What If It Doesn't Get Any Better?
The year 2020 changed us forever. The world has not been this collectively disrupted since World War II. In the United States, where I live, massive political unrest and racial tension threatened the already fragile stability of a country struggling to hold back COVID-19.
With the start of a new year came renewed optimism, but so far, not a whole lot has changed. The virus continues to spread, travel is limited, cities are locked down, and economies are hanging on by a thread.
Ask me, and I will tell you that my hope is not in this world but in Jesus. This is a statement easily made in good times, but what about in trial? 2020 has put my faith to the test, and as the end of the year approached, I kept asking myself these questions, “What if things don't get better? What if it gets even worse? Would I still trust you, God?"
James says that we should "consider it pure joy when we encounter trials of various kinds." 2020 certainly qualifies as a year that included various trials, and while I was happy to endure it, having joy in it seems like a stretch.
Why would I be joyful when everything seems to be falling apart?
James answers this question, continuing with, "...because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Trials expose what has been true all along. We are utterly dependent on God, and He alone is our hope. The more fully we know this, the freer we become. We celebrate hardship because it's the painful process God uses to make us more fully who we were created to be.
I do hope 2021 is a better year, and I am mindful that many suffered far more than I did. But the reality is, we weren't secure before COVID, and we won't be after.
If 2020 can help untether us from idolatry and false hope, we will emerge a deeply satisfied people with a tested faith.
As the world nervously asks, "Will 2021 be any better?," we can get busy loving people, sharing the Gospel, and building God's Kingdom, knowing that our hope is secured, no matter what the future holds.