A TEST OF FAITH

A lot of people, myself included, were disappointed at the outcome of the Pacquiao-Bradley bout. I can say that the decision was indeed unfair. That however is coming from someone who does not claim to be an expert in boxing. Maybe the judges saw it from another point of view, and we have no reason to dispute that.

Almost everyone has already said his/her piece so let's not dwell too much on that anymore.

I would like to explore it though, from a different perspective.

Earlier while I was taking lunch and waiting for the bout to begin, I don't know why all of a sudden, the following thought crossed my mind. We all know that Manny Pacquiao has been a reformed Christian for sometime now. He has openly professed his faith in God and has in fact been preaching his new found faith to others. But what if God decides to put him to a test and not grant him a victory over his opponent? Will his faith remain steadfast and will he still love God?

It is easy to love God when you are given so many blessings in life, but the real test is when setbacks happen. Would you blame HIM, ask why and turn your back on HIM?

When the decision was announced I was stunned, not only because I can't believe the result, but because it was exactly what I was pondering about earlier. Maybe God did put Manny to a test after all. Or could it be that God was probably sending a message that it is time to give way to others, or that Manny is needed more to spread HIS word than in the ring.

We have no way of knowing what goes on in Manny's mind, but if I were to base my opinion on his anwers to interviews, I surmise that he seems to have passed the test. 

If there was something positive that came out of this bout, it was that Manny came out of it unscathed, as opposed to Tim Bradley who had to be taken to the press conference on a wheel chair, and to the hospital soon after.

Manny gained the respect of a lot of people by accepting the judges' decision with grace and humility, exemplified by saying, " Let's give the credit to Bradley ". It also proved to the world that Filipinos know how to accept defeat.

I am sure Manny will be vindicated in their rematch. After all, resilience is one of his traits and like a phoenix, he will soon soar again, and much higher this time.