I guess ‘sooner’ didn’t really come so soon.
After going around for what felt like one hundred times (ok, perhaps I am exaggerating too much), I prayed that God will put an end to my misery. Then something happened. There was this one driver (he probably saw me and my car with no luck in finding a parking spot) who suddenly waived to pull me over to the side. I stopped, rolled down the window and he said, “Please just take my spot, and let me go around and try to find another parking spot.”
I couldn’t believe that I would get a chance to see an angel tonight. In a crowded parking place on a Saturday night. But this man was truly an angel God sent to watch over me.
Saya mau berbagi berkat yang saya dapat tadi pagi.
Satu cerita Romo yang membuat saya merasa terharu dan bersyukur. Ada seorang pria yang mengaku bahwa dosanya sudah terlalu besar untuk diampuni. Dia merasa malu dan takut untuk meminta ampun pada Tuhan atas dosa-dosanya. Saat dia sedang berjalan dengan Pastor di pantai, dia pun mengambil segenggam pasir dan berkata, “Kalau Romo bisa hitung jumlah pasir di tangan saya ini, sebanyak itulah dosa-dosa saya. Saya tidak mungkin minta Tuhan untuk menghapuskan semua dosa-dosa saya itu.”
Pastor pun berkata, “Letakkanlah pasir itu kembali di pantai sini. Lalu marilah kita tambahkan tumpukan pasir itu sampai membentuk gundukan yang besar.”
Pria itu melakukan apa yang diminta oleh Pastor. Jadilah gundukan pasir yang besar. Sesaat kemudian datanglah ombak yang besar. Dan dalam sekejap hancur dan hilanglah gundukan pasir itu terbawa air laut.
Tanya Pastor, “Mana gundukan pasir yang besar dan tinggi tadi?”
Jawab pria itu, “Sudah lenyap.”
Pastor pun berkata, “Demikianlah juga dengan dosa-dosamu. Kau katakan dosamu setinggi gunung? Sesungguhnya kasih Allah itu seluar dan sebesar samudera. Dia mampu menghapuskan semua dosa-dosa mu, bahkan semua dosa-dosa manusia di dunia ini.”
Saya sempat meneteskan air mata, ketika menyadari bahwa Yesus selalu menunggu saya.
mawarkuning: bits & pieces 
notes from friends