As the old saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20!” In other words, things are a lot clearer after the dust has settled. It’s a whole lot easier to come to a more objective realization about something after it is finished than it is to see what should have been obvious in the heat of the moment. Consequent-ly, looking back on something can often help us to learn from our mistakes, discern where we went astray, and discover how we can do better. Interestingly, the year 2020 will soon be hindsight. This year hasn’t been what anybody wanted, but it is what we all received. Now, in just a matter of hours, the year 2020 will soon be just another completed chapter in the story of our lives. Will we learn from this year? Has this dismal year helped to make us a little wiser? Will our faith be stronger or weaker as New Year’s Day comes ringing in? I’ve got a few things on my heart as the year 2020 begins to fade into my rearview mirror.
The year 2020 has taught me that I am not in control! I am a planner, a hardcore melancholy personality, and marginally OCD. I thrive in a world of order, routine, and organization. I like Post-it notes, alliterated lists, goal setting, and making a plan. 2020, though, has turned all of that upside down! In so doing, this year has helped me to understand that I am not in control and I am ultimate-ly powerless to determine the outcome of many situations. Maybe, though, this is what I needed! I need to learn to slow down, loosen my grip on the reigns, and trust God all the way through the journey. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) has been the message of the year.
The year 2020 has reminded me that my spiritual health is more important than my physical health! Physical health is important, but spiritual health is invaluable. My biggest need this year hasn’t been a mask swinging from my rearview mirror, a shelf of vitamins in my pantry, or a doc-tor’s number on speed dial. Rather, it has been a healthy relationship with God. This year has helped me to remember that sickness and death are inevitable. My body will get sick, I will eventually die, but my soul will live on forever. Whether we like it or not, “our outer self is wasting away” (2 Corinthians 4:16), but there is hope if “our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). 2020 has helped me to see that the greatest tragedy is not to get sick and die—it’s to die lost! For the Christian, “to die is gain” and “far better” (Philippians 1:21, 23).
The year 2020 has helped me to see just how much I need God’s family in my life! Mankind was not created for separation and seclusion. Those things are just not healthy. The first thing God ever labeled “not good” was that “man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). There’s a reason why solitary confinement is used as a means of punishment in our prison systems. There’s a reason why people sink into worse depression when they feel alone. God created us to be social beings, and our Creator knows that being around others satisfies many of our intrinsic needs. This is especially true in God’s divine community, the church! We need one another, and this year has placed the spotlight on just how much we need to be together as God’s people for worship, fellowship, accountability, growth, mentoring, and strength. Our first century brethren “were together and had all things in com-mon” (Acts 2:44), and they were admonished to not neglect “to meet together” (Hebrews 10:25) when their circumstances got really tough. The twenty-first century church needs to hear these words too!
What has this year taught you? Will you apply what you have been taught? What will be some of your key takeaways as you file this year away in the archives of your mind? How will you choose to enter the year 2021? Let’s resolve to learn from the events of this year and make a commitment to give God a new person in this upcoming new year!
Brandon Baggett is a former Pulpit Minister for Eastern Meadows Church of Christ.
