As we move into the ending of the past 12 months of uncertainty, we have all asked the question, “Is it over?” For some viewing history, it’s been like the death knell at the ending of a long slide into the pool of “That’s All Folks!” It’s like Walter Cronkite has closed out the final newscast, “And that’s the way it is…”
To confirm this feeling, we’ve watched businesses close their door for good. Local or national, their bottom line nor business model could handle the challenge. The numbers are staggering. Hundreds of thousands are gone forever. No salvation on the horizon. No government bailout. Investments wiped out.
With all the protection orders in place, I’m thankful I do not own any rent property!
The loss of life has been staggering, but it’s been nothing like other pandemics. We have had a better handle on this one, no matter the negative view. Equally, better science with nimble companies ready to step up, step in, and knock it out of the park! Think about it. Name another time in history when we’ve been able to pull together the teams required to create a vaccination in less than a year?
However, we’ve become a strong cancellation society. We’re quick to throw down the gauntlet. “Put ’em up! Let’s Duke it out!” Let’s erase the accomplishments and angst of the prior administration, and look to our savior… No. Not Jesus! It’s the other political party! They will save us from all our woes! The “Ayes” have it. Big Government Wins and Rules!
What Have We Learned?
Someone better than I would probably list the pros and the cons of this season. I’m not sure I’m up to it. Add to the mix, the social unrest, political strife, racial equality, and weather!
We’ve experienced one of the most challenging years of my nearly 70 years of life. Ok. Just 66 years. Last January, we stepped into the beginning phases of retirement. Was it the right time? Or should we have waited a little bit longer? After all, my bride loves working from home and this entire year would have been built around that model!
Each of us has learned something others have not learned. We see ourselves in light of the current sea of torrents. Storm tossed, we’ve had to scramble to keep our heads above water. The piddly amounts of stimulus dollars would not keep anyone from drowning. We wish for a stronger response from those on high and compare what other countries are doing for their citizens. In this season of change, it seems we simply want more handouts. My insight? The payback of these dollars is “another day older and deeper in debt.” We owe our souls to the company store!
So. What have we learned? I have a couple insights that come from the life I’m living.
Isolation Kills
At the beginning, everyone was crying out against the orders of social/physical distancing, sanitizing, and the wearing of masks. Well. That seems to have been the solution. I’ve not had the Common Cold all year long! It works!
Isolating in our homes, away from our community, we are dying on the vine. Homelife has become a jumble of stress, hidden tendencies coming to the light of day, compounded idiosyncracies, and fear. I know some who have not driven 100 miles during the past 12 months. The same tank of gas has lasted a year! Of course, our road taxes are suffering and the government doesn’t have a plan on regaining lost ground except to tax more.
We’ve binged watch and eaten poorly through these months. Stressing over the emptying of grocery aisles, we’ve blown money on things we think we will need because it’s there, and not because we use them. Online shopping has boomed, with prices higher than ever, and deliveries galore!
Community is nearly destroyed due to isolation.
Our community is changing its personality. Working from home is fine for some, but not for others. Homeschooling and online classes are stressing many in ways we never dreamed of. The inequities of our student population are showing forth. Abuse. Lack. Ticking time bombs.
What if we were all living in that little house on the prairie? Are we sliding backward while leaning into a technological wasteland?
We need each other. There’s nothing like being in a crowd of people for a few hours a week to keep us sane!
Uncertainty Frightens us To Wrong Actions
Ready! Fire! Aim… Uh… Wait. Wrong order. Is that gun even loaded?
This has been many during this season. We isolate at home, fight the crowds in the stores or online, and veg through life on all other fronts. Suddenly, Netflix becomes our best friend. Throw the weather issues into the fray, and we are even more dependent on others to care for our every need. No self-sufficiency here! When the lion roars in the jungle, we are left quivering in our boots instead of answering with a challenge in return.
We run when we should stand. Crumple when we should buck up. Give up when we should be fighting. Look for that proverbial hole in the ground to hide. Chicken Little, anyone? Geico understands this so well! [Click here!]
I heard someone say they stocked up on toilet paper … They probably won’t need any new stock for 3 years! Canned goods? Enough to feed a small country. Suddenly, it’s okay to be a hoarder.
Driving home from Texas last March (2020), as the national shutdown was beginning, we were restricted from dining experiences and worried whether gas stations would even be open. As we were driving to our late evening destination, I called the hotel. “Everything okay? We’ll be there in an hour.” 5 minutes later, they call me back. The entire town has shut down. All reservations canceled. No restaurants open. Get some gas. Keep on driving! The next town was okay…
I realize we all react differently. But I’m a fighter, not a runner. Stand my ground. Duke it out. Hmmm. Maybe I should be a pastor!
We Are Not Prepared
No matter what scouting taught me in the ’60s, we are not prepared for disasters. We have not practiced to keep life moving forward. Floods, storms, hurricanes, tornados, rains, snows, sleet, ice… Most of these things are seasonal, and we are fairly forewarned. Then we act surprise, surprised, surprised… (Where’s Gomer Pyle when you need him?)
Government reacts, digs us into a deeper hole to bail us out. Lines form around the block as we wait for the handout. Jobs fail us. Where are our savings? They never existed. Too many live from one paycheck to the next paycheck. Who will survive? Those who learn to zip, dodge, change tactics, duck, swim, and then storm the beaches… You get my drift. It has something to do with the idea of adapting to the times.
Think About It
It’s a myth. Lemmings do not blindly follow the leader off the cliff. [Source] Neither should we follow the mass into an extinction event by simply following panicked leaders. I’ve heard leaders say we should follow the science. Well, science is a constantly changing source of knowledge. What we think we know today, we’ve not even known the questions to ask for the answers tomorrow.
A headline caught my attention but did not beg me to read the story. It went something like, “Scientist Have Had It All Wrong.” I flagged the moment in my brain then scrambled to find the article when it came time to write. Do you want to know what I’m talking about? You must click the link to follow my thread of thought. [Source]
For me, it’s all about keeping a good perspective, balancing between the scare tactics, and a solid foundation. Scripture tells us to keep an eye on the signs of the times. (Matthew 16:4) Warnings about signs today may tell us what happens tomorrow. We should not discount prophecy. It’s there for a reason. Yet, understanding what’s happening around you and looking for a pathway through the storm? That’s wisdom.
After 12 Months of Uncertainty, Is It Over? For me, it's all about keeping a good perspective, balancing between the scare tactics, and a solid foundation. Click To TweetThere’s a song that comes to mind during times like these. Ira Stanphill wrote it in 1950. It’s called “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”, but its opening line says, “I don’t know about tomorrow.” Think about it! You may not know about tomorrow, but it’s better to know who’s in control of all of our tomorrows!
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
I don’t know about tomorrow
I just live from day to day
I don’t borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey
I don’t worry o’er the future
For I know what Jesus said
And today I’ll walk beside Him
For He knows what is ahead
Chorus:
Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand
I don’t know about tomorrow
It may bring me poverty
But the one who feeds the sparrow
Is the one who stands by me
And the path that be my portion
May be through the flame or flood
But His presence goes before me
And I’m covered with His blood
~Ira Stanphill
