How Did We Get Here?
By Stephen Robinson
Guest Contributor
Sue’s Note: Once again, thanks to my web manager and special friend, Stephen Robinson, for contributing this timely, thought-provoking guest post.
Boarded up windows in downtown Spokane, families torn apart over presidential candidates or the decision whether to wear a mask or not wear a mask. Like me, you may be asking, “How did we get here?” My heart hurts as I see friendships ended on Facebook over a comment made out of frustration.
I remember my daughter coming home from work at a fast-food restaurant telling us about customers who were yelling at her because she politely asked them to wear a mask. Can’t we do better? After all, we have all been created in God’s image.
“So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27 NIV
As I write this, we anxiously wait for election results to come in. I cherish the opportunity to share with my daughters to the best of my knowledge how electoral college votes work, and I look at my 14-year-old telling her no matter who she votes for as an adult, she will always be welcome in our house. I want to raise our daughters to know that despite what goes on in this world or even if their views differ from mine, our home will always be a safe place that reflects God’s unconditional love and grace.*
With 2020 quickly coming to a close, this will be a New Year I will celebrate more than year’s past when I was just happy to make it until the ball drops at midnight. From social injustice to a global pandemic, stress over clients lost at work, and being quarantined, it is easy to see how we got to where we are now, where the public seems so on edge.
As I have shared in previous posts on this site, I do my best to start every day in God’s Word. This has never been as important to my mental health as it has been in 2020. Below is a picture from a run I took with my wife on Sunday. As we stopped here for our obligatory selfie, I was in awe of the tree, which reminded me of Jeremiah 17:8, and the importance of staying grounded in God’s Word.
“They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:8 NIV
Regardless of who wins this election, whether your candidate won or lost, I pray you find peace and joy in your daily life as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving later this month. My hope is that you will remember to seek Jesus and find a peace that is beyond all understanding.[i]
[i] Philippians 4:7
