Hindsight is 2020

 Last year at this time, many of us were setting goals for our aspirations and dreams for the new year of 2020 that seemed to promise perfection, just like vision, but even before the first month was over, with the tragedy of the death of Kobe Bryant and the eight others in the helicopter, some of us can reflect on the fact that 2020 was not perfect. It is within a year like this that we cannot just forget and throw it away. If we don’t take time to look back and learn from 2020, it will be a waste. It will just be a year of chaos instead of a reflection of incredible lessons to be learned. 

Here are some of the lessons I had to learn. 

Adaptability. First lesson for me was to learn to adapt working at home. I prided myself on rarely doing work at home. I graded in coffee shops, just so I could keep home for the place to relax. That had to change. I also had to write more at home. I had to make my desk accessible. I had to adapt to working hours and non-working hours. I had to adapt to teaching with different strategies to keep my students engaged. Then, I had to search for a job. 

Faith. I had to look for a new job while teaching because I was furloughed. In June, I found one. My mom had to have surgery in order to swallow again. Her surgery was in July and she can and does eat everything in sight. I had to trust God when life looked bleak and I thought I was alone. I had to trust God when there was no light at the end of the tunnel. 

Light. There is light in the darkness. My new job is incredible. It has brought back my passion for teaching and bringing equity into education. I have found inspiration in writing and may have found some solutions to getting published. Jesus has given me strength in times when I felt helpless. 

Strength. When the protests broke out, I understood that change needed to happen. I see the inequity in education and racism is settled in the roots. As I try to write the truth, I am also trying to create bridges for my current students to cross in order to have the same opportunities as all other students. They work hard. They just need the same tools so that their hard work is producible. 

Knowledge. I have had to keep learning. I have read books, watched documentaries and movies in order to understand lives that are different from mine. I have studied scientific processes in order to understand all the polarization and generalization that is occurring in our world and is prevalent on social media. 

Wisdom. For some people, social media became a platform in which they could communicate with others. For other people, it became a platform for them to tell everyone how right they are with their politics, knowledge of science, and pretty much answers for everything. In the past few weeks, I have had to use wisdom in how to respond to people. I’m still working on that one. 

Live. I have had to live each and every day with purpose and with fullness. There has been so much loss of life this year. Many of us have experienced grief on some level. Some people lost their means to living. We have to keep living. We have to create. We have to move forward when we see in hindsight that 2020 is a year full of lessons. May we all learn from the lessons that it has taught us. 

Visitors at Christmas

One of the recommendations for our world in 2020 is not to gather in large groups. Although people have disobeyed the orders, many people have adjusted and adapted their lives to not gather in large groups. As we enter this Christmas week, I was reminded of those who visited Jesus. Some of them broke rules. Maybe all of them did. When people come to Jesus, they may have a journey that is not a sweet Sunday School lesson, but one that changes their lives forever. 

The first visitors to witness baby Jesus were the shepherds. They were at work. They were taking care of their sheep at night in the middle of a field. Then, an angel came and spoke to them. At first, they were afraid, but the angel told them not to be afraid for he had good news for them. He told them about Jesus being born and that he was the Messiah, a Savior for all people. The angels told them that they would find the baby in Bethlehem and in a manger, so we know that this was right after Jesus was born. 

The angels did not tell the shepherds to go to Jesus. They just told them where they would find Him. The shepherds decided to go at that very moment. So, being the student, I have questions. What about their sheep? What about their job? Did they take the sheep with them? Did they quit their jobs? Did they just leave for a few hours and come back? Were they fired? We don’t know. We do know that they took a risk to go see Jesus, but the risk was worth it. After they saw Jesus they began glorifying and praising God and they told everyone what had happened with the angels and meeting Jesus. Mary treasured and pondered all of this in her heart. 

The shepherds were not the only visitors. Some Magi from the East came to see Jesus. There are many words to describe these men. For years, some scholars decided to call them kings, which was wrong. Others, called them wise men, which could be close to what they were. They were of the priestly caste of ancient Persia, or also known as sorcerers. Yes, sorcerers came to Jesus. They heard that the King of the Jews was born and that a star was placed in the sky for him. They were asking people about this new king. King Herod heard about their questions and became disturbed. So, he sent the Magi to find Jesus. 

Herod did not appreciate that a new king was born, so he actually sent the Magi to find Jesus so he could kill Him. God had other plans, and in His plans, he used the Magi also known as sorcerers. The Magi went to Bethlehem and the star they had seen went ahead of them and stopped at the house where Jesus was. This was not at the manger scene. Jesus was at a house, so Jesus was older and not a newborn. The Magi brought gifts to Jesus. They brought gold for a king. They brought frankincense, which was a healing oil and myrrh, which was also used for health benefits and a burying oil. The gifts were significant as Jesus would heal and conquer death, as the King Eternal. 

The best part of the Magi is that they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, as he wanted to kill Jesus, so they returned home another way. See, when people come to Jesus, he changes them and they return home in a different route because they are changed. Jesus changes lives. He can change any life. Even as a baby he was changing lives. My friend said that Satan had a plan to use the Magi, but we can see that Satan’s plans were foiled. The Magi didn’t just visit Jesus; they worshipped Him when they came to Him, and they returned home using a different route obeying an angel in a dream over King Herod. They were changed. 

May we this Christmas season come to Jesus and leave the Christmas season changed. May we not just visit Jesus, but allow Him to enter into our lives and change us that we cannot return to our old ways, and that we are so overjoyed that we cannot contain ourselves from telling others about Him. May we have a Merry Christmas as we gather with Jesus and understand that with Jesus, we are never alone. 

 

The Sound of the Christmas Season

 Confession: I start listening to Christmas music way before Thanksgiving, and sometimes I listen to it all through February. To be fair, I have lots of instrumental Christmas music that helps me concentrate while I write, at least that’s the excuse I give. I’m not a fan of hymns, but I love the old-fashioned Christmas carols, no matter if they are updated or the old version. I think it’s because I only hear them once a year. Whatever it is, music elicits emotions that help us think, which helps us grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Music has always been a part of my life. I loved my music classes as a child in elementary. My mom taught me how to play the organ when I was young and I learned to read music. I played the clarinet in marching band. I took piano and voice lessons in college and even sang in a traveling ensemble.  I even took a music theory class and learned how to write music. I love music. It inspires me to create. It inspires me to dance. It inspires me to think beyond anything I have been taught and think with a new viewpoint, even in Christianity. 

The Bible tells us to sing and worship. “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the people, his marvelous deeds among the nations. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.” Psalm 96:14- (NIV) Worship gives glory to God and reminds us of the salvation that he has given us. 

Music is an art that brings many instruments and voices together as one. As harmonies come together a song is built through different sounds to create a beautiful song. Music embodies the idea that through many we become one. It resembles the concept of Romans 12 that many body parts come together to work and function as one whole body.  If we take out an instrument from a song, it can ruin the song, no matter how big or small the instrument is. Music is an art that works within a community. It inspires us to join in with the community and sing or play along with it. 

Music is an art that brings the words of poet to life. I am attracted to many songs because of their lyrics and the life that they bring. Poets bring the lyrics to life. There are so many Christmas songs that are old and new that tell the story of Jesus coming to earth and why he came. It is through the lyrics that we can all discover the beauty that the child whose birth we celebrate brought into the world. 

Music is an art that can be shared to all people. It is a medium that can transcend languages and styles. It can bring people together and join in with the festivity without understanding the written language but can feel the joy in the sounds of music. 

This Christmas season, may we all take time to listen to the music as an art that proclaims the coming of a Savior without the pomp and circumstance, but with the humility of a baby born in a barn in a land not his own. May the music of this season teach us more about who this baby is and why he had to come. May we all have joy and peace with our silent nights.