CELERY
I have known Samuel Panado for a long time. He has served as a driver for our family across generations. Sam is for “keeps” – an ideal employee. He is kind and gentle, trustworthy and dependable. Above all, he has a deep faith in God.
However, I do not write about Sam to list his admirable qualities. It is his impact on me, particularly on my spiritual growth, that has inspired me.
A High School graduate, Sam had, as a young boy, experienced his parents’ many years of separation due to poverty. He likewise had his share of medical problems over the years, and he came close to death a few times.
But the most trying and critical event in Sam’s life was when his wife chose to work as a domestic helper in Hongkong. She left him with their three children, ages 5, 3, and 1 year old. Sam had no choice but to be both father and mother to his children while holding a full-time job. His wife sent money regularly for their children, though she had apparently adopted the lifestyle of a single woman in Hongkong. Sam accepted her behavior, rationalizing that she deserved that freedom since they had married when she was only 18, and she was contributing to the family’s financial resources.
With all these tumultuous changes, Sam maintained a brave and positive posture – a special gift that helped him survive all the trials throughout his life. I marveled at his tenacity and resiliency.
A year after he started as a company driver for my husband, I learned about Sam’s family situation. After tolerating his wife’s behavior for ten years, he discovered her infidelity and decided to break up with her. Sam’s heart was full of anger and bitterness.
I immediately tried to find the time and place to talk to Sam. I prayed for him and I asked the Lord to give me his guidance and wisdom for Sam. We did meet, and I invited Sam to pray with me, surrendering himself and everything else to the Lord and asking God to remove his burdens and take over his life.
God answered our prayer!
I saw the 360-degree change in Sam. I felt humbled and grateful to God for having allowed me to witness him entering Sam’s life.
The first testament was when his wife would later come home for a vacation to see their children. Sam allowed her to stay in their home a few times. He was at peace with it and took her in as the mother of their children. He made sure the home atmosphere was friendly and harmonious.
One huge turnaround happened as his wife’s family saw the way Sam managed their separation quietly and peaceably. Sam’s mother-in-law, his previous nemesis, had shown her dislike of him in the past and found reasons to criticize him. But now, she greets and talks to him. They have become friends.
Sam resides in a tight and densely populated community. Neighbors know each other well. When Sam and his wife separated, many came to know about how well Sam took it. Sam told me that once, a fight ensued in the neighborhood among all the members of his wife’s family – between those on his wife’s side and those protective of Sam.
Sam said that he was surprised that not only was he was able to gather them together to talk, but he also had the boldness to lead them in community prayer! After the prayer, the tension and strong disagreement vanished. They all went back to their respective homes, relieved.
Sam has gained the respect of his wife’s family and friends in the neighborhood after the incident. Many come to talk to him or approach him for counsel or support. God is using him now to share what he has learned about the love and goodness of the Lord.
There are more things I can say about Sam. But I will not end this story without sharing something about his generosity. Sam told me that a person he did not know knocked on his door one day and was hungry. He told me that it was a good thing he had some food leftover in his refrigerator and, without hesitation, gave this to him.
Sam is also generous with his time. Sam has been a source of encouragement and support to his sister, who has had a long bout with cancer and now lives with him so he can take care of her better. Over the last year, his other sister, who has a sickly child and is widowed also depends on him.
When I first reached out to Sam as he hurdled his break-up with his wife, I felt the call to pray with him and accompany him through his hurt and bitterness. But as I came to know Sam, I realized that his remarkable ability to love, to forgive, to hope and rise from adversity, and serve others through his faith in God had changed me as well.
I thank God for Sam, a person who, I am sure, has inspired many others as he has inspired me.