Covid 19, Year 2020

By Mary Jo Risk

This has been a year like no other in recent history!  How would you summarize the news of this year?  Here are some words to describe it: Covid pandemic and thousands of lives lost.  Jobs lost.  People homeless and food deprived.  Schools turned to e-learning.  Mandatory wearing of masks.  People working at home.  Family tensions.  Covid patients dying.  Front line worker burnout.  Shortages of protective equipment, ventilators, hospital beds, even toilet paper.  Loss of HOPE, some turning to addictions or suicide.  Promises of vaccine, but none in sight.  Racial tensions. Where is God in all of this?

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My Transformation
A number of years ago in the season of Thanksgiving and Christmas my world was falling apart.  I was going through a divorce, one that I did not anticipate nor did I ever expect would happen to me.  I lost not only my husband, most of my retirement assets, and friends.  Fortunately I had an occupation in high demand so I could work multiple jobs.  I went through all the stages of grief including being angry with God for a time.

In spite of my world being turned upside down, I had many things for which I was very thankful.  My mother was always there for me.  My health was excellent and I had a supportive family.  But most importantly I had a relationship with God, who never abandoned me throughout my struggling years.

During this particular year I was working PRN in a number of nursing homes locally and in surrounding counties.  Soon I found that I felt the most joy when I was working!  And I began to see the face of Jesus in many of the elderly patient's faces.  This is when my faith in God was strengthened and I knew that God would never leave me.

Advent Season 2020
Now we are going into another Advent Season.  How can we get through this without being with family and our traditional church services and other Christmas activities?  How can we provide HOPE for home bound and others who have been sequestered for most of the year?

We can serve up some HOPE packaged in LOVE by picking up the phone and calling people whom we know are alone. We can take soup or cookies to neighbors.  We can send a card or note with a prayer or Bible verse.  We might pick up groceries or drive them to doctor appointments.  There are many ways we can spread love and hope to our neighbors.  And with each act of kindness, we will give hope to others and we will receive even more than we give.

With many blessings of hope and love to all this Advent Season.
 
Bible verses full of HOPE

• Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:23
• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5
• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not parish but have eternal life.   John 3:16