We’ve all heard the term 20/20 hindsight, and don’t you wish 2020 was in our rearview mirror about now? I know I do. I’ve lived long enough to finally understand what my mother-in-law meant when she used to say, “It’s always something.” Any time some new difficult thing came along in life, that was her go-to phrase.
I think she had a bit of wisdom in those words. In a sense, she was paraphrasing Jesus when He said, “each day has enough trouble of its own.” And if any year in my lifetime has known trouble, it’s been this one.
Oh, it’s not that we haven’t all seen trials and numerous sources of strife in our world. If we look at history, we know even just a century ago, our great grandparents or maybe our grandparents lived through some really tough times. Maybe 2020 is so hard on us now because too many of us haven’t suffered as past generations have. We’re not used to trials on such a magnitude scale.
It’s not been easy to cope for most of us. In the first half of this pandemic, we didn’t even know anyone personally who was sick with it. We saw more casualties from shutting things down than we did from illness. Until about six months in and the second wave hit us. Now we know people who are sick, some mildly, some seriously. I don’t want to make light of anyone’s pain in this.
But how do we find gratitude when we lose our income or business, when we are cut off from loved ones, or are too afraid to even offer a needy relative a loving hug? How do we give thanks for anger and division in our world and questions that can’t truthfully be answered? How do we find gratitude when everything inside of us struggles with frustration?
We were not created to stay in isolation. Call me a rebel on this but this is what God said, not me. “It is not good for people to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) That was one of the first things God said at creation involving man. So He made woman to complete him. Being so completely alone has been used as a form of torture throughout history. Isolation doesn’t cure disease. It only makes things worse.
And I see that as I watch the anger grow around the world. How do I find gratitude in the middle of so much chaos? When we look for answers from humans, from men and women in power, we won’t find it no matter what they stand for.
So I look inward, and I find no solace there either. It’s when I awaken in the morning and I look to heaven and pray, “Help me, Jesus,” that I begin to see grace. And gratitude that sits alongside that grace.
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.”
This is where we find gratitude and the ability to be thankful, yes, even for 2020. Not 2020 in hindsight because we are not there yet. But 2020 right now because God wants us to see HIM in the midst of our mess.
He didn’t create our fallen world. He created a world of perfection and beauty. He didn’t cause evil to pervade every corner of our societies. He is good – always. He isn’t glad about injustice or happy with the place we find ourselves in today. He is not the author of confusion but of peace.
He is the God of restoration and redemption and reconciliation and righteousness. Notice that restoration carries the root “rest”. One day, God will bring rest for those who love Him.
I don’t know about you, but I would change a lot of things about 2020 if I could. I can name many good things God gave to us in spite of this trying year. I can also name a number of painful things we’ve suffered through because of this trying year. But rather than just count our blessings and woes, I think what I’ve learned most this year is that I’m not in control of anything.
I can’t fix anything. I can’t choose anything and have it be so. I can’t force my will on anyone. I can’t even convince God to see it my way. (Ever done that? Guilty!)
All I can do in this trying hour, day, week, month, and year, is to come to my Father and pray. “I need you, Jesus.” “Help me.”
I think God listens to such prayers of great need. I think He’s waiting for us to utter them in the quiet of the night when life is crushing down on us. He is waiting for us to lift our shaking arms to Him and beg for mercy. He is right there waiting to catch us when we are ready to fall into a pit so deep we don’t know if we will ever get out.
He is waiting for us because He loves us that much. He paid a great price to be able to say to us, “I know you. I’ve always known you and I love you!” Rather than hearing Him say, “I never knew you. Depart from me.” I know for a fact not one of us really wants to hear Him say those words to us.
So I hope and pray with all of my heart that 2020 will give us insight into the fact that we do have SO much to be thankful for. We have Jesus who loves us despite everything. We have a God who can rescue and restore us even in this mess we call our world. We have a merciful Savior who forgives because we don’t know what we are really doing when we turn our backs on Him.
And for these things, knowing my God is there, listening to my constant pleas for His help, I can be thankful, even for 2020. It’s not a year I would have picked. This isn’t a life I would have chosen. It’s not circumstances I can endure on my own.
But my God is real and He is faithful even when I am not. He is worthy of our thanks, our gratitude, even in our pain. Because you know, even a pandemic and all of the results that have grown out of that are not impossible for Him to heal, to fix, to redeem. He can. And one day He will.
My God is a restorer, a righteous judge, a reconciler, a loving redeemer. And He wants me. And He wants you. To restore. To save. To heal. To bring you joy.
May this 2020 Thanksgiving be the day that you meet Him as He truly is. In hindsight, you will never regret knowing Him.
~Selah
#thanksgiving2020 #grateful #thankfulintroubledtimes #godisgood #redeemer #restorer #righteous #reconciler #healer #savior #2020hindsight
