Everything Shamcey worked for, everything she believed and thought about her whole life came out in the open the moment she stood in front of the international audience and the big cameras during the Miss Universe beauty pageant few days ago. Her beliefs, her convictions, her idea of life and religion and commitment were unveiled in that single moment.
I’m not sure if Shamcey will ever have that time in her life again when millions of people all over the world will hang on to every word she said. Her answer rocked, not just the entertainment and the fashion world, but the consciousness of Filipinos and the Christians who are confronted with the question Vivica A. Fox asked her: conviction or compromise? Here is a woman who unapologetically gave an unpopular answer in front of the whole world.
Few of us will ever have that moment when our faith and character will be tested out in the open, with cameras and millions of people to applaud us. Many will be tested in secret, without anyone watching the choices they make. Some are tested with a plate of food (Esau), others with a woman in a bathing suit (David), and still others with a few gold coins for extra cash (Judas). The real question, however, is not whether you are tested in public or in private. It is whether you will pass or not, whether you are ready to give an answer that will satisfy the Ultimate Judge or just please the crowd.
We are not all beauty queens, and for most of us, our test may not even involve carefully crafted sentences with the right kind of accent. For most people, the test is not about giving sharp answers to a panel of judges but making silent choices in the face of trials on their daily grind where most of the battles of life are either lost or won.
Jojo Agot 