Since this whole COVID-19 hit in the USA I’ve been quiet on the blogging front and I don’t really know why. It may be because throughout this ordeal there has been an incredible abundance of information and I thought that one more voice (my meager voice nonetheless) may add more muck than clarity to the informational overload. However, I don’t want to give anyone information or advice. **Just a side note here: if you’d like my opinion, just ask….I’ll gladly give you that!
I want to give you encouragement. I want to shed light on reasons to have hope in this dark and seemingly hopeless situation. You don’t need me to tell you how bad things have gotten. You sure as heck don’t need my arm-chair Doctor/psychologist advice. But you, dear friend need encouraged. No matter what side of the fence you stand on regarding mask wearing or going back to school or BLM, you need to know that there is hope.
You may be one who has lost much throughout this ordeal. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one or dear friend…..possibly a job or way of life. Most of us have lost something significant in the last 4 months and I worry that many have lost something that is vital to survival….hope.
Here’s something I’ve learned in my 40-some years on planet earth; I will be disappointed if my hope is simply a fingers –crossed, wish to come true. Time and time again I’ve put my confidence/hope in someone or something only to be let down. And I’m not talking about a gentle, soft landing….rather a crashing down off of a rooftop let down. It could have been hope in a very well-wishing, kind hearted soul with the best of intentions. But it was still a let- down.
I’ve also put my hope in stuff. You know, stuff like, “Life will be so much better when I get my new ‘this or that.’” It never is. I get the “this or that” new thing and I feel sort of void and empty. I’d really hoped and believed that this thing was going to be the thing that made life better? But it doesn’t.
What a Let-Down
Do you want to know what else has been a let-down? COVID-19 and everything about it. And the question becomes, with so much uncertainty and ambiguity about all of this mess, “who and/or what do I trust?” Who/what do I place my trust, confidence, and hope? Who/what is going to help me through this mess? The CDC? The WHO? President Trump? Fauci? My doctor? YouTube? Hydroxychloroquine? A stimulus check? Unemployment? Myself?
If you put your hope in any of those things (and anything else in this world for that matter), you will be let-down. Period.
What Have You Put Your Hope In?
There’s only one place to put your hope…..it sounds simple and it is. King Jesus.
Some 3000 years ago an Israelite named, David was facing imminent death. Yes, most of us have heard of him remember the Bible stories of David and Goliath. We mostly remember how awesome he was and that he was a great (the best they ever had) king of Israel. But we forget (or never knew) that for over a decade of David’s life he lived as a fugitive on the run. At one point, two of the most powerful men in the world and their armies both wanted David dead and they had him sandwiched. There was no way out….he was a dead man. However, it was in this moment that David wrote, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62: 5-6
You too, my friend can find rest in God. You literally may feel imminent death…..and death may indeed come. However, in this very earthly moment let your soul find rest in God. Put your hope in him. When you do this, life becomes lighter. Not easier. Lighter. Yes, bad and difficult things can and will still happen….including death. But your life on this earth as you know it will not be shaken. When God becomes your fortress and your rock you find rest. And when you are at rest, you won’t be shaken. So again, my friend, I’d encourage you to put your hope in Jesus in this difficult time….you won’t regret it.
Good Further Reading Material…..
Footnote: If you’d like to read a great historical fiction book about King David, I recommend “The Fugitive King” by Elizabeth Rice Handford. We (when I say “we” I mean, Amy) just read it in the car as a family and it was excellent. It may look a little juvenile and it is written with juveniles in mind, but it is good.