As 2020 wraps up, there are many blessings I've experienced. I realize there are people hurting for very real reasons, so this is not some loosey goosey 'I'm happy all the time' post. I'm thankful my family hasn't experienced anything tragic as a result of covid--many have, some people we really care for. And, we're not immune to difficulties, but you know, if you go through life looking for hardship, you'll find it more than if you try to look for the good things. The Lord tells us to rejoice all the time, and it is important Christians learn how to navigate life in that way. God is always at work, and that is good. We should look for that and proclaim it in our minds, and to others when appropriate. We can help lift each other up during hard times, or help people stay down.
The world is not helped if we fail to rejoice during hard times. We need to be sensitive to other people's situations, but for people who have steeped themselves, like a tea bag in the boiling waters of CNN and MSNBC for 9 months, something else is happening. These folks have allowed themselves to become mentally warped to the point they think being able to rejoice amidst turmoil is self-absorbed, insensitive, disingenuous, or out of touch. They think that having a martyr mentality makes them appear more loving; that their stress and lack of joy show how they are suffering under the terror of this global pandemic MORE than you or anyone else (see my previous post entitled Conflict with the Lost). A covid phenomenon is how it has become virtually impossible to talk to certain people because no matter what positive thing is said about covid, they only see utter darkness and misery. Covid is akin to Field Day for a liberal martyr-athlete.
Well, what of this?
I think we all need to be serious about praying for those we have the direct ability to connect with, particularly those who are shut-in. We should do things to help as we're able: stop by and safely talk, take them a meal that you've carefully prepared if you are healthy (and have been)...call them if you can't see them for a period of time. Pray for them--try to make them laugh, send them a text...we can't help everyone all the time, but if enough of us reach out, we can help these folks not go nuts being alone or closed up in their homes most of the time. The ability to help others is reason to rejoice and actually does something positive. It is far better than sitting around fostering angry political opinions or stewing in one's own paranoid juices--how are either of those things helpful?
With that I share the reason for my joy, which is two-fold: I'm thankful about several things regarding covid. That the vast majority of people around the world will survive the virus if they get it, is something to take time to thank God for. We've seen terrible diseases that killed a much greater percentage of the population indiscriminately, and I think it is a reason to be thankful that this virus pales in comparison. Being thankful about this doesn't mean I am not sad for the elderly who are either fearful or lonely, or that my heart doesn't go out to those who have lost loved ones during this time or as a direct result. But I'm not helping anyone if I live in that place; I need to do what I can about it. My sorrow over the lost, and how they are dealing with this, is more intense because I'm seeing the great divide between those who have the peace of a saving relationship with Christ and those who do not. I rejoice in that, as it has drawn me closer to God and caused me to pray more fervently for loved ones who are clearly not with Christ.
Next, I'm thankful for the clear opportunities to trust the Lord more, and to rely on His Sovereignty more than I have in a long time, maybe ever.
God is in control of all things ultimately. The affairs of men rise and fall, and somehow God is working in the lives of His children to accomplish His will. Bad rulers, good rulers, cheating, misinformation campaigns...God sees and knows and uses all these things in ways we cannot fully grasp. I'm thankful for this! I don't have to be all spun up over a "stolen" election, fake social movements, or forced vaccines. Was an election stolen from God, because last time I checked, no one was stealing anything from the Great I Am. How can I live if we're forced to let medication go into our kids that we really don't want? Well, we'll live the same way oppressed people throughout the ages lived--we'll keep our eyes on the prize, pray, and honor the Lord in all we do as best we can. I am thankful that all the things going on have driven me to the Word more, because I certainly need to be in it more.
With covid and the politics of 2020, and all the messy things that have gone with them, I'm thankful for the Lord and the peace He gives. I'm thankful for the life He's given me and the opportunities to grow during 2020. I don't want to leave this year a worse person than I started--I want to look more like Christ.
This year has brought into focus this question:
DO I TRUST GOD OR DON'T I?
Has God not worked through incompetent, wicked rulers before? He can do it again. Does God not see His children suffer? Of course He does. We can trust Him to help us endure it. In hard times, the church can flourish. It is a blessing if phony Christians have left the church in 2020--did the church in America not need a purging?
When it gets darker, the light shines brighter. We can all rejoice that our little lights have a decent chance of being seen these days. We don't even have to be that awesome; if we're in Christ, we've got to have something glowing.
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