Personal From Ministerial and Member Services
As alluded to in a previous eNews personal, the lives of God’s called-out ones are especially precious to Him and to us. When one person among us suffers and we are aware, we all suffer to some extent as we care for and grieve due to our brother or sister’s pain and suffering. At the same time, we must forge ahead to live life even more meaningfully as we are affected by and reminded of the temporary nature of our lives.
The vast majority of us chose to observe the past Feast of Tabernacles in person and we made various decisions on where we wanted to go based upon a number of factors. Some parts of the U.S. were obviously more affected by COVID-19 than others, but it seems that this virus, and especially the Delta variant, was really ramping up late this summer. It still continues to infect many more throughout the United States on a daily basis.
Many of us have now contracted the virus over the past year and a half, and I know of a few who have had it more than once. Many of us have chosen to be vaccinated and many of us have chosen not to be vaccinated, each for various reasons. Regardless, one would think that we may be getting closer to having what is referred to as “herd immunity”—that we have seen the worst of this virus and that it would diminish in the days ahead.
While we have chosen to “postpone” Winter Family Weekend and Winter Camp, it is certainly our intent to resume both next year. We are also very hopeful that we will have a complete and successful camp program this coming summer. And, of course, we hope and pray that the environment at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles will be much better next year for everyone.
God never promised to keep us from all trials, including health ones, but He did promise to never leave nor forsake us. God made this promise to Joshua when he was to lead Israel into the Promised Land (Joshua 1:5). In a very real sense, we are also in the role of Joshua and the children of Israel as we look to entering a Promised Land at Christ’s return. The author of Hebrews felt confident in quoting God and applying this promise to spiritual Israel as identified in the New Testament (Hebrews 13:5). We have all been given this promise to hold onto in the midst of our trials today, whether health or otherwise.
God does allow cancer, diabetes, heart disease and a host of serious illnesses to come upon His people—and it is not surprising that He has allowed COVID-19 to infect many of us. Thankfully this is not a deadly virus in most cases, as around 98 percent of those infected survive it. Of course this does not, in any way, minimize the suffering of those who have been greatly affected by, or who have even died from this virus.
The COVID-19 virus is indeed real. It is not a hoax. Real people are getting sick from it, so we should all be as careful as reasonably possible not to infect others. Always be on the safe side and quarantine if you are showing any signs or symptoms that you may not clearly and properly dismiss. If there is any real doubt, please be tested or quarantine until you are certain. Get tested when necessary and realize that there are no guarantees of avoiding this virus.
Let us pray for protection for one another and especially for those who are having significant issues with their recovery. Let us continue to pray for the loved ones of those who have died. Certainly, God may choose to protect you from this virus—or He may allow it to come upon you. As already mentioned, He will never leave nor forsake us and we need to put our trust and faith in Him, regardless. Let us always look to God and to Jesus Christ for His guidance, His blessing and His healing.
Let us continue to assemble before God and come into His presence at His commanded assemblies. The vast majority of us should be able to attend in-person services, but it is a personal choice we should all continue to respect under the present distress.
May you all have a very inspiring and restful Sabbath!
