fingerprints

i love watching CSI and all those other forensic/crime/detective shows aired on TV. it's so fascinating how even the tiniest shred of evidence can point to the guilt or innocence of a person. the assumption is that we all leave traces of ourselves wherever we go. when we visit a room, we may leave behind our fingerprints, or a few strands of hair, or maybe a few drops of our blood. when we come in contact with other people, their "epitheleals" (fancy term for microscopic bits of skin), as well as fibers from their clothing may rub off on us, and vice versa. we may not be aware of it, but we do leave our marks on all the places we visit.. on all the people we meet.

it is quite sobering for me to realize that a single fingerprint.. or a single strand of hair.. can say so much about me. and yet, it is even more amazing to know that among the billions of people in this planet, not one of them has exactly the same fingerprint as mine. i am unique.. "fearfully and wonderfully made.." (Ps 139:14). and because God made me as such, i am accountable for my actions.. and how i make use of His gifts to me.

yes, it is true that i leave behind my prints wherever i go. but those are not the only proofs of my presence in (or absence from) a place. sometimes, people know i haven't gone to my desk yet when they see the unarranged piles of papers on top of my table. my students know that i've been in the classroom for quite some time when they see lots of writing on the board. and my friends in the ministry know i'm around when they spot a newspaper turned to the page with a partially-finished crossword puzzle.

i also leave behind traces of myself on the people i come in contact with. some of my knowledge is imparted to the hundreds of students i've taught through the years. my values and beliefs i have shared with friends and loved ones. and there are times when a smile or a frown from me would brighten or dampen someone else's day. yup, my actions, as well as the things people usually associate with me, reveal a lot more about me than i'm normally aware of.

it is truly humbling to know that every little thing i say or do leaves a unique and undeniable mark on the places i go to and on the people i know. to paraphrase what fr. mar said in his homily before, "if time should come that someone accuses you of being a christian, would there be enough evidence?" i ask myself: does my presence bring cheer or gloom to our home? when my co-workers look at the way i do my job, will they want to emulate me or do the exact opposite? am i able to bring my friends closer to the Lord, or do my actions encourage them to turn away from Him instead? is there really enough evidence to convict me of being a christian?

the answer to that question, i'm not really sure of. because though sometimes i do good, oftentimes i stumble too. i sometimes inspire others, yet at times i cause them to fall. and at times, i can't help but think that evidence against my being christian is piling up.

but i find hope in what paul wrote in phil 1:6, "..He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of jesus christ." others may not see enough proof of my being a child of God. not yet, at least. but He is working on me.. and i'm working with Him too. so that someday, others will see that indeed, there is complete and irrefutable evidence to convict me of being His child Ü