The Chaos and Craziness of the Year 2020

This year has thrown everything out of whack across the globe. Most of us have never seen or even read about anything quite like it. Because of Covid19 we’ve seen entire nations shut down, millions lose their jobs, businesses devastated, and lives completely disrupted. On top of that, there has been our maddening politics of an election year and the riots in many of our major cities. As a follower of Christ, how do you deal with all of that?

O my people, trust in Him [God] at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge. - Psalm 62:8 (NLT)

It’s hard to trust when it seems like everything around you is falling apart. Yet, God tells us in so many places, through so many different people, and in so many ways to do just that…trust Him. But what does that even look like? Trust is often learned the hard way.

I was a quarterback on my football team in high school. I learned quickly that when I dropped back to pass it forward to one of my receivers, there were several really big guys on the other team trying to force their way to me and stop me. They were big, loud, and threatening. The first few times I tried dropping back to pass, I found myself looking out for those big linemen trying to flatten me instead of looking past them for my receivers to throw to. It never ended well.

Finally, my coach pulled aside and told me that I would never be a successful quarterback that helped our team win unless I learned to stop watching the other team’s linemen and start concentrating on where my receivers were. He pointed at my offensive linemen and told me that I had to trust them to protect me. It was hard to make that adjustment. After all, it was ME those other guys were coming after!

However, when I finally disciplined myself to stop watching the other guys and started trusting my guys to help me, everything changed. Yes, I still got tackled occasionally and, yes, sometimes I didn’t throw the football well. Yet, I discovered that when I focused on what I was supposed to be doing, I had time to decide who I was going to throw the football to. I also became more relaxed and made better decisions as a quarterback.

Trusting God in 2020’s craziness, even though we can’t physically see Him, is much like my experience in high school football. The enemy (the devil) wants you to concentrate on the dangers around you, whether they are real or perceived. On the other hand, God wants you to trust that He is orchestrating everything around you to both benefit you and glorify Him.

Does that mean you’ll never get hurt or make a bad decision? …of course not. But it does mean that you will learn to make daily decisions confidently because you know God is protecting and guiding you.

Make better decisions by getting focused on the main thing; God and His purposes for you.