Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”- Romans 5:17
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”- John 10:10
Insight: In this life, pain is evitable, but misery is optional. We alone get to choose how we respond to what happens to us. When you think of 2020, it has certainly been a year of crazy disruption and change. How will you respond? When you think of 2020 there are certainly many thoughts that quickly come to the surface. Some of those would include: Hardship, frustration, disappointment, anger, confusion, violence, discouragement and sadness. On the other hand, there have been many lessons taught about what truly matters around faith and family and a resetting of the pace at which we are living. People are removing clutter and finding freedom through simplification. There have been moments of pure heroism, by first responders, family and friends, and neighbors loving those in greatest need. There has been generosity and involvement in issues that impact our local communities. There is hope and encouragement in the promises of God as found in the Holy Scriptures.
But one thought that struck me while watching a football game recently was 2020 has been full of fake. 2020 has been a year of a lot of fake stuff. Fake news- the media transitioning from a source of information to the creators of information that align with their own political bias. This has led to great agitation and confrontation as the media on all sides of the spectrum tries to influence people for their own objectives. In some ways, it all feels very dystopian, kind of like a cross between Blade Runner and George Orwell’s 1984, filled with fake narratives and questioning the very truth of history. Many seek to rewrite actual history or whitewash it all together. Fake fans. In most stadiums, real people are not allowed to enter due to Covid-19 risks and have been replaced by cardboard cutouts. The T.V. Channels blare in fake noise into the broadcast to simulate actual crowd noise. The whole production of all sports media in 2020 is so fake, it’s hard to get into it at all. But the biggest fake of all is people choosing to live in fake realties, almost like they prefer an Avatar existence to real life. God has blessed us with the most abundant life through His Son Jesus Christ, a life full of blessings, forgiveness, freedom, healing, joy, perspective, lessons, growth, endurance, patience, faith, hope and love. How are many reacting? With a shrug of their shoulders, indignation, denial or worse and instead they are clinging to a sad, cyber existence on social media dominated by anger and chaos and disorder- just as the enemy wants it. As 2020 comes to an end in 3 months, we should surrender the noise, chaos and anger of fake living via divisive media platforms and choose life, abundant life found in Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Love flows out of an abundant life in Christ and that love can change lives and change the narrative of 2020 for the better.
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