Looking Back Two Years
| This month marked two years since the World Health Organization declared COVID a global pandemic. Looking back to 2020, it didn’t seem like we would be back where we are today. We wiped down tables and chairs after each user. We kept our hands off our faces and washed them every time we touched something others touched. Stores were out of toilet paper and hand sanitizers. We sat six feet from each other. We wondered if we could shake hands again or even hug our grandchildren. When could we have people over to our homes again? On Google’s list of the top searches of 2020 were words or phrases like pandemic, coronavirus, COVID symptoms, how to make a face mask, how to make hand sanitizer, define asymptomatic, COVID testing near me, Zoom, and so forth. COVID is still real and there, but normal life has significantly returned. Workers are returning to the office. Air passenger levels are increasingly trending back toward pre-COVID years. We see movie and concert tickets selling out. Best of all, we are steadily returning to worship and fellowship like they used to be. We do not underestimate the damage that COVID caused – millions of deaths and hundreds of millions of cases worldwide. Yet, we believe the worst of it might well be behind us now. Maybe we can learn from this in our own individual lives. There are moments in life when it feels like things are at a head, out of hands, and we can’t get through it. If you are there today, I hope that these verses from the Psalmist can give language to your heart’s prayers. May they strengthen your trust in the Lord to bring you through the floodwaters. I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. (Psalm 69:13-16) Donald Nwankwo Rector, The Light of Christ Church |
| PASTORAL REFLECTIONS Thank you for joining Donald in his weekly musings on Scripture, faith and the spiritual life. |