2020: What I’ve Learned About God This Year
By Patti Thomas
Here we are in the last month of 2020. Wasn’t it just five minutes ago that we were ringing in the year, chock full of excitement? “2020!” It conjured up thoughts of “perfect vision” and “clarity” and “focus!” I remember thinking, “This is the year I am going to do something really great!” With a year like “2020,” what could possibly go wrong?
And then came mid-March. And everything turned upside down. I don’t have to go through the list of weirdnesses that ensued. You’re all too familiar. And remember when we thought the pandemic would be over in a couple of months? Did we think we’d be sitting here in December, still zooming and wearing masks and not getting together with our families for special occasions? We’ve felt isolated, frustrated, exasperated, contaminated, debilitated, eliminated, amputated & violated!
Here’s the thing: BUT GOD! It just so happens that we have a Good, Good Father that is bigger than all the weird stuff that happened this year. And He calls Himself our Good Shepherd. We are His sheep. Some of us have been through some really hard times this year, some have lost loved ones and been brokenhearted. But our Good Shepherd will never leave us and never leave us alone in our brokenness, our grief, our pain. Jesus said in John 10:27-28, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand.” What a comfort to know that our Good Shepherd is holding us and will not let go!
One thing I love about the Christmas story is that God chose to tell about this miraculous birth first to — lowly shepherds. Being a shepherd was not a coveted job in those days. It usually fell to the youngest brother of the family. (Remember when David was nowhere to be seen when Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” Youngest brother David was out tending the sheep.)
We’ve heard it time and time again, sheep are dumb! They need looking after day and night! Do you know that a shepherd has to even monitor how much his sheep are eating because left to their own devices, they don’t even know when to stop! Sounds like me at on Thanksgiving! But these low-born, humble shepherds were the first to hear about the birth of God’s amazing Son! Shepherds were vigilant, understanding, caring, protective, comforting, & knowledgeable about their own sheep. If these earthly shepherds had these qualities, how much more does our Good Shepherd care for us, protect us, love us? The shepherds took tender loving care of their sheep and God must have known they’d take heedful, abundant care with this wonderful news of the Messiah’s birth.
It’s been a common thing to commiserate about 2020, hasn’t it? Haven’t we all rolled our eyes and said things like, “Par for the course this year!” Or “What do you expect, it’s 2020!” But I know good things have happened this year, too. I think we’ve all come to lean on our Good Shepherd more this year out of necessity. And He has shown up, I’d be willing to bet, to each one of us.
Never will He leave us, never will He forsake us.
We have one last month of this incredible year. How about we don’t say, “Well, that’s 2020 for you!” when our friends are begrudging the latest struggle. Let’s not join in the clucking tongues and the wiping of the brows. Let’s remember our Good Shepherd and how much He’s cared for us through everything that has happened.
Isaiah 40:11 says, “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.” And of course, we all recognize the words of David in the 23rd Psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
We have a Gift, our Good Shepherd, and no one can take Him away.
We’d love for you to join us for Christmas this year at Community of Hope: Indoors, Outdoors, & Online. There is something for everybody and we hope to have you be a part of it. Click below to learn more about our plans for the most wonderful time of the year.