2020 A Year of Opportunity

This year has been, to say the least, unusual. The Virus, the shut downs, the political unrest, the riots and looting can seem overwhelming. One tendency is to curl up in a ball and wait it out. I have a much better idea. This is the perfect year for it.

Let me encourage all my friends in the U.S. and around the world to take this year’s negatives as opportunity to change your world for good. There is an old saying that “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”. So it is with us.

In a time seemingly so dark even a small light can make a difference. Let’s be more specific.We see the anger and hate is obvious. So do we join in the anger and hate, just on the other side? I propose that it would be better to promote peace and love. What about fear and hopelessness? Isn’t this a golden opportunity for support and encouragement?

In the face of cancel culture and its fight against freedom of thought and freedom of speech, do we not have a great opportunity to model our support for our basic human rights and freedoms?

To show, with our lives, the differences between anger and peace, hate and love, hopelessness and encouragement, fear and courage, cancellation and freedom; we shine lights in dark places. We can change our worlds.

But it must be intentional. It easy to join the negativity. We can acknowledge the negative without becoming part of it. But as I said it must be done intentionally. When the negatives come up, it is time to shine lights. In spite of what you might think watching major news organizations, darkness is NOT all there is. We can shine lights in darkness. And the funny thing is…If lights are shining, the darkness recedes…sometimes disappears completely.

Come, my friends light some lights. You and I can make a difference. What you do may seem small, but keep doing it. The many small lights we can light can together become great big lights in lives, societies, and the world.

Have a lit week.