Ready To Light Up The Season -- And To Give Thanks!

Yes... I'm guilty of putting up our Christmas lights a bit early this year! However, I'm not the only one. It has been reported on the network news stations that many Americans are getting into the holiday spirit earlier this year... likely due to the global pandemic and a desire to focus on something positive and joyful.

Although our home has many Christmas decorations in place, we're certainly not overlooking Thanksgiving! It's a holiday that I truly love. Sadly, in recent years it seems that Thanksgiving has become simply a few-hour pause to fill stomachs before dashing off to Black Friday shopping deals -- which typically begin before Friday! This year, many retailers seem to be offering Black Friday deals that last all month!

It's true that 2020 has been a difficult year for most people worldwide. It has been a time of physical, emotional and financial struggle for countless people. Mentally and spiritually, many people are weary. School and church closures, restaurant and retail closures, and more have brought many people to their knees... praying for the pandemic to end and for life to return to a more normal state. Yet, as we head into the holiday season we can all keep in mind the blessings we do have. Family and friends are certainly blessings to be counted. As a Christian, I know that God has not abandoned us and is fully in control.

Eric Liddell -- the British Olympic gold medalist runner and Christian missionary -- once said, "Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins. Our broken lives are not lost or useless. God comes in and takes calamity and uses it victoriously, working out his wonderful plan of love." I believe that, even in these days of a global pandemic.

As you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, keep in mind that God loves you and is no further away than a prayer in your heart. That's a daily gift, and something to truly give thanks for.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

During a "Toxic Trifecta" God is Not Helpless Among The Ruins

As of yesterday, approximately 112,000 Americans had died as a result of Covid-19 (Coronavirus). That's more than the total number of American soldiers who were killed in the Korean and Vietnam Wars combined! In fact, we're quickly approaching the point where the number of American Covid-19 deaths will surpass the number of Americans killed in World War I (116,516). From April 2 through mid-May, 2020, more than 1,000 people died each day in the U.S. from Covid-19. On at least 10 days, the toll exceeded 2,000 -- more than the average daily death rate for heart disease.

Sports without fans, no public concerts, no eating in restaurants, and more has really been a change in the world during 2020. CNN recently reported that Americans are now dealing with a combination of Coronavirus, vast unemployment, and systemic racism -- calling it "a toxic trifecta." Many are saying that this will be the "new normal" for quite some time.

New Normal is a term that was first used following the financial crisis of 2007-2008. It was also used during the aftermath of the 2008–2012 global recession, and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic. The term has also been used in a variety of other contexts to imply that something which was previously considered abnormal has become commonplace. Are handshakes a thing of the past? Will social distancing continue indefinitely? No one has a definitive answer. Some Christians are actually wondering if this pandemic is God's judgment against us.

A book that I've owned for decades sits on my bookshelf with marked, dog-eared pages falling out due to many instances of re-reading it. In his book Disciplines of the Christian Life, Eric Liddell wrote:

"God does not say that because you believe in Him, he will keep you from hardship and suffering. He says, if you trust him, he will strengthen you to meet all the experiences of life in a conquering spirit. You will have secret resources of power to call on when they are needed. Life is full of hard experiences, bitter disappointments, unexpected losses, grim tragedies... Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins. Our broken lives are not lost or useless. God’s love is still working. He comes in and takes the calamity and uses it victoriously, working out His wonderful plan of love. ‘All things work together for good to them that love God.’ He is always master of the situation. There is infinite resourcefulness in the almighty love. Many a man has become great in spite of, as well as because of, disaster. This is the victory of God's love."

Liddell states that circumstances -- whether they be brought on by natural disasters, the realities of life, humankind's sinfulness, or our own sinfulness -- many times appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans. But as conclusive as that appearance of wreckage may seem to be, and as utterly ravaged as God’s plans may appear to be, “God is not helpless among the ruins." Our lives may be broken, but they are not forever lost or forever useless.

Words to think about during this "toxic trifecta."

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past