In these very difficult and troubling times, who are you turning to? Is it your spouse, your family, your friends and neighbors, or God? I strongly believe that our nation is in a depression of our minds, souls, hearts, and bodies. In seeking a leader who will truly carry us through all of our current problems, I think we have grabbed onto anyone or anything that will “fit-the-bill,” rather than the one power who truly will lead us, God. The current president is not God, although he wants us to give him that title. Even though I feel that Joe Biden is the right man for the presidency in every way, I worry that our problems are so great that not even he will be able to get us out of this depression. Only when we return to God as a nation will these massive problems be surpassed.
As for myself, my husband passed away seven years ago, and I miss him so very much. With COVID-19, I’m glad he isn’t around to see how tragic this disease is to those who have under-lying conditions. I try to keep my family members in the loop, but I’m limiting how much they know about Wisconsin’s problems. I just began another month suspension of private lessons, fearing that my students might bring the disease into my home or vice versa. My students have become my family is so many ways; I want only the best for them and their families. I keep in contact with my church friends and try to look in on my neighbors to make sure they are alright. Not being able to stay in people’s lives has been excruciating and sometimes very lonely.
When everything is said and done, I have been praying and reading the Word of God on a daily basis at home. Even though my church holds small gatherings for services, I have continued to watch the virtual service, hoping that my spiritual life will stay in some sort of shape. The numbers are so high for the virus that I don’t like spending any more time out of the house than I really need to. I miss attending services in the church because I receive so much peace from feeling God all around me in songs, scripture, communion, and sermons. One of the lessons I learned in childhood was that God is with you everywhere, but most importantly, He’s with you in your heart.
As we social distance, wear masks, wash our hands, and stay home as much as possible, our souls are suffering from a prolonged absence of personal contacts necessary to make our lives more fulfilling. Our minds are battling over a polarized, angry presidential election where civility has taken second place to “one-up-menship.” It is hard for our hearts to show love when all around us civil rights and social injustice are making people more violent with each death. Our children’s educations are not as fulfilling as they could be due to their over-use of computers and no time to grow as social beings. In trying to raise a generation of computer-savvy kids, what’s happened to their ability to fight fair when adults fight like little kids? Let’s not understate how our bodies are being assaulted by a germ we cannot see and how our minds have been allowed to run rampant on the “what-ifs” of misinformation.
A four-pronged depression like we are facing can only be surmounted by a national return to belief in God. We’ve allowed so many people and things to replace our belief in Him. Placing our problems at the foot of Christ’s cross, we only have to ask Him to come into our souls, minds, hearts, and bodies. He will heal all the peoples of the world and will make our lives beautiful again. And if God is central to the heart of our next president, He will grant that leader all he needs to lead us into the light of tomorrow.
Hear us, oh Lord, open our hearts and change them so that we can once again “love one another as we love ourselves.” Help us to realize You, alone, are our refuge and our strength. Help us to walk in Your ways and be like Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. May we find peace in the darkness of our problems and know that You are always with us. Amen.
Anna Hartt
