In December 2019, Chinese health officials informed WHO (the World Health Organization) about a number of patients who had an unusual type of pneumonia, and considered deadly. This information was quickly dismissed and declared a “hoax” and fake news. As time went on, conditions worsened, more people became ill while some died. Still, nothing was done to rectify the problem. A few months later, statistics showed that COVID-19 had claimed the lives of thousands of people and many others infected. The virus also decimated the economy, placing the U.S. in an unusual circumstance. Many businesses were cautioned to close down due to the spread of the virus. Unemployment rates shot up rapidly, leaving some Americans to worry about how they would maintain food on their tables and pay their bills.
We are seven months into this crisis, millions of people have died from COVID-19, and millions are infected. I believe we are living in the worst of times since the Depression, while in the middle of this terrible pandemic. This is the worst I’ve ever experienced in my entire 61 years of life, and I was raised in Mississippi. Racial conflicts are at an all-time high. We are in an economic crisis. Police are shooting down people in the streets like they’re stray wild animals. People are living in isolation for long periods of time, trying to stay safe from the spread of disease. Others are found dead hanging from trees. What is going on? I believe a big change is about to happen. Perhaps someone may have prayed for equality, for race relations to be better, for our community to change. The sad truth is that in order for change to happen, sometimes we must go through something. In the midst of all of this chaos, someone may be wondering, where is God? God sees all, knows all, he is omnipresent, he’s the almighty, but does God seem silent to all of this??
In Genesis 3:16, the Lord said to the woman (Eve), I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth a child. What God is simply saying is, a new life is about to form, and it’s going to cause great pain. Sometimes in order for something to change, pain is necessary. The world today, like the woman in Genesis, is pregnant with something, and it’s about to give birth to it. A new being is about to be born in America; a new way of living is about to happen. We cannot have this much sorrow, this much pain and not birth anything. Something is about to happen. This thing is bigger than America; it’s bigger than us, it’s bigger than our community. Something is about to happen; there’s a reason for all this pain.
Meanwhile, many are angry and bitter about the terrible things that are taking place in our world right now. But we must try and remain focused. The bible says, “Be angry, but sin not,” so we should never allow anything to cause us to be bitter. Since bitterness is toxic, like poison, it could cause harm to us as well as others around us. God has a plan, and he will handle things in his own fashion. He is taking notes, and he will grade the tests. In the meantime, we need to stay steadfast and do the things that we have the power to do or change. God will handle the rest.
The Traveler Weekly 