Farewell 2020

I know I’m not alone when I say this year has been crazy! I took this photo at an upscale hotel at the Grand Canyon. There is so much wrong with this picture and it perfectly represents what 2020 has been like, at least for me!

I double-checked my goals for 2020 and I did not see dealing with a pandemic anywhere on my list. Frankly I am frustrated with all of the fear-mongering and restrictions with double standards. However, as usual, I’m trying to find the humor in all of this. Facebook has been an excellent source of memes to keep me entertained. Here are a few of my favorites.

Favorite Sayings from Facebook

  • At 12:01 am on January 1, for the first time ever, hindsight will actually be 2020.
  • I think I’m finally being grounded for everything I didn’t get caught for when I was a teenager.
  • A roll of toilet paper is worth more than a barrel of oil.
  • I asked a Walmart worker where I could find the nuts. He said they’re in the toilet paper aisle.
  • 2020 is like a fruitcake; hard, full of weird stuff, and nobody asked for it.
  • Of all the things I learned in grade school, how to avoid cooties was the last one I expected to use!
  • Seen in a store window, “We will be closed until we are open again.”
  • 2020: January, February, Lockdown, December.

All kidding aside, I know that 2020 did not surprise God. He continues to be in our midst. His Spirit was evident as ministries scrambled to move to an online environment. Creativity was strong as we all tried to find effective ways to communicate and minister to those in our circle. Although I have not seen many of my friends because of the lockdown restrictions, I have been much better at staying in touch by phone. I still laugh together with others and we pray for each other. Some of us actually have more time to stay in contact because we are home. I meet via Zoom with about a half dozen ladies once a week, and I can say with assurance that our friendship, trust, and love for each other has grown. Good things have happened this year.

I want you to remember that God is taking good care of His children. Here are ten Bible passages that have encouraged me.

10 Things God Wants You To Remember

  • I Will Give You Rest ~ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28 (NLT)
  • I Will Strengthen You ~ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
  • I Will Answer You ~ Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. – Jeremiah 33:3 (NLT)
  • I Believe in You ~ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. – Ephesians 3:17-19 (NLT)
  • I Will Bless You ~ But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. – Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
  • I Am For You ~ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
  • I Will Not Fail You – So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. – Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)
  • I Will Provide for You ~ And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19 (NLT)
  • I Will Be with You ~ Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. – Deuteronomy 31:8
  • I Love You ~ Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” – Jeremiah 31:3

I don’t know what 2021 has in store for us, but I know God’s got this. He is moving in His people in the midst of the sickness and turmoil. May we all answer His call to prayer for His kingdom.

May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace. – Numbers 6:24-26 (TLB)