Why We Should All Be Grateful For 2020

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 I'm just going to say it. 2020 was a great year for me. Before you egg my house and delete my blog from your reading list/ phone history, I will say quickly that 2020 also was incredibly difficult. For most people on earth, it's been a year of disaster after disaster. It's going to take some time to recover and rebuild. But for now, let's take some time to be grateful for 2020. Regardless of who you are, you can be thankful for these things too! I promise. 

  • Character Building: From the pandemic lock-down and social distancing, we've had to grow in patience, discipline, and endurance. No matter how lax/ strict your approach became, none of us were able to live the same life we were living before. And our character was impacted. Trust me on this one.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 3:3-4 (NIV)
  • A Change In Perception: All of us are pretty nostalgic about life before 2020. It seems as though all of our lives had so many things we took for granted! And now we know what they are. I know we can tend to be "complainy" these days, but we have become grateful for our "normal lives" of the past (and future!). Let's give thanks for this change of heart.

...Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18


  • Time To Reflect: We spent time with the people we were stuck with. This could be yourself, God, and maybe your immediate family. There wasn't a ton of distractions in the form of other social interactions, and I think sometimes that is healthy. We can be grateful for this time, even if it wasn't part of our plan. We had time to analyze where we're at with God, ourselves, and in some instances, our families. No matter how much time you realistically spent in reflection, there was some form of realization. Hold onto that!

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8


  • We made it here! We endured longer than we ever thought we could. We adjusted our lives, employed resiliency in our disappointments, and we made it. We made it! There are some hard days ahead and we are still in it, but we have come SO FAR. We will never be all the way, 100% arrived. So don't despair over the future and feeling stuck. There will always be new challenges to grow your character and comfort zone. Embrace it! Embrace the pandemic, the political craziness, the confusion. We can, and we are, growing through it. 

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philppians 3:12-14 (NKJV

So for all the growth in every area of our lives, let's take some time to be grateful. God knew about 2020 before the world began, and He created each of us to go through it. He has and will continue to use 2020! So take a deep breath, let yourself think about how far you've come, and give thanks to the One Who has never left or forsaken us!

-Sara

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