Historically, interesting times are not unique to this time in history.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—
in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
Of course, these words were published in 1859 by Charles Dickens in The Tale of Two Cities.
Long before his time King Solomon noted, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9
So, while we are experiencing some interesting times, we must realize these interesting times taking place are not unique to the history of the human race. They are new to us, to our country and to our time period. The people are different, technology is different, but men’s hearts are remarkably similar.
There are good periods of history and dark periods of history. As in any period of history, it’s how the players play their roles which determines the outcome of that period of history. We can allow the intended evil to overcome us, or we can determine to overcome the evil and despair by rising up to do the good we can do.
I think of Elijah of the Bible who displayed tremendous faith in God, but then he retreated in despair by the news of what was happening around him. In 1 Kings 19 he is in such dismay, thinking he is the only one left who would seek God, he tells God twice he wants to die. God tells him there are still 7,000 who have not bowed their knee to Baal. Then he directs him to get up and go on with life.
With threats of COVID-19, the quarantine, concerns of 5G, riots, the political scene and the droning of the media, there is good cause to take alarm and be concerned about the way our country is headed. What does it mean to us as individuals? To our families? To our businesses? To our society? To our country?
As at any time, we don’t know the future. We must take the information around us and make the best decisions possible. Then we must implement those decisions. Our faith, outlook and values will determine what we do to safeguard what we hold dear.
We must continue to live in a way that brings about the best for our future. In whatever activity we find ourselves: taking care of our families, building up our business, serving others, increasing our finances, securing our health, sharpening our minds and nurturing relationships, we should act in faith to create a better future.
We must exercise our rights to govern ourselves, which includes taking the responsibility for our own welfare and that of our family’s welfare. We must be willing to look after the needs of our neighbors and those whom we serve. Educating ourselves and voting is part of this responsibility.
It’s our faith and our creativity in living today and implementing plans for a better future…that will help us overcome the evils of this day.
Take courage, dear reader, you were born for this time, and you are not alone.
