Optimist Roundtable
By Martha Sykes
Our scripture lesson in our churches this past Sunday was about the power that God gives us through the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, chapter 1, verse 8 are these words, “Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”.
When we look back over this past year, back to March of 2020. all of us were shocked that all of a sudden our churches are closed, our schools are shut down, we can’t go out to eat, or go anywhere without a mask, but life goes on in the midst of all of these changes. Hard to believe, but we have made it this far and we realize that God really has taken care of us.We had to trust in Him and keep our faith strong even though there were many changes in our everyday way of living and most of all, missing our families.
As we went through some tough times, we can look back now and appreciate our lives a little more and realize the blessings that helped us through this pandemic, which we know is still around but we prayerfully can see a “light at the end of the tunnel”.During this time,and as we continue to live our lives, maybe it is good for us to reflect on what has been the positive moments in this past year.
Our community has been certainly blessed with food giveaways through the Food Bank, the Salvation Army and the Love Center during this crazy time of our lives. One of my favorite memories will be the teddy bears in the windows for the children to ride around with their families and see a sign of people who care. Many children got to have “drive by” birthday parties with fire trucks going past their homes.
The smiles were priceless!! At least our students got to have part of a school year at the schools. Many of our shut-ins had the opportunity to enjoy many meals delivered last spring and summer through the donations and volunteers from Heritage Park. It was amazing!! We got to have one day of Flaming Foliage which was a highlight in the fall!
So, in the midst of our many changes, we can realize that it was the power of the Lord who made all these positive events happen and enabled our community to experience things that otherwise would not have happened. Serving Christ through the talents and gifts He gives to us through those who believe in the work of the Holy Spirit will continue to give us the strength and power to look forward to what is in His plans for us in the future.
