I have been struggling. Struggling with the pandemic. Struggling with opening a private practice in the midst of it. Struggling with seeing patients and connecting with them while we both have masks on. Struggling with work life balance. Struggling to learn the whole new world of telehealth. Struggling with the social unrest. Struggling with the political climate and the election. Struggling with the fact that there are multiple fires, floods, hurricanes, and storms we’ve never heard of before. (e.g. bomb cyclones, derecho, etc) And… I have also been struggling to write.
Are you struggling?
I love to write and share my faith and I hope others get something new or different to strengthen their walk with God from what I write. But lately… Lately when I sit down to my computer there are so many things I’d like to share. Yet every single one of them could be viewed as controversial. At our last blogger team meeting, I found out I am not the only one having this struggle, several were. (Shout out to pastors who need figure out a message to share every week! God be with you!)
How did we get here? While there are many complex historical reasons we find ourselves in this situation today, the one overarching reason which explains it all is SIN. This is all part of the great controversy. The reality is we are all victims of satan and his battle against Christ. God has to let satan have his way for awhile, and that is the only logical explanation for what is happening in 2020.
Six thousand years ago, God knew about 2020.
Sometimes I watch the news and it looks like a trailer for a Revelation Seminar. God has not been surprised by the events of 2020. Nor is He sitting on His throne wringing His hands wondering how to get us through this. He told us about it.
- wars and rumors of wars (Mark 13:7 and Matthew 24:6)
- earthquakes (Luke 21:11)
- famines (Luke 21:11)
- diseases (Luke 21:11)
- natural disasters and so much more…
Unprecedented
“…do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.” Mark 13:7 NKJV Do not be scared, do not be dismayed, do not fear. This “must” happen. This is what God tells us. We can and should remain calm in the midst of this unprecedented year. Jesus’ coming is nearer today.
In the past eight long months, I have often wondered what the Adventists who lived through the 1918 pandemic (which started on a farm in Kansas) thought. I am sure they thought the end was near. They were in the midst of WWI and a pandemic! That was truly unprecedented. Now, 100 years later, we have never been closer to Jesus’ return, so of course everything is going to be unprecedented. None of this should be a surprise even though it is not fun.
What are we learning?
As I look back at my life, the hardest events made me who I am and taught me so many necessary lessons. This unprecedented year is an opportunity for all of us. When everything is going well, we humans tend to get complacent. However, 2020 is an opportunity! We can learn lessons we could never learn otherwise. It is my hope, that I will come out of this year closer to God and more ready for Jesus’ return than ever before. Look for the opportunity. Pray to learn lessons God wants to teach you. Do not let this chance slip through your fingers.
