There’s no doubt about it. It has been an eventful week for some of us, painful for others. 

The onslaught of precious rain yesterday and last night is much to the relief of so many of us who are happy to see Samoa’ lush green return.

It has allowed the sun-scorched earth to be drenched thoroughly to its neck so that the earth is once more singing the praises of her creator. The farmers are happy and so are all those people in the Village Voice who otherwise would not have water.

Today we rise up and go about our daily lives making the best out of every minute, by laughing our doubts and sorrows away. For sure there are plenty of sorrows. And some of us have lost our most dear loved ones. This is not an easy time. It’s an empty feeling, a harrowing one we don’t wish upon anyone. 

But we all go through it, one by one. You see death is an appointment. It is not a question of whether it will happen rather it is a question of when and how soon.

It does not discriminate. Here today gone tomorrow. That’s how it is. 

Which is it’s important that as we take a breather this weekend from work, school, studies and other duties, let’s just pause, reflect and learn to appreciate the gift of life.

The truth is that yesterday is gone and today is a gift. 

No one knows what’s going to happen at this very moment tomorrow so we should make an effort to make the most of every opportunity we get to enjoy life with the people who matter – whoever they are.

Life is full of problems. That’s a given. 

But it’s also full of blessings and that much is undeniable. 

It’s really up to us to choose how we want to see the world. 

Do we want to focus on the problems and magnify their existence? 

Or do we want to enjoy the blessings and let the problems take care of themselves?

For every blessing; there are bound to be problems. The reality is that problems always come before the blessings. Which means we must endure the problems first before we can enjoy the blessings.

The key though is to develop endurance. How? 

Well, there is only one way. We need to be patient and develop an innate ability to enjoy the tough times.

Yes it sounds difficult but we know developing endurance is a bit like exercising muscles. The more you push them to the limit, the stronger they become so that when the going gets tough, it’s that x factor in each and every one of us that gets us through.

It’s what gets us out of bed every morning when we don’t feel like it. It’s what pushes us to work when we are tired and don’t want to. It’s what makes us accept people when we can’t stand to look at them. It’s what motivates us to love and forgive when all we feel is hate and anger.

And let’s not forget that someone else always has it worse than us. Yes, if you think you’ve got problems, spare a thought for the person next to you. The good news is that each and every one of us has been created and graced differently to deal with problems. Some are better equipped than others and that’s just the way it is.

The other great news is that as a Christian nation, we serve an almighty God who answers our prayers. In this country, we believe in a God who is there waiting with an open ear for our prayers. He might not answer right away – or in a way that we would have liked – but He will. 

You’ve just got to trust Him that He knows what’s going on. Remember: “Seek and you shall find, ask and it shall be given, knock and the door shall be opened.”

Don’t give up knocking.

Indeed, we must never stop praying. It goes without saying that prayers are the spiritual link between man and his God. They are the stuff that gives us that supernatural strength to keep going when we feel that we simply cannot.

Today, as we look around us in countries near and far, all we see are wars, strife, depression and destruction. 

Closer to home, there are families suffering, people dying and many yearning to have the gift of life many of us take for granted. A lot has been said about cancer during the past few days. Think of those people and their struggles, their fighting spirit to survive. And keep in mind that cancer is not the only killer. There are many other diseases that have enslaved our people.

Whisper a prayer for their suffering today. And if you wake up today feeling strong, you are able to get up and walk around freely, don’t take it for granted. 

Be grateful, be thankful you are alive and well.

Have a restful weekend Samoa, God bless!