Home, our place of rest and retreat, has been transformed into a workplace, a school, and the bounds of our isolation. For some, venturing out to the grocery store with a bottle of hand sanitizer and a mask is starting to feel like a vacation. And though we're doing our best to smile through the uncertainty and look for the bright spots of hope amidst the darkness, we are becoming weary. Frustrated. Stir crazy and just plain tired of the seemingly endless monotony.
We are oh so ready to see another human being (any other human being) in the flesh and not via Zoom meeting. We are craving connection, handshakes and hugs. And we are reaching out expectantly toward the "normal" that was so suddenly removed from our grasp. We are hoping beyond hope that there is some good news on the horizon that will end our troubles, ease our anxiety, and cause the overwhelming waves of circumstance to cease and be still. The question is, What does that "good news" look like?
The end of the current pandemic will be good news. Negative test results are good news. People stepping up and caring for one another in incredible ways is good news. The return to school in the fall will arguably be fantastic news for many stressed and struggling parents (myself included). Economic recovery and returning to work will be good news, especially for the rapidly increasing numbers of unemployed in our country. All these things are good news — they encourage us to carry on, holding out hope and giving us something to work toward each day. They are good news...but they are not the best news.
The Bible says, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19). As human beings, we have a tendency to set our hopes too low, to aim at temporal relief only and neglect the greater hope we have in Christ, Heaven, and life eternal. It is not wrong to hope for and enjoy good times, to desire relief and restoration — these are God-given desires. But our longings fail to fulfill their ultimate purpose if they do not drive us to seek "a better country, that is, a heavenly one" (Hebrews 11:16). If for this life only we seek comfort and good times, we are coming up woefully short of the joy, peace, pleasure and satisfaction God offers us in Christ. For Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10), not just when things are "normal," but even in our sorrows, struggles and stress.
Through His sinless life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, Jesus Christ has made a way for us to return to God. He has paid the penalty for our sins and now offers us eternal life through simple faith — believing He was who He claimed to be and He accomplished what He set out to do. When we do this, when we place our faith in the Son of God, He becomes our place of rest and restoration. In Him, our eternal souls find their perfect home — a home that cannot be shaken, redefined or destroyed.
He becomes to us the ultimate hope — our anchor in the midst of life's storms; our strength to persevere; our goal, our finish line, our blessed prize for which we are called heavenward! Jesus brings the connection our hearts most long for: reconciliation to our Creator. He is the good news, and not just for some, but for all. Jesus has ended the most perilous of our troubles by providing the way of escape from an eternity in Hell. He eases the anxiety of the perishing by holding out the hope of Heaven. And He lifts us up out of the waves of circumstance, carrying us through the raging tempest on wings of grace and mercy.
We don't need to deny we're overwhelmed. It's okay to break down emotionally in the midst of trying times. There's no point in gritting our teeth and pretending everything is alright when it isn't. God knows how we're feeling and what we're thinking anyway. But what is important is where we're turning in the midst of such times.
Are we turning only to temporary distractions and earthly comforts? Or are we mingling our bright spots of temporal hope with the beacon of eternal hope that is Christ? Let's be sure that as we watch and wait expectantly for some good news we set our sights squarely on the good news — the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this good news will never be buried under countless depressing headlines. It is not circumstantial. It does not fade; it is not false; it will not falter. The good news of Jesus Christ will never end, it will never change, and it will never disappoint.