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For me, it takes a long look back to January when 2020 was pretty good. My husband and I visited my Sister and family in Riverview FL, walked the shore of Clearwater Beach and cruised the Caribbean visiting five ports of call and lazying a couple days away on private beaches. 2020 has not been ALL bad. Again, though, I have to rummage through a lot of months to remember that. Because, without a doubt, the rest of this year has been unimaginable.
I was inspired to write today because I just read yet another account of someone experiencing loss at the hands of 2020. Tragically, thousands of people have lost their lives during this pandemic and many others have suffered its illness. Yet others have missed out on milestone, even once-in-a-lifetime occasions such as graduations, national recognitions, travel dreams and more.
It dawned on me while reading her post, that we cannot get lost in our losses. As is the nature of time, 2020 is a season that will pass. We will survive and experience joys of living again. Not as we knew it, but prayerfully with more appreciation for life, our fellow humanity and for every blessing and opportunity we receive.
I’ve been reflecting recently on the seasons within this season. How for the past seven months of this season, I (as I’m sure many of you) have experienced what I will call inner-seasons. The emotions of them ebbing and flowing, highs and lows, fears and faith-emboldened courage. The Spring that was shut-in, filled with sleepless nights, ghost emotions, the onslaught of news alerts and bona fide fear for my life, health and family, for the world. Then Summer came (it always does). We cautiously ventured out, literally for air, to move, to feel the hope and promise of life. Even with the safety protocols, it was everything to spend time with our family, it felt good to move in familiar places, to enjoy a walk in nature, to be filled up with the rays of the sun. After much persuasion, we even took a road trip and went to the ocean for a day (one of my most favorite things to do in life).
Now, on the threshold of October, it seems Summer was fleeting. With its beauty, still in the shadow of the pandemic, violence and social injustice, the countless ‘isms, bureaucratic corruption and lunacy. Autumn and Winter remain to be.
What remains settled in my spirit is God is with us (He always Is) and 2020 is a ‘season’ in time that will change. It will. That’s the thing about seasons, they change.
I want to look through the lens of faith with hope and trust in a future that God has for me, my loved ones and His creation. I want that for everyone. What is before us has to be greater than what is behind. We must not lose hope. We must look unto the hills from whence cometh our help and our future; our help comes from the Lord. We must not give up on our future, nor its promise. Beyond 2020, or 2021, we must live and believe to see God’s goodness in our lives.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” ~ Romans 15:13 (ESV)
What is sustaining your hope for the future? Let me know in the comments.
