The clichés of 2020 have been pounded into our collective psyche for the last 10 months. “Unprecedented times,” “uncertain times,” “trying times,” “new normal,” “new ways of working,” and on and on. For the better part of the last year, we’ve been inundated with the negativity brought about by a pandemic that, for better or worse, did indeed change our collective perspective. As we move into 2021, we can choose to dwell on what was lost and the trials of 2020, or learn from it, get better, draw closer to God, and move forward together.
“Only in God do I find rest; my salvation comes from him. Only God is my rock and my salvation— my stronghold!—I won’t be shaken anymore.” Psalms 62:1-2
Looking back on the way things used to be, the word that comes to mind is “comfortable.” We were very comfortable as a global society. That’s not to say that everyone on earth was happy and prosperous. But by and large, we had become comfortable with our day-to-day lives – our routines. Almost mundane in retrospect.
Our status quo was shaken to its core. And in those times, we must focus on the positive. Focus on the good. What blessings were brought about by the pandemic? More time with family? Slowing down a little from the frantic pace of business? Getting to know children and spouses that we had allowed our daily lives to take for granted? Video chats that taught us how important it is to see people’s faces? To connect as best we could?
It was a trying year. But God provides our rest and our salvation if we turn to Him and put our trust in Him. He does work in mysterious ways. He takes trying situations – those that we can’t begin to understand – and brings about positive change. He is our rock, but It’s up to us to seek him.
COVID-19 shook the world; there’s no doubt about that. But maybe the world needed to be shaken. With God, we don’t have to be. We’re stronger than we were pre-pandemic. Not because we made it through 2020, but because our strength is in God’s power and His love for us.
As businesses move forward in 2021, we must focus on the future and learn from the trials of 2020. It wasn’t all bad, and great leaders will need to step to the forefront to ensure that we learn from our past to improve our future. FaithSearch Partners can secure those differential leaders for nonprofit, academic, and athletic organizations.
