2021: Creating peace, joy and love at the inauguration of a volatile year.
Whew!! We made it through 2020! When I changed out the calendar last year I had high hopes for a good year … a time when everyone would enjoy a sense of 20-20 vision in every decision claiming wisdom rather than division. But I was wrong! The prevailing climate of “us against them” became epidemic as January marched toward election day and COVID created a pandemic which only reinforced political and invented facts of the populace. How could I be so mistaken with such high hopes for a bright new year?
Opening 2021 as a New Year
I have now hung my calendar for 2021. Will I do it again? Will I envision a hope that will only prove to be wrong and send me swirling on another downward spiral that obviates relationships, friendships and my best dreams for a great future? I certainly desire that this will not be the case, and that 2021 will prove to correct every failing that came to pass last year.
Is it fantasy to believe there are cures ahead in 2021? In the midst of an ever growing pandemic, I certainly hope a breath of fresh air will bring recovery and vigor for the health of our world sooner rather than later in the next 365 days of this year. I am told our national elixirs (Pfizer, Moderna , AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson) are more than just a jab in the arm; they are tools that will stop the encroaching shroud of the virus. And I hope for more: one of the books I read in 2020 said all pandemics eventually destroy themselves.
The lion and the lamb … together
And I have another dream for 2021, a dream for unity and peace. Our nation has been fighting a war … for how long, I do not really know, but it has gone on too long!! The conflicts started small … but then they grew! And I think we all know and agree that there are divisions in the fabric of our nation today. The people are divided. Some are on the right and others are on the left (so to speak), and unless we can find our way through the maze of fallacy, politics and confusion there will come a time of bad judgment! (Matthew 25:31-46) I hope in 2021 people begin to find the cure for what really ails us.
In former times it was said the church offered our world a solution. Today I think we should re-examine, for many who call themselves evangelical Christians have dug a black hole (calling it the way of truth) leading to a false messiah. They hold the coattails of a sinner who they say can do no wrong. [And in all fairness, I should say those insisting he can do no right are also probably wrong.]
The house divided
A person does not have to look too far to see deep divisions along with omnipresent hatred splattered throughout the world of Christianity. Jesus signs were ever-present at most racial marches and at the United States Capitol takeover. This can’t be! Did Jesus choose a side … a house divided cannot stand. (Matthew 12:25)
Where is the error of our way? The people of our nation blindly follow a person who is only a human. We buy into political rhetoric that wonders how a Christian could possibly be a member of the “other side” without considering how a godly person could fully align with “our” side. Face the facts: the political world does not set the standard for righteousness. We need to set our sights higher.
Solutions to our situation
Is there a solution? The prophet Jeremiah said in a former time of contention, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” (6:16) Paul wrote, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work … For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” (Galatians 6:2-5)
In 2021, I hope I can follow the good way, and that the evils we all experienced in 2020 can be reversed. I will take to heart words from a man whose first name I share: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness …” (Psalm 23)