2020…AGAIN!

Did we really think that when the clock struck midnight on December 31, 2020 that the pandemic and all our troubles from 2020 would magically disappear? It was wishful thinking but unfortunately, we are all still wearing our masks and standing 6 feet from one another.  

Loved this meme…

“Does it feel like December 33, 2020 to anyone else?”

Funny as it is, it is a statement of the reality of our current situation. We are tired from the rollercoaster of hope.  We get a taste of freedom and some semblance of normalcy only to have that freedom quickly dashed by a new mandate for our communities. 

I am ready to walk with friends without wearing a mask. I’m ready to walk into the grocery store and smile at the cashier with my mouth, not my eyes. I want a party INSIDE my house with lots of people. I am ready to go to church on the weekend with no constrains.  But it doesn’t matter if I am ready or not, I am still trapped within this pandemic.

Recently, I was watching a “news talk show.” The topic was the pandemic in 2021. Looking at the Zoom squares on the TV, one of the hosts was noticeably upset. As she began to speak, her emotions released as she shared about a dear friend who had recently died because of COVID-19. She also expressed her anger regarding those who don’t wear masks and those who are not taking this seriously. It was obvious that her anger stemmed from the hurt she was feeling. Then one of her co-hosts made this statement “if we just had tools to know how to deal with this,” …”no one has given us any tools”. I watched as they struggled on air to find something to hold onto. I could feel their hopelessness.  

One hundred years ago in 1918 as WWI was close to ending. the first case of the Spanish flu was discovered. This flu continued to spread throughout the world potentially through the military movement from the war. In a short time, this flu became a pandemic. For two years, the population of the world suffered through this pandemic affecting 1/3 of the world population. 500 million people contracted this disease resulting in approximately 50 million deaths.

Our current situation looks similar but truthfully not quite as bleak. The current stats for Covid-19 are 85 million affected and almost 2 million deaths. Our numbers are staggering, but the people in the early 1900’s experienced much greater loss.  With the lack of medical advancement and sanitary conditions, the fear itself must have overwhelmed these people. But their fear does not negate our current fear. Every human on the face of this earth has been affected by this.  I have friends who have lost their parents to this disease and I lived in fear as my mom contracted it while in her nursing home.  None of us want to experience this loss…ever!

Hearing those “talk show hosts” express their need for tools to handle this broke my heart. Their voices of desperation are like so many of us.  We are desperate to escape from this and get back to doing life together. Our emotional health is waning as we try the best that we can to stay connected to those we love. So, I agree with those talk show hosts…we need tools!

As we search our toolbox, what are some tools that would be useful for us?

Connection…connection with each other.  Connection with others takes effort; it takes work! But connection is critical. What if you tell someone you are struggling or lonely?  If you are drowning, reach for a friend lifeline. When we open our mouths to speak our hurt, the support we receive that day may be exactly what we need to carry us to the next day.

Laughter… when is the last time you really laughed?

I have a funny story for you…well, at least I think it’s funny because I lived it.  I was shopping in the mall the other day with my daughter in law and new grand baby.  We casually walked around one of the department stores picking up various items to purchase.  With the convenience of the stroller, we just placed the items on the stroller with plans of paying for them after we finished shopping. We then realized that we were hungry so started to make lunch plans.  Caught up in our conversation, we walked towards the food court in the mall. As my daughter in law entered the elevator pushing the stroller, I looked at her and said, “Oh no, get off the elevator.” The other lady in the elevator looked at us like we had lost our minds. At that point, my daughter in law looked down at the stroller with a shocked look and immediately exited the elevator. We both looked at each other and hit a deep belly laugh. All of items that we had placed on the stroller to purchase were still there hanging from the handle.  We had walked out of the department store completely oblivious to the fact that we never paid for our merchandise. We laughed all the way back to the department store feeling like thieves.

Give…give something to a stranger this week.  Cook a special meal for your neighbor. Send a card of encouragement to someone. Giving to others causes healing with inside ourselves.

Take a walk…but it’s cold! Bundle up buttercup and force yourself to get outside. Studies show that just 20 minutes of sunlight will lift your spirits for the day.  Take a friend with you and make it even better!

Remember… Remember the hardships you have already endured. Whenever any of us have hit hard times in our lives, we feel as though we aren’t going to survive.  But we do survive.  Then we hit another hardship, and we survive that one too. Our life is not over, it has just shifted positions for a bit.

Be hopeful…most powerful tool in the box. As I listened to the heartache on the television that day, I felt as though these people needed a foundation of hope.  We find our hope in different things, but I find my hope through Jesus Christ.

Today, this is what gives me hope…He NEVER changes!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and FOREVER.” Hebrews 13:8

The power, strength and hope of Jesus is the same in 1918 during the Spanish Flu as it is today within Covid – 19.  He is the same in the parting of the Red Sea or the slinging of a stone to kill a giant. He is the same as he hung to His death on the cross as though the battle was over, yet He rose from the grave three days later.

Our hope for today lies in the hope from yesterday! It lies in the hope for tomorrow! It lies in the fact that Jesus NEVER CHANGES! No matter the battle, no matter the trial, no matter the enormity of a pandemic HE NEVER CHANGES!!!!!

When you wake up tomorrow feeling trapped say to yourself…

” JESUS IS THE SAME YESTERDAY AND TODAY AND FOREVER.”

Then finish your day repeating that as often as you need until you believe it!