God said to Gideon: "There are still too many. Take them down to the stream and I'll make a final cut. When I say, 'This one goes with you,' he'll go. When I say, 'This one doesn't go,' he won't go." So Gideon took the troops down to the stream.
God said to Gideon: "Everyone who laps with his tongue, the way a dog laps, set on one side. And everyone who kneels to drink, drinking with his face to the water, set to the other side." Three hundred lapped with their tongues from their cupped hands. All the rest knelt to drink.

Judges 7:4-6, the Messagewas i like the ones who kneeling to drink, without thinking about the danger? was it reckless to not wear a mask? "maybe i should get myself one..." i thought to myself, but still the idea seemed silly to me.

with those thoughts in mind, i came to work and we had staff meeting. our boss whom i respect started talking about the flu and preventive measures. "masks don't do nada. if they do anything, they help the bacteria circulate inside the mask instead of letting it out and as a result make the situation even worse and risk of contamination a lot higher. the virus is so small that it will get through the mask anyway."

the virus is so small...

that triggered another set of musings... it felt odd to walk on the street and see people in masks. a bit surreal even. the day seemed to be just like another day. sun rose, i rose as well... showering, dressing, leaving home... everything just like on any other day, yet different.

something changed. something was in the air. literally.

it makes me grin wryly that people can easily believe that a minuscule virus can wreck havoc in a human body and make it die... but at the same time don't see what God is doing in their lives.

read a joke recently... "people's faith is weird. you tell them there are 4 billion stars out there and they believe you. you tell them that the bench is painted and they have to go and check it out."

why is it easier to believe in a virus and not in God? just because you can see the virus?

so what? most people have no idea what virus looks like. they have never seen any cells. yet, they believe it.

God? oh no... believing that God is real is so tough. it's easier to believe that the Universe just decided to be.

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see.

Hebrews 11:1-3, the Message