Hold on to Hope

‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Matthew 10:7

These are extraordinary times. I am 63 years old and I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s like the world war of my generation. This pandemic is changing the whole world. Some may say it is changing in a bad way, hundreds of thousands of people are getting sick and dying, small and big businesses are failing, even closing down or declaring bankruptcy. Some people have committed suicide in their desperation at not being able to feed their families. Many are having a hard time dealing with fear and anxiety. Staying home, and the need to keep away from others, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress. 

Could we have ever imagined that this year, 2020, the world would stop? So many planned business trips, vacations, reunions, sports events like the Olympics were put on hold because suddenly airplanes had to stay on the ground, mass transportation stopped, and people had to stay home. Millions and millions of dollars and pesos in lost revenue! How long will it take before cruise ships can be filled with excited laughter and ply the seas again? Before arenas can hold crowds of people for concerts and contact sports? Before evangelists can preach before thousands? Here in the Philippines, we opened up for the economy and now the number of Covid 19 patients have been climbing. We have not flattened the curve, not by a long shot. 

I believe seeing what is happening through God’s eyes can help us cope. I think God is doing something amazing. We may not understand what He is doing, we may even ask him why, Lord, why? But God has always been more concerned about what is happening inside us than what is happening outside. His main goal, and He is one track minded about this, is to bring us to heaven. His greatest desire is for us to come to a deep relationship with Him. That is why He was willing to give His One and Only Son, so that we who believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. This is how much He loves us, will He not do anything for us, even to stopping the world? Let us not waste this opportunity to get closer to Him. If we are feeling anxious about anything, let us run to Him. If we lack something, let us call upon Him. Let us not succumb to the paralysis of pessimism, but HOPE, hold on to hope, and only God can give us hope.