DEVOTIONAL: What 2020 Has Taught Us
WHAT 2020 HAS TAUGHT US
The last Sunday of 2020, the last week of 2020, the last days of 2020…..When you look back on 2020, what will you say that it has taught you? As we reflect on one of the most difficult years in the lives of many, it is also time to look at all of the lessons 2020 has taught us all. As we sit and think about this year, I would say that we all have learned lessons about life, lessons about people and lessons about God. We have seen the good and the bad in people and we have learned more about life than we ever have before but through it all, we have learned that God never, ever fails!
When I think of 2020, I don’t think about all of the difficulties we have faced. I think about all of the things we have overcome, the goodness of God, the valuable lessons we have learned and how we persevered through unprecedented circumstances. We have all persevered and survived through this year although it has been complex and difficult and found that God is with us through our afflictions. In the loneliest of times, He has been our comforter. In the darkest of days, He brought us joy and when we thought all hope was gone, He brought us peace. Through these difficult circumstances, we learned to let God carry us because we could not do it on our own. Even through the stress, sleepless nights and tear-stained eyes, we navigated it with love, a giving heart and found ways to serve others. That is what God can do for us, in us and through us when we just give it all to Him.
God has taught us that through Faith all things are possible. When you thought that you would not have food to eat, a job to provide for your family, and the unknown of the future was deafening….God was faithful over and over to provide all of our needs and provided a way when we couldn’t see a way. I believe 2020 taught us more about getting on our knees in prayer and less about depending on ourselves, jobs, and others. When we have no control over what is happening around us (and we had NONE!), we have learned that all we can do is pray and believe that God is still God and He is still in control. When you can’t control it, you HAVE to let it go and LET GOD!
Let God use this very difficult year of challenges to grow you, change you, redirect you and draw you closer to HIM! The setbacks, challenges, disappointments and even the losses have shaken us to our core but let it help you focus on the things that truly matter in life. Don’t let this year make you bitter, let it make you better! Let it teach you to not take others and the luxuries of life for granted. Let it remind you that in one moment everything can change. Most importantly let it open your eyes and teach you that God is always faithful and remind you of what we are truly living for. This year has defined our purpose and redirected the plan we thought we had for our lives. It is amazing how God can take the most difficult of times to show us things in our lives that need to be changed and redirects our focus on the things that are truly important.
God has always been a true and faithful God but sometimes it takes something like 2020, losing all control and some comforts to understand and grasp the infinite faithfulness, peace, comfort, hope and goodness that comes only from the one living God. This year God brought us together in isolation with our families, he taught us to pray and depend on HIM more, He taught us to care more for others and less for self, he deepened our relationship with Him through prayer and brought us to our knees, He taught us that our loneliness can be a safe place of peace through Him, he taught us that the luxuries we are so accustomed to are not as important as we thought and can be gone in a blink of an eye, he taught us patience in the waiting, he taught us that we should care more for others because every day is a gift, and he helped us to reevaluate our priorities in life so that we could see what was truly important. The lessons in 2020 are invaluable so instead of looking at the bad of this year, look to the lessons it has taught you. What has 2020 taught you? Evaluate this year and learn from it. Let it grow you so that 2021 can be a year of clarity in what matters.
Before you look at 2020 as a bad year, remember all that 2020 has taught us and thank God for each and every lesson! Pray for those who have been affected and believe God and have all faith for good things in 2021! We persevered and we thank God for each and every day as it is a GIFT!
I pray that 2021 will be a year of restoration and that God will bless your lives in ways you never dreamed. I pray that 2020 gave you clarity so that 2021 can truly be a year of perfect vision in your lives. I know the best is yet to come….Hold on to that faith friends. There is HOPE for a better future in Christ!
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father I come to you today and I thank you for the lessons I learned in 2020. I thank you for protecting me and for providing for all my needs as times have been difficult. I ask you today to bring clarity to my life so that I can learn from this year and have peace for the future. I pray that you will take the lessons that I have learned in 2020 and take them in to 2021 so that you can be glorified in all that I do. Keep us safe, restore our Nation and bring peace in 2021. In Jesus name I pray….Amen!
Bible Verses:
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
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