Here’s something I learned last Saturday at the SFC Metro Manila Leader’s Assembly (MMLA). The theme of our community for this year is “My portion is in the Lord, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:24) and everyone’s been talking about this ever since some big things happened in our community. Kuya Cocoi was the worship leader last Saturday, and in the middle of the worship, he talked about the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is a book in the Bible full of just that: lamentations. It’s a long list of complaints that the Israelites (God’s chosen people) to God. Inside this book, Kuya Cocoi gave a list of seven people of Lamentations, and they are:
The Seven People of Lamentations ((To read through the entire explanation, read this entry))
(From SFC MMLA, 5/19/2007)
- The Guiltless One
– those who feel no need to repent- The Stiff-Necked One
– those who persist in their infidelity/sinfulness
– they think that their sin is not that serious and fail to think that any sin, no matter how small, blocks God- The Impatient One
– they repent, but they do not pause to learn the lessons God wants to teach- The Shallow One
– takes repentance forgranted, keeps on repeating the same sin, undermining repentance- The Comfortable One
– no problem with obeying God, but cannot appreciate the need to be purified by fire through trials and even persecution
– to lament is to have a posture where we reflect on the purpose of God.- The Clueless One
– those who do not understand the concept of command responsibility for collective guilt
– we are one body in Christ, we are a part of one community and we should not be apathetic.- The One of the Other Side
– the attackers
What’s even more interesting about this is that even if it classifies the Israelites of the early time, this could very well fit these times. Each of us could be one or two of them. Sometimes we even shift from one kind of person to another.
Who are you among the seven people of Lamentations?