It is late on December 30 and tomorrow is the last day of 2020.
What a year it has been! There is no denying this has been a difficult year for many and for our country as a whole. Thank goodness we are on the verge of saying so long to 2020. For some it is not only good bye, but good riddance as well.
Today, as I was thinking about all we have experienced in 2020, two words kept popping in my mind—YES, BUT...
I would like to share my thought processes from today and how I realized that 2020, even though difficult, was filled with God’s blessings and faithfulness.
Sweet Husband and I are fortunate to be able to spend this week in Florida with our wonderful daughters, awesome son in law, and the three cutest grand blessings ever. This morning was windy and cool but being the beach loving person I am, I decided to go out anyway. My youngest daughter braved the wind and cool temps with me. We were sitting on the beach chairs wrapped up in beach towels when I thought—
>”It is so cold out here.” Immediately I realized the ungratefulness of that statement.
YES it was cold and windy, BUT I was sitting on a beach with my wonderful daughter and the house behind me was filled with some of the people I love most on this earth. What a blessing!
Changing what I focused on had no effect on the temperature or the wind blowing off the water but it certainly changed my attitude.
The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8 in The Message Translation: “Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”
>YES, we all learned more than we ever wanted to know about a virus named Corona, BUT it has a 99% cure rate and most people who came down with this virus, recovered quickly.
>YES, we lost friends or family this year, BUT God was right there with us giving us peace and comfort.
>YES, we experienced lockdowns and stay at home orders, BUT families grew closer and Bible sales skyrocketed.
>YES, we experienced loss of jobs and hours being cut, BUT I have heard many wonderful stories of neighbors helping neighbors get through the tough times.
>YES, our country has experienced a presidential election that is like no other in our history, BUT no matter who is in the White House, God is in control.
On a personal level—
>YES, having a new grand blessing during the pandemic and not being able to see him until he was several days old or not being able to help once they came home was tough, BUT he is healthy and such a delightful little guy.
>YES, my new book is being released later than I had hoped, BUT I know God’s timing is perfect and the wonderful illustrations are worth waiting for.
>YES, the changes the pandemic brought to education was difficult for students, parents and teachers, BUT, it led my favorite teacher to retire and life is good!
I could go on but I’d love to hear your own “YES, BUT...” in the comments. We can encourage each other.
Happy New Year!