Reconcile With Hope: Happy New Year

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”- Isaiah 40:31. The words in Isaiah are very appropriate in describing the situation many of us faced last year. Many of us would prefer to forget that last year did happen. Perhaps in our minds we can leap from 2019 to 2021. However, we live in a real world. Last year required of us supernatural strength to have overcome the many challenges and overcome we did. A new year brings a renewal of spirit and hope. It is this renewed spirit that we will need to navigate the many unknown quantities which a new year offers. There is a sense of expectancy and hope that 2021 will be good. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, hope means to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true. Hope is not static and remains in a vacuum; it’s a process of renewal. To desire hope is to want an outcome that makes your life better in some ways. To have hope is not merely to make a challenging situation more bearable but also can eventually improve our lives because envisioning a better future motivates us to take bold steps to make it happen. We must desire a hopeful spirit in these trying times. I have a gut feeling this year will be magnificent! Humanity is still trying to come to grips of this ongoing pandemic which has devastated many communities, especially black communities. Our faith was tested last year. This testing of our faith was actual a good thing; it has drawn us closer to God. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is that much stronger for having gone through last year. God’s love is enormous and all encompassing and nothing can separate us from the love of our Father who is in Heaven. There is no better time than now to reaffirm our faith to the God of Isaac, Abraham, Jacob, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It is only by God’s grace and mercy that we are still on this side. Plans are in high gear for a worldwide vaccination programme against COVID19. This global inoculation initiative also is providing some amount of hope to tackle the year ahead. Additionally, teachers and students are hoping that they will be able to return to face- to- face teaching and learning. There are already signs that for many students this will be realized. In Jamaica, the Education Ministry has announced that 129 schools have now been cleared for face-to-face teaching and learning when the school year resumes in January. This is up from the 17 schools which had been approved for the programme in October. Do you get the feeling that life is slowly returning to a sense of normalcy? After a year which saw the destructive impact of the novel coronavirus on humanity we are hopeful that the pandemic will be soon over. The world has had to adapt to a new normal. It is now customary to for us adhere to social distancing guidelines as well as to wear masks in public spaces. So as we begin the journey of 2021 together may the Lord of Host be with you. May the grace and blessings of the Almighty God surround you. May your aspirations and dreams be realized this year. May you remain safe from all the vices of the enemy. I leave with you the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. Have a blessed and safe new year! Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #HappyNewYear #hope