A Different Perspective on 2020
Remember when we all had the “2020 Vision” lines and sermons? (Yes, I preached that one, too.) This was going to be a fantastic year. Instead, a lot of this year has been a struggle and has kept us feeling down.
Okay, so the “If 2020 were a…” memes are hilarious, but other than those, this year has been pretty down for a great number of people. I told someone the other day, after they had said that 2020 has been awful, “Yeah, I’ve had better years…like, every one before this.”
But before we just write off this entire year as awful, how about a little different perspective? For some, 2020 has been tremendous.
This year, many people were baptized into Jesus Christ. In this year of unease and upheaval, their eternal destiny was put on course toward heaven. That makes for the best possible year!
In 2020, many people realized they needed to refocus on the Lord. Even during shutdowns or reduced numbers, some returned to the Lord and rededicated themselves to His cause.
Many couples will have ’20 as the year they were married. Though they may not have had a church building filled with guests, it is still the year they started their married life together, and that’s worth celebrating.
Other couples welcomed a newborn baby into the world in 2020. They started as parents (or welcomed a “little brother” or “little sister”) and, though tired from the sleepless nights, wouldn’t change it for anything.
A huge number of people realized that they needed to do better about serving others. Errands were run, calls and texts were made, and various projects were completed, all in the name of helping a neighbor or friend. It may have even helped some turn from a dangerous path of selfishness to the need to be selfless.
Many elderships were given renewed encouragement as they made extremely difficult decisions. Faithful members, realizing that no decision was going to please everyone, sent texts or wrote cards to offer sincere thanks to their elders for doing these difficult things thoughtfully and prayerfully.
We could go on, but are you starting to see that this year, while it hasn’t been the best we’ve ever seen, hasn’t been all bad?
And if, for you, it has been a particularly down year, there is still time to do something for someone else to help lift their spirits…and yours. Why not write that card you’ve been putting off? Why not send a last-minute Christmas gift or make a donation to a charity, just because? Why not take a tract to someone or try to set up a Bible study over the holidays to encourage them in their spiritual walk?
If this year has been particularly hard on you due to the virus or do to something very personal (death of a love done, a relationship that has collapsed, job and money uncertainty, or other things), you are in our prayers.
But, in the days that remain of this year, let’s not be so focused on 2021 being “better” that we fail to see opportunities to “redeem” 2020. Good can–and will–be done because we serve an always-good God!
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
