“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
(A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)
How true this line is in our world today. For many, this is the worst time they have ever gone through and others the best. How can one event, one moment in time, have such opposite outcomes?
Times of trial, of deep testing, tend to emphasize our weaknesses and strengths. The areas in our lives, in our societies, even our countries, that are already cracked or weakened, break wide open for all to see. The strained marriages, the broken families, the hidden addictions, the emotional instability. The lifestyles built on the false security of wealth and status; the economic & political systems built on shifting sand, changing with each new agenda or latest trend. The churches focused on a programs, numbers, and performance rather than truth, love, & stewardship. The areas of compromise, the areas of denial, the areas of bitterness, jealousy, anger, pride; the areas we have refused to change, refused to forgive, refused to move forward; the areas we have ignored, been unwilling to put in the extra time & effort to repair or improve. The lies we have chosen to believe because it is easier, seems better. The time we have wasted on less important things.
I truly believe that what the enemy meant for evil, God has turned into an incredible blessing. What was meant to instill fear & tear us apart, has instead shown us the importance of family, friends, faith & unity. Never before have we seen the World so torn, & so blessed at the same time.
I mourn the lives lost; the pain & sorrow are very real. Yet, if this pandemic had lasted only a short time, would we have learned what we are now getting? It would have been so easy to return to life as “normal”. It would have been like a short vacation, fun & a bit stressful, but not a big deal.
Instead, we are forced into making drastic changes, both personally & as a society & nation. With our weak areas exposed, we have to confront them & make the necessary adjustments to fix them. We can no longer get by with denial & covering up.
There are those who are trying to wait this thing out so they can resume their old lifestyle. To go back is to waste this moment! We have been given a reset, an opportunity to set things right & move forward into something better. We have been given eyes to see that things weren’t really as they appeared to be. This is the year of 20/20 vision; seeing things clearly, as they actually are. Truth is trumping the false in all areas, no one is immune.
As we come out of our homes and join together again in public, there will be a pull from many areas (mainstream media, politics, Hollywood, materialism, & even churches) to get us to go back to what was. We need to be diligent about moving forward. We have learned too much in this time to regress back to the old. Our old priorities must be replaced with the new and the new must be fought for. We must fight for our families, our faith, our freedoms. Sitting back and letting others do the work and make the decisions is no longer acceptable. We are each responsible, we are each called to rise up.
One of the greatest blessings of this day is the unity of our people. We see in this time that we are not made to exist in isolation away from each other. We need our social systems. They provide encouragement & strength, they help us cope & persevere, they provide intimacy & nurture us, they allow us opportunities to better ourselves & our communities. The strengths rising up in this time are meant to help those lost & struggling, to encourage those overcome by fear, to build up marriages & families, and to reform our priorities.
There are still many who are opposing everything changing in this time. There are those who will fight for things to remain the same no matter the cost. But generally, as a people, in our families & communities, people are embracing this time and reaping the benefits. The small town in live in is a prime example. The local businesses here are phenomenal & going out of their way to make sure we everyone is take care of. Neighbors are reaching out to each other to encourage & help each other. Families are spending quality time together like never before; churches have moved out of their buildings and into our homes. I have never been so proud to live in this wonderful community! We are not the exception; this is going on all around the nation & event the world.
We are in an incredible moment in history. To not learn & grow & move forward would be the biggest mistake we could ever make. There is purpose in this time. There is healing & restoration in this time. There is growth & strengthening in this time. There is a great blessing set before us. Yes, it will take sacrifice, perseverance & boldness to get it. But this is what America was built on. This is what our faith is built on. This is our heritage. That is our calling. We were made for such a time as this.
