Having just finished an audiobook of Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities, the opening paragraph struck me as very apropos to the year we’ve just experienced. I’m sure all of us can find a phrase or more to relate to.
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.
Although thankfully we’ve not gone through the equivalent of the 18th century French Revolution (though some may question my assessment), the ups and downs of the past year has either confirmed or denied one thing . . . the strength of our relationships. Whether it’s family, friends, job associates, or neighbors, we’ve probably seen the best and/or the worst in them in the past 12-14 months.
Recently, at our Shepherding Group Leaders Appreciation Dinner, it was good to hear of the relational “wins” many experienced this past year. God was at work even when it was difficult to meet in our normal manner. However, others found it difficult to connect relationally due to obvious restrictions.
As we enter this summer season, when the weekly church schedule is a bit more relaxed, hopefully you will be able to carve out some space to reconnect with those you’ve missed; or connect with someone you don’t know as well or at all. Ask the Lord who you should pursue. And hopefully, this next relational season will be a “spring of hope” after a “winter of despair.”
~~ Tim Thomassian