2020 A Year To Remember

2020 will soon be drawing to a close and it has become a year to remember, but one many would maybe rather forget! Everyone seems eager to put it behind us, hoping that 2021 will be much better. Who would have thought in January that we would be under pandemic orders to #stayhome in order to #staysafe!!  Apparently, some health officials have been preparing for a pandemic, and were expecting this at some point, but it truly never crossed my mind, and I don’t think many people expected that ten months later we would still be under restrictions, some places under lockdown. 

Along with this worldwide crisis, it has been a record year for other disasters as well. The Atlantic Hurricane Season saw a record number of storms this year, at 29.  There were so many that they ran out of letters in the alphabet for naming them, and started using the Greek alphabet. But that’s not all, there were record bush fires in Australia. “More than 20% of Australia's forests burned during the summer bushfire catastrophe, a proportion scientists believe is unprecedented globally.” More than 1 billion animals died. California and other western states had some of the worst wildfires ever. There were floods, typhoons and earthquakes, as well as political, racial and social unrest. Too much going on to even talk about. It’s been quite a year on many fronts! 

As of December 3rd, Canada has had 12,381 deaths attributed to Covid 19, worldwide, 1.5 million people have died. Many people have been elderly, but not all. Nick Cordero, a Hamilton native, a Broadway star, was a healthy male who died at age 41, after battling the disease for 90 days. Covid 19 has caused deaths, as well as deaths because of cancelled surgeries and tests. Behind every death is a heartrending story, and lives changed. Most of us are tiring of remembering to bring a mask, to wear a mask, to have our hands sanitized everywhere we go, and remembering to do everything to keep ourselves and others safe. 

This year I have also witnessed a number of sudden, unexpected deaths, affecting family, friends or friends of friends. A 30 year old father of three died in an accident at his home, a 47 year old mother of one, engaged to be married, died as a result of complications during gallbladder surgery, a 20 year old college student, with no known health issues, died suddenly while playing sports, an 11 year old boy was struck by a pick-up truck as he crossed at a crosswalk, coming home from school.  There were other deaths as well, and everyone was forced to alter their funerals or celebrations of life, or put them off altogether. Lives interrupted by grief, and lives altered and shaken. 

 

Looking at a parable in Luke 12, Jesus talks about being “ready”. The parable talks about a master and servants. The master gives tasks to the servants and says that he will be returning. Some servants do as they are instructed but some do not, thinking that the master will not be returning for some time. Some were wise and faithful and some were not. When the master returned, the unfaithful servants were punished. Jesus urged his followers  “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” James 4 tells us, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead of saying, “Tomorrow we will go to this city or that, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”.” 

Years ago “The Byrds” had a song called “Turn, Turn, Turn”. It quotes from the book of Ecclesiastes. “To everything, turn, turn, turn, There is a season, turn, turn, turn, And a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, a time to die….” This is so very true. Before we were even born, our appointed time for birth and for death was established by God. An angel spoke to both Mary and Joseph about their coming child. To Joseph he said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” A strange pronouncement for a baby, but this was God’s appointed time and appointed way to bring humanity back to Himself. John 4 says, “the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” Reconciliation is God’s plan for a world that has gone its own way, and ignored the Master’s instructions. Are you ready for 2021? Will you trust God with your life? Who knows what the next day, the next year, or the next minute holds? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? In the book of John it says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

Light and life to you this Christmas and in 2021!!!

Life Interrupted

Having a lot of "home" time these days? Has life been interrupted by this pandemic known as Covid-19? Many people are still working, but some are working from home, with children underfoot, trying to do their school work. Others are working in healthcare, or are considered essential workers, and are still working. Others are not working, and some don't know if they have a job to go back to. Whatever your situation is, it is not the same as it was back in January.

January 1st was my last blog entry, before I had even heard of Covid-19. At that time I mused, "What's happening in 2020? Maybe some exciting events. Maybe some life changing unexpected interruptions." I was not trying to be prophetic, but a life changing interruption is upon us. Yes, our lives have been changed in ways I could never have envisioned. Exciting events have been interrupted....cancelled. A trip to the Azores in May, in celebration of our 50 years of marriage is cancelled. A trip to Newfoundland to celebrate a friend's 80th birthday in August is pretty certain to be cancelled. Getting together with kids and grandkids for Mother's Day......cancelled. 

This is an historic event for almost everyone alive today. 99.9% of us were not alive in 1918 when the last pandemic killed millions of people. I never envisioned a world where the government would close down stores, parks and all but essential health services. A new term called "social distancing" has become law. Anyone who gets more than two metres from someone not living in their own home can be fined. Lingering in a park can cost you $850. We are not supposed to travel out our our immediate area, and only go out if you have to. In other words "stayhome! Kids are doing school at home, apart from their classmates and their schools and their teachers. Life interrupted! 

There are some people who still seem to think that Covid-19 is not a big deal. It's not much different than the flu, but if you watch the news and see the refrigerated trucks lined up in New York City holding dead bodies because the morgues are full, the body bags coming out of nursing homes, right here in Canada, you can't help but realize that this can truly be a deadly disease, more deadly than influenza. In Canada we have not been hit as hard as many countries, but that may be because most people are taking this seriously. One Hamilton native, Nick Cordero, a graduate of Westdale Highschool, now a Broadway performer, was stricken hard with Covid-19. He was moving from NYC to LA. He has been in ICU for 38 days and counting. He was perfectly healthy man, who has had to have his right leg amputated, has heart damage, lung damage, and  two mini strokes. His wife urges,"Take the coronavirus seriously. This disease does not just effect old people. This is real. A perfectly healthy 41 year old man!" Their lives have been drastically and heartbreakingly 
interrupted!!

What do we do with life's interruptions? How are we affected by events that are out of our control and change life so drastically. In our Western world we are unaccustomed to many events that are life changing, especially where we live in Southern Ontario. We don't get a lot of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, or famines, droughts or epidemics. Yes, we can see these events on the news, but they are usually somewhere else.  

It makes me think of many people in the Bible whose lives were interrupted. I think of 16 year old Mary, who was told by an angel that she would give birth to the Savior of the world. She was not even married, and was not planning a baby right then. Life interrupted! Abraham was told by God to leave his own country and God would lead him to another place, that God would show him...where? who knows? only God knows! ..... and God will make him into a great nation. Moses was a soft spoken man who was slow of speech (he stuttered?) and God told him to go before the powerful Pharaoh of Egypt and ask for the release of his people, who were slaves there, and then God would lead them to the promised land....who me? Life interrupted! 

In this time, all of our lives have been interrupted. How are you handling this interruption that has gone on longer than most of us would like? What are you learning from all of this? What is God saying to you in all of this? I have always loved my family, but during this time of separation the simple pleasure of gathering together, and hugging people, is one thing I miss the most. Something I took for granted before this Covid-19 interruption. It's the simple ordinary things that I hope we can return to, like walking on a beach, sitting on a park bench or camping in a park. A trip to the Azores would have been nice, but that's not what I long for. 

What is God teaching me in all of this? What is he teaching you? In many ways, we have been given time and cause to reflect on our lives. What matters most? I find myself drawn to the Psalms, always a favourite, but even more so in these days. "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:1, 4
Will I be totally shielded from this sickness? That, I don't know, but what I do know is that God is my refuge, God is my strength. When I trust in him, asking for his forgiveness for my sins, trusting in Jesus' sacrifice for me, I am eternally secure and at rest. No matter what happens, my treasure is in Heaven, not on earth. I will eternally be with Jesus my Savior and God my Father. In some ways my life here on earth is like an interruption. It's a sojourn in a foreign land that I am passing through on my way to the promised land, which is for me, my Heavenly Home. Will you join me there someday? Talk to God about it. He can be your refuge too. He can lead you there. Is this an interruption or a divine appointment? 


  

What's Happening in 2020?!!

I have to start off by confessing that I'm not a serious blogger. My last entry was in 2014! But I won't go on about that.

Every year, when it ends, seems to have gone by so quickly and 2019 was no exception. It was a pretty significant year for us as we celebrated 50 years of marriage. In preparation I walked down memory lane as I browsed through 50 years of pictures to put together some digital photo albums. In doing this I felt so totally blessed by the journey we have had together and the family and friends God has put into our lives! 

Thinking back to 1969 reminded me of the rough start we had. There was an unplanned pregnancy, a hastily arranged marriage and, having had just just one year of college, neither of us had jobs. I am so thankful that we chose to give life to our first born son. This reminds me a bit of Mary and Joseph, the unplanned pregnancy, and the difficulty of their journey. I can identify in a small and thankful way. We went on to have a daughter and the rest of the journey is, well, history, as the saying goes. There have been many difficulties along the way, but also many blessings. Your story is different, but also a mixture of difficulties and blessings. Some have more blessings and others have more difficulties, but no one escapes life without some scars. 

As we watched the news last night they did a very short year in review. It was filled with natural disasters, mostly floods and wildfires, shootings, as well as famous people who died, most of whom I had never heard of. But I did recognize Jean Vanier, Ron Joyce and Doris Day. It's always a reminder of the fragility of life, and the certainty of death. Most who died were older, but not all. 

So, what's happening in 2020?! We have some plans, some places we plan to visit. We plan to go to Mexico, the Azores and Newfoundland, God willing. Whenever I think of plans, I always think "God willing", that is, if God allows us to live another year, and if things go as planned, if no serious health issues arise, or other serious interruptions, then these are the things we are planning to do. One friend is getting married this year, one friend is celebrating 80 years this year. There are babies due this year, someone is buying a house,  graduating from school. You have plans. What are your plans? 

What's happening in 2020? Maybe some exciting events. Maybe some life changing unexpected interruptions. My friend did not expect to become homeless with two children. Another friend in Africa, with 16 orphans to care for, did not expect to have to find new accommodations this year. How many landlords will allow 16 children in a small affordable home? Wild fires and floods can be life altering unexpected events the news was full of this year. I saw hundreds of homes totally burnt to the ground. A friend had the river come right through the basement of their home. The same friend also had a cancer diagnosis. Isn't one unexpected event a year enough?! 

So, what's happening in 2020? One thing is certain. The unexpected can certainly be expected. But God.....God is the constant in our ever changing world, in our ever changing lives. He is the anchor in my ever changing life. Hebrews 6:19 says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure..." This speaks of Jesus, a shelter in the time of storms. He is with us by the Holy Spirit. God the Father is always listening for our calls to Him. Jesus intercedes for us. He is our High Priest. This is the promise to those who believe in the One born that Christmas Day so long ago, fortold by prophets. Isaiah prophecied 700 years before Jesus was born, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." One small child, unplanned, unexpected, entered history according to God's exact time and plan. Will you trust Jesus in 2020, with all of your heart, with your unexpected events, be they blessings or trials? 1 John 4:14 says, "the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." Savior from sin. God's plan to redeem you and me. One of my prayers is that all of my family and friends would spend eternity together in Heaven. God provided the way. Will you believe it? "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Will you receive the greatest gift ever in 2020?