2020 Vision

In the last months have you found it easy to go down the rabbit hole of fear, uncertainty, or even despair?

I'm assuming we all have gone from what we thought was some sense of worldly security to what seems to be all unknowns. Who would have thought that we'd be talking about, researching, and worrying about any of these things- sickness, unemployment, furloughs, isolation, masking, or social distancing?

Who could have guessed when the year 2020 started it would turn out like it has? 2020 was supposed to a celebration year for me. It was 20 + 20 years since I began my career as an optometrist. 20/20 is a term I use every day. It means to see clearly. I wish I still had that 20/20, clear, optimistic view of the year. It feels like I'm seeing a fuzzy 20/400 view when I try to see through the blur of the current uncertainties we face.

I know I should have enough faith not to be scared. To be honest, sometimes I feel okay, yet sometimes I so easily go down that rabbit hole of despair. The last months have been a prime example of the whole world in chaos. We are fighting against dark spiritual forces, and the enemy wants us to be afraid.

What can we do when we find ourselves heading down that rabbit hole? There is no worldly answer that gives real comfort and lasting peace. The experts can't tell us when we will be "safe", if this screening test is reliable, or when we can worship and sing together again. The world as we have known it has been turned upside down and fails to give us any dependable advice.
The only answers are in the unwavering and everlasting promises of Jesus Christ. God has given us the tools to survive and even to find joy in the middle of this mess. Is it a constant joy? No, we all will be tempted to head down that rabbit hole. What are some tools God has given us? His Word and the ability to pray. God's Word can be read, recited, or memorized, to pull us out of the hole and place us on the path of trust, joy, and even hope. God has given us the gift of prayer to unburden ourselves. Not knowing the perfect words to use doesn't matter to Him, and starting with a passage can help us reflect and release our burdens to Jesus.
God wants us to use His Word and ask for the gift of enduring peace, the peace which defies understanding, the peace which only He can provide, the peace He offers to us not just once, but over and over again. With that peace will come the gift of hope, a hope for each of us and one we can share with others. What an opportunity we have during the mess of this world to share the unchanging, enduring promises that God gives us.

God's Word does not change, it is alive, and is the true source of comfort.
For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Mark McEathron

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