Every morning we wake up, the battle is on. The ‘nothingness’ of being in limbo drags us into our gloomy dungeons whilst hope of all that can be, radiates its light and eggs us on.
Never have we experienced this tug-of-war so clearly as news items bring encouragement and hope one day and the next rising numbers of positive cases and now other variants of the virus being detected, dash those glimmers of hope, previously exuded by managed government strategies, declining numbers and vaccines.
I walk away from this battlefield and dig my ‘stake’ on the One who remains steady and constant and say ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee’.
I’m reminded of the heroic efforts of many during the World Wars. Their emotional tug of war was far, far more palpable than ours. Many more millions who were stripped of absolutely everything, in the most degrading ways known to humankind, left behind a legacy for us all –
‘They could take away everything, my life, my freedom, my dignity – but they could never touch my spirit.’
We are witnessing and living through unprecedented times of isolation, border controls, quarantines and health crisis driven by the invisible ‘war of the virus’. We have seen many loose their lives and leave behind grieving families and many others still fighting against the effects of the virus.
Yet the human spirit emerges and strives – strives ever forward, sometimes with humour to lighten the load, sometimes by watching the joyful, innocent chatter of children and grandchildren and other times with intelligence and skill for solutions.
Remembering the many who left behind amazing legacies of survival in excruciating circumstances, we still have occasion to rejoice in our God-given spirit that can ever rise above despair and keep on keeping that hope which can never be crushed.
For most of us, this Christmas period will be full on with Zoom activity, but sparse around the table of festivities with family and friends.
‘God bless the people who brought Zoom into our living rooms,’ I say ‘for such a time as this.’
We surely will ‘enjoy’ our ‘isolated’, quieter and very different Christmas period with the never-ending hope for better days ahead ….
Wishing everyone a peaceful Christmas and a happier, healthier 2021,
Kay Dee
VOICES OF EXODUS 