As I was listing to some podcast one brought up an interesting thought, almost everyone is excited to be done with 2020, the year of the pandemic, being stuck in our homes, some not able to work, and a crazy election cycle that in some opinions is not done yet. I have heard this year being called the year from hell, and many churches spent time going over the end times things in scripture. Every year we move a year closer to when Jesus will return, whether it will be in our lifetime or another 100 generations is not for me to know. No matter when He returns our hearts need to be ready. After going though such a trial as 2020 has been for most of us and we are all talking about leaving behind so much of 2020, my question is what are you taking forward with you?
The first thing that I am taking with me is a better understanding that God’s plans are higher than mine. I started off this year fighting for a raise including looking at a change in work, so that I may be able to reduce the number of hours I work so I could focus more on my family. I was approved for the raise that would have made life easier, then a wage freeze took effect and my hours we reduced, I still have not seen the pay increase. With this happening we were approved for state insurance and food stamps freeing up a substantial mount of my checks that have allowed us to continue to pay all our bills. After that we had several large medical issues come up that would have left us with huge medical bills if we had still been on my company supplied insurance.
The second thing is my reliance on God and understanding that it is all his and I am, but a steward and he will take care of us. Understandably when all my overtime was taken away, I was getting between 5-10 hours a week, I was stressed but I also had a faith I did not know where it came from, every two weeks I would come and adjust my checking account leger and look at the predicted bills and the estimated income and seek more and more negative numbers coming, yet every bill was paid. We always had food whether it was from a food bank, gleaners’ group or using the meager amount given to us on out food stamp card. Even when bills out of the blue came there was always an influx somewhere that got it paid. God is always taking care of the birds and the flowers and are we not more valuable than those.
The third thing I am taking from 2020 in the understanding of the need for community. When this year first started, we had plans of gathering and campouts and retreats that almost all got completely tossed out the window. Where I live we were told we cannot go to church we can not gather together in small groups because you bring more than one or two people over you exceed the mandated gathering limit. As the year started we had felt a need for a house church but not wanting to leave our home church we started inviting people over to watch our churches live stream and then our church started groups so that people could have community and we started one and have been meeting in our home having dinner and having church community. God is trinity and is a social by nature of being trinity, we are made in his image and need that community.
Yes, there may be losses and holes that are now in are hearts from this last year, there may be new hurts or old ones that have resurfaced and unfortunately, we will take those with us into the rest of our lives but what will you take from this year that will remind you to go deeper with God and strive after him.
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