At this very moment while writing this article, I am looking at the sunset. Notice that I did not put any adjective to describe it because the sunset can actually mean different things depending at the one looking at it.
I am at the 4th floor of a building now and this is how the sunset looks like.
Some say the sunset marks the end of something much like how the day ends. It can then be alluded to a life nearing its end or a journey at its expiration. More poetic people would say the sunset symbolizes the completion of a journey. Others say that it is a beautiful scene that marks a time to rest and recharge for a new day ahead. Here, the sunset becomes a signal of refreshing for a new hope and a new beginning.
People can become so poetic when they see things like this. I don't know why but man has the tendency to relate himself/herself especially his/her emotions to phenomenon such a the sunset or the sunrise.
As for me, I think I am more filled with awe while looking at it so I had to take a photo or two. I am more drawn to the sunset’s beauty just as much as what the event signifies.
The sunset for me now is just the beginning of my life. This is because I had to sleep during the day while I work the graveyard. Like many workers here in the Philippines, I have learned to embrace the fact that the sunset is not a signal for me to rest but the other way around. It is a sign for me that to wake my neurons up along with the cells of my body so I could start working. My body clock seem to cooperate that in normal days outside work, I couldn't sleep at night but I am very sleepy during the day.
On the bright side, the sunset also tells me that I should remain grateful that I have a job and that I could put food on the table. You see, with the situation that the world is facing now, not having a job is even more difficult. It seems like choosing a job is a luxury for people. The only concern is to be able to survive with this crisis.
I remember a story in the Bible when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus of his knowledge on the sign of the heavens. Jesus answered them by saying,
2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.[a] 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
Indeed. We put meaning into the things we see in the sky like that of the sunset but we are actually being warned that we cannot interpret the signs of the times. No one I suppose foresee this situation we are facing now but then, it is already here and we have to learn how to live with it. No one knows until when this will end but as for me, I am comforted by the fact that my God will never leave me nor forsake me.
A few minutes later, this was how the sunset looked like outside my window.
The sun is now slowly replaced by the bright lights from the different households and establishments. It still looks lovely to me.
I am now in the middle of doing my job while I take time to write something here in between. The lights are giving a feeling that I am not alone and that in fact, everyone is more awake or so I thought.
I am glad that I am in a city where the night can be like any other day for people like me. How could a city full of lights be sleeping at this time? It can't be. Or perhaps it is merely giving a bit of consolation.
They say, the night was created for us to rest our weary bodies and minds to be recharged and be ready for a new days task. Unfortunately for me, it is the other way around. Nevertheless, I still continue to be grateful.
In the middle of the night, my shift will be over so I have to travel home. By then, the lights illuminated by the households and establishments outside my window will be more dazzling as the the sun is now in its resting place and the night is succumbed by pitch darkness. You see, the darker it is, the brighter a spark of light becomes. A really nice oxymoron but that is the same with our lives.
As we are immersed in our darkest times, so should the Lord's radiance be magnified. As we indulge into our pains and sorrows, so should our desire burn to reach out for the Lord's hands outstretched for us. Sometimes, we just don't realize because we are so immersed into our circumstances.
After the journey, I will have to reach the main road leading to a path home. I will have to walk a bit more before I would reach home. There is the family waiting for me in their dreams. I will have to go kiss the sleeping kids before I finally say, "Let's call it the night. Thank you Lord for this victorious day"!
