|
.
Life and Hope!
Personal Testimony
on the
Challenge of
Living in
Lebanon
My
name is Ramy,
I am 32 years
old and live,
work and serve
in Lebanon
together with
my lovely
wife, Myriam,
and 3-year old
son, Andrew.
It is
difficult to
state all the
challenges
Lebanon faces.
The country
has not yet
recovered from
a 17-year
civil war
fueled by many
foreign
countries and
now the war in
Syria is
blocking our
only land
access out of
Lebanon. We
also face
constant
threats of war
with Israel
and major
socio-economic
problems. This
is aggravated
by corruption
at all levels
of government
and
exacerbated by
the presence
of up to 1.5
million Syrian
refugees and
several
hundreds of
thousands of
Palestinians.
These refugees
constitute
around 50% of
the Lebanese
population.
This has
strained
Lebanon’s
economy,
public
finances and
public support
services.
Poverty and
unemployment
levels have
soared to
unseen peaks.
The risk of
imminent war
(ISIS, Syria,
Iraq, Yemen,
etc.) and
economic
collapse has
become the
daily topic of
every news
channel.
What did all
these
challenges
lead to in my
life and the
life of my
family? LIFE
& HOPE!
I had no other
option but to
turn to the
Lord. These
times of
difficulty
have taught me
to grow in
humility,
surrender my
life and trust
in the grace
of God: “My
grace is
sufficient for
you, for my
power is made
perfect in
your weakness”
(1 Corinthians
12:9). I have
grown in
relying on
God’s
providence, my
eyes have seen
Him “opening
his hand and
satisfying the
desires of
every living
thing” (Psalm
145:16). When
everyone
around me was
in despair,
the Lord
filled my
heart and soul
with hope,
hope that He
would not lead
me astray, “I
am with you
always, to the
end of the
ages” (Matthew
28:20).
This
particular
season has
motivated me
to seek – in a
deeper way –
holiness,
accepting that
for me there
is God and God
alone, and
asking for a
“Christian
life that is a
good defense
before the
awesome
judgment seat
of Christ”
(The Divine
Liturgy of
Saint John
Chrysostom
from the
Orthodox
Church). I
have come to
realize the
greatness of
the treasure I
have. How can
I focus on
myself when
everyone else
(colleagues,
friends,
relatives,
etc.) is
drowning in
distress? An
urge for
evangelism
filled my
heart; I
started
declaring the
“Good News” to
my colleagues,
to the youths
I serve, to my
extended
family.
What else
could I offer?
“Silver and
gold, I do not
have, but what
I do have I
give you: in
the name of
Jesus Christ
of Nazareth,
rise up and
walk” (Acts
3:6).
I pray that we
may continue
at all times,
in times of
peace and in
times of
persecution,
to lay down
our life
before the
Lord, doing
nothing but
His will,
knowing that
“for such a
time as this,
we are called
to give our
all, to follow
Christ, to
spread His
Light, to do
not our will
but His” (For
Such a Time as
This, song
and lyrics by
John
Keating).
top
photo credit |
