Unexpected

 Tragedy or triumph can strike in the most unexpected of places. It has been nine months into this pandemic in America, and there are still no answers. People who have “taken every precaution” and still fall ill. Teachers at schools that have been closed since March for “safety” and still fall ill. Depression, anxiety, and suicide at all time highs, and people are still falling ill. And yes, it is a disease that has caused many to die.

Where are the answers? Why can’t we do better?

The answer is and has always been, that we cannot control life and death. We may hope to, we may wish to, we may struggle when “plans” change. I hope one thing that we’ve learned is not to take each other for granted. Our lives are not a guarantee. A smaller risk of dying because I am young is not a zero chance of dying.

Our discipleship group has recently completed an in-depth study of James. While there is so much in the book of James, one thing that really stood out during this time was the story of boasting about tomorrow. How many times do we plan out our next year, or five years, or ten years, or even a retirement plan, and we ignore the unexpected? Yes, I have a plan for retirement, but it’s not my plan, it’s an idea. It’s not guaranteed. My true plan for retirement is whatever God has planned for me. It could be to raise my grandkids, it could be to never retire, it could be that my husband and I don’t make it that far and those funds go to help our kids with their future plans. The truth is that none of us is promised tomorrow. So what can we do today?

I will admit that the whole Covid situation has thrown me for a loop this past year. I have struggled with depression (due to B-12 deficiency). While the vitamin deficiency has resolved, anyone who has struggled with depression will tell you that it sticks with you. There is a residual effect that sort of dims the future as well as the past. So, while I am not clinically depressed, I have been way less motivated for the past months. Less motivated to write. Less motivated to take care of my physical body. Less motivated to seek out friendships.

So, when I read James and hear of all the many lives lost due to the pandemic, it reminds me to not plan so much for the future. Don’t worry about tomorrow, and not because tomorrow has enough worries of its own. Don’t worry about tomorrow, because no matter your plans, God may have something unexpected planned. No, God did not create a virus to kill thousands of people. That’s not accurate. Death has always been and will always be with us. The flu is down 98% this year, which will save many lives. SIDS is down significantly, saving many lives. The truth is, that we don’t know all the answers. Despite the best research, despite the best precautions, illness and death have always existed since the Fall of Man and will continue exist until Jesus returns to Earth.

What are you and I to do in the face of this uncertainty? Don’t stick your head in the sand. Don’t “wait” for things to improve. Don’t plan for next year or wish away the past nine months. Do focus on the one and only certainty we have in life. One day, we will meet Jesus face to face. Whether it is today or tomorrow or 70 years from now. What are you and I doing today to prepare for that meeting? Have you talked to the One True King today? Have you worshipped the Lord of all Creation, the One who invented DNA and RNA and the blades of grass that fuel all life? Have you loved the people around you like today is the last chance you have? Have you passed along what wisdom you’ve been given? Have you listened to the wisdom that others have tried to speak into your life?

Out of all the unexpected events that have taken place over the last year or so, have you really thought about how to act in light of an unknown future? Or are you simply reacting with anger, fear, anxiety, and depression. We don’t know the future. We don’t know how viruses work, despite our best efforts. People get sick. People die. We are people. However, in our lives, however brief they may be, our goal should be to bring glory to the Creator. We weren’t created just to sit around and bemoan our lives. We were created in God’s image. We were given passion for justice, creativity to design and build, a soul to worship God, and a mind to absorb, dwell, and understand the beauty of the world around us.

If you are able, absolutely take this time to learn something new, design something beautiful, fight for what’s right, but do it with a right spirit. Do it to honor and worship the One True God. If you haven’t met Him yet, I would encourage you to simply ask Him. If you truly seek Him, He will be found.