After the hostage crisis, Filipinos have shifted their interest in the recently concluded Miss Universe where our own Venus Raj finished as the 4th runner up – the highest since Miriam Quiambao competed a long time ago.
But what was surprising was how people were disappointed and tried to put down Ms Venus Raj because of her answer during the Q and A portion of the Ms. Universe. Here is the video of the Q and A
She might not have given the best answer to the question but it was really a tough one to answer. People have been focusing and highlighting her Q and A instead of her achievement. I think it is human nature and I think it is sad but I also think it is natural. What do I mean? Let’s have a mental exercise:
Tell me what you observe:
A. 2+2=4
B. 2×2=4
C. 2-2=4
Most of us would have answered letter C was a wrong statement and only a few of us would have commented that A and B were right – right? Why?
Because for us it is easier to spot what went wrong and not what went right. I think this is mankind’s ultimate blunder since the beginning. When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden He told them they could eat of any fruit in any tree except the fruit that is in the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Of the hundreds of good trees, man choose to eat the forbidden fruit thus sin entered the world. The result?
Gen. 3:6-8 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Since sin entered the world, man’s relationship with God and with fellow men changed. Concepts like shame, afraid, bad, mistakes, shortcomings, anger, violence, sexuality became an issue. Man chose to disobey and to live in sin. We all have fallen from the glory of God.
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.”“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
You might be as beautiful as Venus Taj or a hunk of a guy like Brad Pitt but one thing remains the same – we all have committed the major major blunder of sinning against God and the penalty of that sin is not just a 4th runner up finish in a beauty contest but an eternity without Christ or what the Bible calls a spiritual death.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So how do we try to make up for our own blunder? Well there is no way…..but God did made a way and it is acknowledging His way. After Adam and Eve sinned they hid because of the shame of their sin and disobedience but look at what God did.
Gen. 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
God is asking – WHERE ARE YOU? And this is the story of the gospel. From Adam and Eve to the story of the lost sheep – God made an all out search for you – yes you with a MAJOR MAJOR blunder.
Luke 15:4-7 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety–nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety–nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
I hope we learn a lesson from the beauty queen. Life is not as beautiful apart from knowing who Christ is and what He has done for us.