At an early age of eight, I became aware of my father’s gambling. Most nights, my mother would waken my younger sister to accompany her to search my father from gambling houses, a game of cards.
We were a bit affluent at that time. Then our house was sold, so we had to rent a small one-bedroom apartment (at that time I have five siblings already. ) You can imagine the cramp bedroom, with all of us sleeping there. Then one of our passenger jeepneys was reportedly lost. It could have been used to pay off the gambling debts.
To make both ends meet, my mother started a store, with me and some sisters manning it alternately (aged 9 and 7). We noticed that the shelves were being emptied with no replenishment. This was the time when my mother had her 7th child delivery, she was away for one week. Meanwhile my father was getting the cash sales.
Creditors hunted my father, and he would instruct the children not to let them know that he was around. It was really traumatic for children below their teens yet. Then my maternal grandfather moved us to another house.Our parents nearly separated because of his gambling, we were so deprived, had it not been the siblings getting employment and going to college at night, we would not have changed our lives to a better one.
I have read of news about gamblers who committed suicide because they have lost everything.
What about those people engaging in this type of business. They are raking in large sums of money. In the beginning they may be overwhelmed by the staggering amount of money, but for how long? If you are thriving, you get the envy of other gambling houses, they try to harass you, to stop competition; or there are extortionists.
Why am I relating this story, I am not trying to disgrace my father, but I am trying to show to gamblers what would happen to their family if they persist in gambling.This is another form of addiction. You want to continue gambling in the hope of winning and recovering the losses.STOP! But you cannot do it alone. Ask for God’s help, to help you get a legal, moral, satisfying job or a business that would bring employment to people in a legal and moral way.
Words of the Lord on the love of money:
1Timothy 6::6-10
6 but godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people , eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
