From Darrell's Desk
By Rev. Darrell Maguire
Well, what can one say as we begin a new year? I heard someone express their desire to hit the reset button and have do-over for 2020 much like we do for a computer, but it does not work that way. It is disheartening that 2021 seems to be starting out just the same way as 2020 ended and in fact may even be more challenging, given the COVID case numbers following the Christmas holidays. The government urged people to stay home, but we all know that wasn't going to fully happen, and the numerous cars parked in my neighbourhood over the holidays proves my point.
If 2020 was the year of the COVID virus, maybe 2021 will be the year of the inoculation. News of the inoculation comes with muted hope. We are all hopeful these vaccines work, but there are so many unknowns. When will we get a shot? How long does it last? Will it work on mutating forms of the virus? These concerns only add fuel to the anti-vaxers who oppose the shot. Others have expressed to me on many occasions already that they might get the shot, but not until several others have tried it first. And even if we get the shot, we will still be required to mask up and sanitize our hands for months to come. These health protocols are likely to be with us, in some fashion, permanently.
Anxiety is haunting us all. We fear for the future. We fear about the future for our children and grandchildren and all the children in our communities. We fear for our seniors, particularly those living in care homes. We fear for our frontline workers. And always we fear that one person who refuses to wear a mask and enters the grocery store and sneezes on the bananas.
Fear is an awful things, especially when the scary probabilities of these things happening are somewhat high. People confide in me that this is taking a toll on their sleep and their sense of loneliness. We miss the social contact with family and friends. Frankly, Zoom doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to catching up with someone. I have noticed during Zoom sessions that spontaneity has been lost because you have to wait for the moderator or host to unmute you so you can add your two cents worth. For me this has been particularly hard, given my habit of adding quips and instantaneous humour to my conversations. How do you even make a resolution at a time like this, if that is something you like to do?
Fear usually is something that comes and goes but this time it persists. We can distract ourselves by binge watching a Netflix show or reading a good work of fiction. Others have reorganized their homes and decluttered. I saw on the news that a major baby food manufacturer has come out with a free onesie for any baby born nine months from the beginning of the pandemic, for those who distracted this way. New hobbies have been found, creativity on the Internet has exploded and home improvements are underway if you can get supplies.
What then shall we do about our anxiety and fear that is likely to persist for some time to come? In 1 John 1:18 we find these words, “Perfect love casts out fear.” John also wrote that “God is Love”. John meant that God's very nature is one of love. And since God is perfect, we can assume that His presence, His influence in our lives, can cast out fear. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” As God's people, we have ample reason to have confidence during this pandemic that “All things work for good for those who called according to His purposes.” Not a few things, or some things, but all things. These are assurances to live by, and an anchor to keep us from drifting in the sea of despair.
May God bless you and yours in this new year.
