[Darris McNeely] The year 2020 is in the past. And for most of us, it's going to be a year where we probably will say, "Good riddance. We're glad it's in the past."

In the last days of 2020 I lost a few friends and associates, people that I've known in some cases for nearly 50 years, who died. I'm glad that I knew them. You've lost people that you knew as well during the year and probably even some people to the COVID disease.

If you look at the larger world, one thing that really struck me in 2020 was the fact that there were a number of Hall of Fame baseball players who died. And baseball has been my passion to not only play in my youth but to follow throughout the years. And players that I grew up watching pitch and play baseball with and went on to make the Hall of Fame, they died this year. That's life, it goes on and we expect that. I'm glad that I saw them play because the ones that I think about, they played with passion, they played hard, they showed up ready to play ball, no matter what was going on. And I don't always see that today. I was struck recently by one professional sports player whose team wasn't doing too well in the last days of 2020, and he went on a rant after one game where they were really bad. And he was basically trying to say, "Guys, you're professionals, you're getting paid a lot of money. You need to show up. You need to work hard. You need to practice because people are wanting to enjoy and to see success." I was glad to hear him say what he did. That's why I lament the loss of some good ball players that were like that.

You know, as we look at COVID, at some point, this is all gonna be behind us and we'll probably talk about the time of life before COVID and the time of life after COVID. Before COVID, after COVID. It's been that big. And as we sort it all through, I hope that all of us and myself here I think about where I have been and what I've learned, I hope we are able to put behind so much of this, and having learned certain lessons.

There's a scripture in Philippians 3 that I think all of us should take note of and remember. It says, "Brethren," the Apostle Paul was writing, "I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus." Paul knew when to put things behind and when to reach for the things that are forward.

It's a good lesson for us all to take from Scripture when it comes to the time that we're living in, before COVID, after COVID. Let's reach for the future. Let's reach for better days. And let's do that with the help of God.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.