2020. Perfect vision. On the surface, it seems almost irresponsible to call 2020 the year of perfect vision. It has been riddled with chaos, confusion, fear and division.
Social media is a dumpster fire and people just keep adding garbage to it. Friends and family are turning on each other and feel justified in doing so. Political and religious arguments have taken center stage. What’s worse, we are now simply judged by our preferences in regards to politics and religion rather than the character and integrity that we have maintained all our lives. Information overload is taking over our screens and we are buying into the chaos hook, line and sinker.
I will be the first to admit that during the early days of the pandemic, and even still at times, I have felt the sinking weight of depression and anxiety take hold of me and refuse to let go. I am a creature of habit and I thrive on order and predictability. Then suddenly, and all at once, the America that I know and love was a bleeding artery, swiftly bleeding into every crevice of our nation.
“If you don’t heal what hurt you, you will bleed on people who didn’t cut you.” -unknown
Everywhere I look I see hurting people. And hurting people hurt others. I have wept for those I don’t know. I have wept for the loss of friendships and the misguided judgments being cast in every direction. I have pleaded with the Lord to stop the madness. I have begged him to come and take his church on home. I have grieved for the world that we are creating for our children and grandchildren. I have been fuming with rage, overcome with sadness and terrified by the all consuming chaos.
In wrestling with the Lord, as I often do, I have come to but one conclusion.
God is giving us a divine opportunity to press into him.
We are living in a world that has been overcome with evil. And the only way to overcome evil is to shine the light of Jesus everywhere we go. Show people his all consuming love. In trying to do this myself, I keep thinking of David preparing to face Goliath in battle. David was a shepherd and was a young boy when he decided he would be the one to fight this giant. When King Saul heard that David was willing to fight, he put David in his own battle armor. But David quickly realized what some of us have yet to grasp.
He didn’t need someone else’s armor to fight, he needed the armor God had already equipped him with.
David knew that he wouldn’t be successful if he wore the armor. David was not trained in a warrior’s armor. He was trained to be a shepherd so a shepherd’s gear is what he used. YOU ARE ALREADY EQUIPPED TO FACE THE BATTLES IN FRONT OF YOU. Jesus does not need you to try and arm yourself with weapons that aren’t meant for you. He will use the talents and experiences you have now to help you wage war against the evil forces we are facing today.
I’ll leave you with one last lesson from David’s life that spoke volumes to me. The bible tells us that as the giant moved closer, David moved QUICKLY toward the battle line! He did not pause or hesitate. He did not worry he would not be successful. He knew he was fighting on behalf of the armies of the living God and so he ran into battle quickly! Are you running into battle armed with the faith that God has already given you what you need to win?
2020 is not for the weak. It is filled with schemes from the one in whom no truth lies. The only way to overcome the evils that we are facing today friends is to move quickly in the direction of the battle with full confidence that God has given you what you need to be an over-comer, to have perfect vision.
Be the light. And then, shine bright.