2020. . . Vision of clarity or Calamity
God offers comfort and peace…
Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
God wants love between His children
John 13:34 “A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Mark 12:31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself ‘There is no commandment greater than these.
Proverbs 22:2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
How have you been this year? How have you reacted and felt? Have you been healthy? Are you and have you been unduly stressed? Have you been fearful and filled with trepidation? What about anger, unrest, and fear? Have you been able to walk in confidence, maintaining the mask mandates, being cautious and yet not fearful? Certainly, this has been a year to remember.
In prior years, there have been big events that occurred in a year. For instance, as of this writing, November 22, in 1963, the world was shocked when our 35th president, John F. Kennedy was assassinated on a sunny street in the city of Dallas as his motorcade moved slowly through to the next point of the agenda. As the days of his funeral, the swearing in of President Johnson, continued with black and white images, there was suddenly the murder — on LIVE TV — of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby. That was truly reality TV.
After several days of this media coverage, I wondered if the world would ever return to some normal. It certainly didn’t feel like it. But within a fairly short time, we were back to hearing other local and worldly news reports and life moved on.
The next time my world was stunned, was when Christa McAuliffe and six other astronauts were disintegrated in a fire ball explosion on January 28, 1986.
And in 2001, September 11, our country was attacked by a well-orchestrated, well planned attack of a bunch terrorists. With sick reluctance we couldn’t look away, yet we had to know what was happening, what was being done, were there any survivors from the separate attacks, watching in admiration and astonishment as the men and women, first responders and others who were right there on Ground Zero doing whatever they could to give aid. Then our country was shaken for several weeks.
But in 2020, since the early weeks of this year we have learned of a new enemy named COVID, and have learned how to battle, dig into trenches, admire the first responders, nurses, doctors, lab personnel and others who work with these sick patients and the media builds our stress and fear up with news. The political arena was active with democrats choosing a person to represent our country for their party. Then of course, the bickering, and the vote. . . and the fallout. Tensions are still high regarding the election. There has certainly been a very different turn of events post this election than past years.
Then of course, there is the unrest, anger, and violence that surround the deaths of many during police raids and submission; sometimes being brutal, and the upsurge of people causing and creating damage to shops and people who had NOTHING to do with the deaths of these persons. I agree Black lives matter, so do Latin lives, white lives, Asian lives, European and more. All lives matter.
God’s Word says that clearly in Genesis 1:26,27 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them.
But, this year has been a year of turmoil. Many have been hurt and lonely since we are unable to live life as we did just a year ago. Persons have died alone, unable to be surrounded by loved ones because of the segregation of the virus mandates, folks are kept fairly sequestered as they do not want to take the risk a family member or they themselves will develop this illness. Tensions mount as folks want themselves and others to wear masks in public places for protection; while the others are loudly adamant it is their right to not wear the masks.
But certainly in 2020, the tensions are not ebbing away after a week or a couple of weeks of stressful news. It has been a time when many have dealt with an abundance of calamity—families who a few weeks earlier enjoyed a wedding, suddenly lost several family members from this virus. Family and friends are staying distanced, unwilling to risk the illness. Folks are left with the fact they had to let their loved one down, could not be there to show love and support as the person left our world for the next. That is so very difficult.
So this has been a year of more unrest and calamity than any other I have been able to remember. I entered this year thinking 2020, all things clearer and more beautiful. (I can get hooked on familiar things and phrases. . ‘2020’, means eyes and vision good; so that was what I expected. . . clear and wonderful views of this year.) SURPRISE!
I still see beauty, but the unrest, anger, frustration and fear is palpable. I have been blessed. My family is healthy, safe, employed, sure struggling some, but all are fortunate.
I believe God is trying to get the world to acknowledge Him. . . to return to Him, to repent and give Him the honor, reverence, and praise He deserves. He only waits so long. Other stories are in His book. . . Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of the temple, the Babylonian capture, the Assyrian capture. . .
We don’t have the promise 2021 will be a better year; we have hope that is so. But I believe if we all turn and honor and worship our Lord, it’s already better. He is love, hope, peace, faith. . . Wonderful Counselor and Deliverer. Reach out and ask Him into your heart and see if you are not comforted?
Thank You, Lord for always being there whenever I seek Your Comfort for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
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