Handle With Care
By Byron Washington, Columnist
By no means did 2021 allow us the benefit of rest before the chaos ensued.
2021 decided to continue where 2020 left off and in some cases took the madness to an entirely new level.
That being said, any fan of sports knows that a team can start the season terribly and end on a much better note. We hope the same can be said for 2021.
“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning…” – Ecclesiastes 7:8 (ASV)
Though I suggest as we continue our journey through 2021 that we handle it with care. Not because it is fragile or easily damaged – no, more so that it holds extreme value, worth and potential. 2021 holds many opportunities and doors that can be opened, but if we write the year off because of one bad event or if we treat this year as we did last year, we will more than likely reap nothing from it.
When God provides us with something there is an expectation that we do something with it. Consider the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), for God to grant us another year and we do not move the needle forward in any area of our life is like the man who hid his talent in the ground. Simply translated he did nothing with what God gave him. At the end of the year we ought to be able to show progress in some area of our life. It does not have to be starting a business, it could be starting a saving account, paying off debt, going back to school, or reading more books. Any return (according to the parable) is better than no return. To start the year and finish the year in the same place is problematic.
Brothers and sisters handle 2021 with care, the contents if shaken up or miss handled can become volatile and create quite a mess. But if we cultivate 2021, through prayer, planning and our performance (that is to execute the plan we laid out) 2021 will yield to us a harvest.
That does not mean there will not be dark moments or that the sun will always shine. Reflect on the fact that 2020 tried to bankrupt some of us physically, emotionally and spiritually. However, 2021 has a remedy. If we are willing to wake up every day with thanksgiving and not regret, with thoughts of hope and not disillusionment; know that something good will come out of this year.
I believe that 2021 can be and will be a great year, but we must handle it with care. This is not the year to waste time, money and energy. This is a year to cultivate what God has placed inside of you and reap a harvest that moves you closer to your destiny and fulfilling your purpose here in earth.
God Bless and always Be Encouraged
B. Washington
