UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
Don’t know about you but I am getting tired of hearing those words! Since we hear that word so much right now, I decided to look the word up. I had to look at precedented and add a “not” to it. In Webster Dictionary precedented is defined as: “acts of the same or a similar kind.” Add a “not” to the first of that definition. In other words, nothing we have seen, heard or done in our lifetime. Then I remembered a verse in the Bible. Ecclesiastes 1:9-10. “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See this is new’? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come, by those who come after.”
I started writing down some events of today and of late. Here are some of them: two hurricanes headed at the U.S. at the same time-murder hornets-riots & looting destroying businesses who have already been hurt by the pandemic-our children going back to school wearing masks & the fear in parents’ hearts that they will get coronavirus-depression among many-swarms of grasshoppers-colleges starting and having huge parties with no masks-parents unable to feed their children because they have lost their job or business-more and more people dying every day from this pandemic-shark attacks next to shore-historic wildfires caused by lightening. I am sure I could add more but really, do I want to? What is next?
Our country of freedom, has gotten comfortable in that freedom. What do I mean by that? Before the pandemic, most of us have been able to provide for our families-get on an airplane without thinking about the risk-enjoying the excitement of going back to school or college. We have had more wealth than any other country. Me? I have not been able to go see my little grandkids in Va. I have tried to go every six months in the past. I have not been able to see them since last Thanksgiving! It is still too “scary” to get to them, on an airplane. We as Americans have had so much freedom to do what we want, when we want, how we want. We had become a very comfortable country. Now with the pandemic, our lives here in the Unites States have been turned upside down. We do not know how to have a new normal. There are those who refuse to wear a mask saying it is their freedom. But the new normal reality is that if we are to get this coronavirus under control, we need to listen to the scientists and health care workers who are taking care of the dying in the hospitals, who want only the best for us, to wear that mask.
“Nothing new under the sun.” We here on earth have always had problems, sickness, wars, loss of what we know to be normal. The facts are that, most of us, in our lifetime, as a comfortable society, have not dealt with so many of the particular things that I listed above all at once. But if you get into a study of the Old Testament in the Bible, you are going to find there were plagues, swarms of insects, wars, hurricanes, death & much, much more. God allowed those things to happen to His people. Do you think maybe He was trying to teach them something?
There is so much negativity around us, but yet there are so many amazing happenings too, showing the core of our country are good and want to reach out and help others. A police officer saw a man in a wheelchair on a train track as a train was speeding towards him. She pulled him back just in the nick of time. Children having lemonade stands to help buy food for the hungry. Donations are poured into groups who are helping feed the long line of cars who are hungry and can’t feed their families. Police officers who talk to little children to give them assurance during the pandemic and riots. We have all seen the pictures of officers and people who are in the peaceful marches, hugging in agreement of what the march stands for. Women sitting at sewing machines hours every day to help supply the masks that are needed. (In fact, one of our clients of our animal hospital made about twenty masks for us with cats-dogs and many different colors.) People going to an elderly person’s home, having them come out on their porches, and singing out in the street to bring them joy. There are so many acts of kindness in this pandemic also!
Well, what can we do personally? There are so many things that we as individuals can do. Think about the elderly who have been confined to their home for six months now. How can we help them or others who are at risk who have been quarantined or those who have been sick? I think all of us can answer that question. Sit down and make a list of things YOU would like others to do for You! Don’t put it off! NOW, is the time to step up and do what WE can. Don’t sit back by watching all the negativity being shown in the news and shake your head at what is happening. But be a part of the positivity that we as believers of God can shine on others. Yes, these are precedented times! It does not mean that there has to be only the bad news out there, but these times also give us opportunities to shine our lights. Be a part of the solution, not the problem!
Why has God allowed all of these happenings, to be going on all at once, in our lifetime? I do not have that answer, other than to look towards scripture. I am going to leave you with some verses to make you think. Let’s read 2 Chronicles 6:23-25. Read the chapters before and after to get a grip on what is being said and why. Solomon was standing before the Israelites speaking to them.
“… hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. Or if Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.”
Then, one of my favorite verses that also applies to us. 2 Chronicles 7:13-15. God was talking to Solomon. “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”
(All of the underlined words in both of these scriptures, were done by me to show importance of particular words in the text.)
Are we living in unprecedented times? Absolutely! But we have many opportunities to show God’s love and give Him all the glory. We can have and show, teaching moments, by the small acts of kindness and care we can do every day towards others.
Yes, we live in unprecedented times. But God can supply unprecedented help, through us shining our lights!
Till next time. Keela
