Friday, August 26, 2011

Crisis (This is the sermon I delivered in the Teachers Morning Worship)

Nobody likes crisis. I don’t like it either. Any crisis (political, economic, financial, family crisis) always be consider as bad luck, and associated as an awful situation. It is a dangerous or worrying time: a situation or period in which things are very uncertain, difficult, or painful. And nobody love uncertainty, difficulties of pain.

No one expect crisis. No one desire crisis to takes place. It is something that should be avoided. But the problem is sometimes crisis always come. This new year, we always were reminded, on the news, in television or in other media, that next year will be a thought year. Global economic crisis is haunting many people who are worrying about their business, their future, their savings, their income, their job. We (myself also) pray that the crisis couldn’t be worse. But is crisis always be an evil thing, a woe or grief, an unfortunate event for everyone who’s affected. I think not, because in some cases, crisis is a blessing. Recent news, reporting that numbers of divorce are decreasing as economic situation seems worsening. So maybe, this crisis is a blessing for some family, because they have the time to renew their relationship, to close to each other, or blessing for some children who can see their family united again. Their parents are being together again.


Just months ago, all of us are “petrified” by the sky-rocketing increase of oil price. Some people call the situation as energy crisis. Many businessmen are afraid that they have to close their company because the higher production cost. Or some people are afraid with the availability of oil supply. Some people even think that situation is going to be like Mel Gibson’s movie; Mad Max, when human civilizations are in ruin because earth is run out of oil. Or some politicians are afraid with the situation that lots of people will start to protest with higher oil price. When students of MIS went to jogja, we have to cancel some of our program because we planned to reach Airport earlier because we afraid that there will be a big demonstration in Jakarta to protest government decision to raise fuel price. Nobody loves the situation. But one blog that I read stand at the other side of argument. He stated that the energy crisis actually a blessing. He said, thanks to the crisis, we now can see a cleaner earth. Because higher fuel price, people now are starting to concern about cleaner energy resources, renewable energy resources, that not only saver to environment but also sufficient to sustain our demand for energy. Thanks to energy crisis, people are starting to put “prevention of global warming” as their first agenda. Even in Siau, people are concerned about global warming. Yes, some because they care about earth, but the world was never been so conscious about their “oil addicted” until the energy crisis took place. Lots of people are turning from oil to cleaner energy sources, many people use motor cycle, instead of cars, or using bicycle instead of motorcycle, or some turn into electric or hybrid car. The result is, of course, cleaner earth. Isn’t it a great blessing


1997 of course still fresh in our memory, was a hard time for many Asian countries, we experienced Asian financial crisis. But no other countries face it harder than Indonesia. The crisis leads to bigger crisis, political crisis, riots, social unrest, religious conflict, separatism, ethnics conflict. But behind that crisis, there always a blessing. We now, can feel the greater freedom, we implement democracy, we choose our own leader and we have the true government that come from the people, by the people and for the people. Or, take example my Island, Siau. In Siau, because the crisis, its ended Former President’s family’s monopoly over some commodities including for nutmegs. Weakening rupiah boost our export and cause nutmeg’s price in Rupiah soaring more than any Siaunese ever imagine. Many people in Siau became new rich. There is some story about an old lady who said to his grandson: “boy, do you know who is Mr. Krismon (Abbreviation of Krisis Moneter, or monetary crisis in English, that’s the way we call for Asian financial crisis, so the old lady think Krismon is a person). I wish I knew him. I have to thank him for making this nutmeg’s price so high.”


So actually, crisis is not always be a bad things. I believe that God sometimes give us hard situation. But behind those situation, there always be “blessing in disguise.” Sometimes we lose happiness because of crisis, but we have to realize that actually, lots of blessing following hard times. Sometimes, if situation seems worsening and can’t be changed, so all that you can change is perspective, the way we look the situation and then, keep believing in God, believe that He is always be there even through the hardest time.

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