Monday, February 22, 2010

Sha's Test of Faith


Spent almost three hours yesterday afternoon commiserating with Sha, a dear friend who was in the pits of despair after being conned of RM50,000 in a business deal that proved shadier than the rainforests of Borneo.

To add insult to injury, she got swindled by someone she had known and trusted for years. To be deceived is one thing, but to be duped by someone you called a friend is another. And that was what hurt her the most.

Sha's in her early 50s, resolutely single and very enterprising. She was in the corporate sector for more than two decades, doing marketing communications (marcom) for government-linked companies (GLCs) and multinationals, before deciding to branch out on her own.

Her ad agency, one of those tiny but tight Bumi setups, was doing reasonably well servicing a coterie of clients, contacts she had made from her corporate days.

She came into my public relations sphere four years back when I was looking for an alternative, smallish outfit to complement the one I was already using, on behalf of an NGO client.

Sha proved to be reliable, her creative output commendable and her pricing decent. Most of all, we clicked and that was crucial for any business relationship, the ability to work together especially under pressure.

Sha dropped off my radar for a while after I returned from the Hajj early last year. She was up to her ears with work while I was setting out to service a newly-acquired client. I brought her in midyear for a project; unfortunately it did not come through.

When she called a couple of days ago to relate her sorry state, I suggested lunch. We met yesterday; she turned up with Shikin, her colleague-cum-housemate, and we had a sobering time discussing her company woes.

Sha's now in a fix; she has no money to roll, thus can't accept new jobs. To make matters worse, business has been slow since October last, the staff is leaving (some have left) and the bills are mounting.

She said her lowest ebb was late last year when, in the depths of gloom, she began to question why God had deserted her despite her prayers. Thankfully she snapped out of it fast she said, before her faith collapsed.

I told her that was the Devil's whisper. All he needed was a toehold in your already befuddled state of mind, and your vulnerability was the right setting for him to prod you into blaming God for all your misfortunes.

Every cloud has a silver lining, Sha. Look at this as God's test of your faith. Hold fast to hope as if you life depends on it. When all else fails, hope is all you have to keep you afloat. Don't give up.

You can overcome this. Losing your money isn't half as bad as losing your faith. Change your perception. Maybe the money wasn't meant to be yours. Whatever the case, you will come out of this a stronger, better person, believe me.

I was once where you are today, worrying about where the next meal was coming from. Worse, I had four extra mouths to feed. But we survived, and so will you. He provides, I assure you, but you will have to strengthen your inner resolve to believe in His will absolutely.

Allah swt loves you; that's why He tests you. If He doesn't, He would have left you to drift and wallow in all things 'duniawi' until the day you go. Had it been so, the consequences would be disastrous, and tragic, for you forever and more....

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Once I was in the same situation. Licin sebab kawan. Dah kenal almost 40 years. Apa boleh jual dah jual. Rumah pun bank dah nak lelong. One night Allah bukakan hati buat sembahyang tasbih, tahajud, hajat. Susah nak buat. Banyak godaan. Menangis lagi. The next day, tak hujan tak ribut ada seorang hamba Allah datang bayar hutang. Hutang lama yang I pun dah lupa. Alhamdulillah dari situ bangkit semula. Sekarang tak kisah sangat dah ada duit ke tak ada. Yakin selagi ada nyawa Allah beri rezeki. Usaha saja. Then doa. Bila dah tak kisah macam ni Alhamdulillah sikit pun rasa banyak. Mungkin Allah duga I sebab nak beri sedar yang apa kita dapat semua pinjaman. Syukur.

Ina

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Ina - Tq so much for your inspiring response. bila kita dah sampai rock bottom, there is no where else to go but up. saya pun dah sampai ke tahap tu. it's true what you say.. bila berbalik kepada Allah swt, Dia akan tolong kita. Kena syukur banyak2 ...

Unknown said...

salam kak...

saya suka pesanan akak utk Sha..sy baca utk diri sendiri...

bila kita bersangka baik dgn Allah dan yakin Dia ada utk menjaga kita, insaAllah bantuanNya pasti dtg dari berbagai2 bentuk dgn tidak di sangka2...

Unknown said...

I dont think I need to comment on this..your italics say it all..(among reasons why I was a silent reader of your blog for sometimes..:)..you rant..yes, you put on the heat..yes..and then you go into soft italics..and I am hooked..)

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Pakmat - As a friend, that was the least I could do. Nak bantu dengan wang ringgit, takder. Sometimes, when the chips are down, words of encouragement can do wonders to one's spirit.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

RG - you have been severely tested, with cancer no less, and you are still suffering. I salute you for your total acceptance of His will. Bukan senang nak submit to kehendak Dia. Ramai yang diduga blame Him instead. Kita seharusnya pasrah and at the same time berusaha to alleviate whatever problems that we face. Submission to the will of God is penting, but usaha is just as important. May God bless you with good health soon enough.

rizal hashim said...

tq for the posting and the reminder. hope sha bounces back...

_deli said...

Salam Kak Puteri,

"...semua sakit ada penawarnya, segala masalah ada penghujungnya".

Ada juga yang berbisik, "...kecuali mati..." Even then kita akan dihidupkan semula, right?; dan ada juga sikit yang belum diketemuinya penawarnya - bukan tiada.

Bagi masalah yang dirasakan tak berpenghujung; REDHO lah. Ketenangan, insya'ALlah akan menyusul. Pertama kali saya diperkhabarkankan konsep REDHO, rasa janggal juga, but rest assure things will turn out okay.

That bring me to Herman Tino's song/lyric - "...harta bukan milikmu, untuk mu hanya rezki, terkurang himpun lagi, terlebih memberilah..."

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Hi Puteri,

My personal policy is never to have any business dealings with friends or relations. And I’ll never bother my profession friends for medical, legal & other professional advice. The reason is very simple, it wouldn’t be very fair to them as well as there are private matters that one need to keep to oneself without any emotional attachment if & when any problem arises, which it often does as in the case of your friend Sha above.

That’s the reason why I cannot be a politician, no cronyism & nepotism for me and no one will vote for me then – they don’t want me to be their friend lah…muahaha.

Cheers,
Tommy

P/S – pssst Anon 2.51pm, got any LoLex King solid gold, with diamonds encrusted around the face or not?....kekeke

Al-Manar said...

Hajjah
How easy it is to say I know how your friend feels. But without having to go through such an experience I can only imagine her helplessness and the best I can say is how sorry I feel for her.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Rizal - Ameen to that.

Deli = Betul sesangat apa yg Deli kata tu. Redho. Aaah, you make me terkenang zaman berkenan kat lagu2 Herman Tino.. hehehe

Tommy - The best advice would be not to do business with friends, but that's easier said than done. it's a two-edged sword, really. Btw, I deleted the 'Lolek' watch oredi..:)

Pakcik - betul tu Pakcik, betapa berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul. kita hanya mampu bersimpati..

satD said...

unker

me got lolek, panerais, omegas...all good quality 5 star replica with money back guarantee...

Kama At-Tarawis said...

hehehe satD, since when you neggo je tipu..? LOL

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Puteri, ever since he'd been told to f**k up & keep his nose clean....hehehe.

How's the going satD, my buddy monkey king from from UrAnus? Long time no hear. R u Still working for a Woman boss, one at home not enuff kah :)

satD said...

Unker....yes indeed my big boss is a women....but very macho women win international award by euromoney one la.....not some ciku-rat makcik2...

Sis Kama hope u dont mind i clutter ur blog ....this hamsamlo unker very difficult to track....

satD said...

sis kama neggo tu ape ye?

Kama At-Tarawis said...

SatD, you're most welcome to clutter my blog.. hehehe.. afterall, you hv been entertaining me with yr writings for a while now..:0
(neggo je - berniaga jam..)

Kak Teh said...

Puteri, a very sobering thought - those written in italics. We've been through doldrum and pits before and as you wisely said, losing money isnt half as bad as losing faith. Just keep a deaf ear to those Devil's whispers, for there are aplenty.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Kak Teh - with the benefit of hindsight, it's good to be tested every now and then...walaupun sakit akibatnya..