A Special 4R

I’m sitting here in front of my monitor pounding out words to close and words to open. Words to close out this unusual year of 2020 and words to open up the gift that we all hope 2021 will be. And I’m. and thinking about someone reading these thoughts 100 years from now. Should the Lord tarry someone in the distant future will probably come across this. They will have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight on 2020. They will know that these words were typed in the midst of a time of confusion. I wonder what sort of device they will read this from. As they read of second guessing and “what if we had’s” and think about us. I wonder about them. I wonder what sort of country they will be living in. I wonder what will be the day-to-day state of mankind in general. 

However far in the distance it is from now till then there are a few notes to share. The history books will talk about 2020 in term of a worldwide pandemic, of radical racial reactions, of stock markets, shortages, a Nashville bombing which led to a massive communications shutdown, of mask mandates, and political upheaval, of fear. They will not tell the whole story. In fact, they will miss the most important part of the story. They will miss the steadfastness of those who brought a Word from the Lord to people in fear. They will miss the stamina of those who diligently served God’s People. They will miss the innovative creativity that ministers used to stay in touch with the local church. They will miss the surge in unity that God’s Family caught as we “virtually” toured the services of other congregations. They will miss the joy and hope that these Ambassadors for Christ spread. They will miss the faith of those who spoke love and truth into the false narratives all around them. They will miss the faithfulness of those committed to the way of the Lord. They will miss the relevance of eternal truths to set people’s heart toward peace.

They will miss that most of God’s Special Servants didn’t quit. 

They will miss that every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and even Friday there were moments when these servants were tempted to toss in the towel but instead set their heart and mind and shoulders to the Work and didn’t quit! They will list heroes but they will miss the real heroes. God will not. 

I do not know what kind of world it will be but this eternal truth I do know: “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). 

Don’t quit!