Truth in the Chaos

As I'm sure you all already know, our world is in chaos. 2020 went from what we thought would be the best year ever to a whole lot of craziness really fast. From national wildfires to murder hornets, the silence of quarantine to the shouts of protests, it's been really hard to find peace this year. I mean, can we be honest for a second? It's been really hard for me to find God in everything that has happened. Anyone else?

The word that God gave me as I was walking into this year was peace, but right now life feels like anything but. Slowly, but surely, my life began to scream of fear and panic. But it wasn't until we started to return to normal that I truly saw what God was doing. Everything that has happened this year has brought some sort of good.

Australia faced one of its worst fire seasons in history beginning in 2019 and continuing to 2020. When it was all said and done, the fires burned 47 million acres, displaced thousands of people, and killed at least 34. Researchers say the fires also killed more than a billion animals. The rest of the world watched in terror as this nation burned. People rushed into the flames to save the wildlife in danger. There was a group of women that drove 4 hours to make meals for firefighters. Celebrities used their platforms to send encouragement and help raise money for support. Wildfires brought help to a nation in need.

Asian giant hornets, more commonly known as murder hornets, have invaded North America. This abnormally large hornet earns its nickname from preying on honeybees. They're scary and their sting is said to deliver more than seven times the amount of pain of a regular honeybee sting. How crazy is God's imagination? Murder hornets brought awareness of all that God is capable of- even if that is a huge, overly violent bug.

Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our lives would change this year. No one could have guessed that we would be required to close schools, restaurants, and businesses, and stay in our homes for months. We adapted and found ways to stay in community with each other despite not being able to meet in person. Quarantine helped us realize not to take our little luxuries in everyday life for granted and appreciate those who work so hard to keep us both safe and healthy.

I won't go into this one very much. Long story short, groups of different people of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and beliefs came together to speak on something they support. As hard as it is to believe, the protests brought unity.

In everything that has happened this year, God was at work. Even when we didn't see it at the moment, He was working everything for good. One of the pastors at my church said something that I think ties in so well with this: Regardless of how God works in your life, He is still working!