What to Avoid in 2021
It’s been one whole year since the world around me went into lockdown. I remember closing up my office at work and thinking I’d be back in a couple weeks, that this would just blow over. Those weeks turned into months (RIP to the plant I left behind at my desk) and even after coming back to work safely, it’s been an eventful year to say the least. With the constant adapting to all the changes, life really hasn’t slowed down. Is it just me, or does it seem like there has been a breaking news story every day in the past 365 days? It’s been a lot to take in. The history books will be quite interesting to read decades from now and I’m sure we will have stories to share with our kids about what we walked through personally.
As I take inventory on all the things the past year held, besides the fashionable facemasks (I never thought I’d have a dozen of them thrown around my car), TikTok dances everyone learned, or zoom parties we logged on for, one thing that comes to mind is what people call “cancel culture.” (which I know, we’re all sick of hearing about it).
According to Dictionary.com, “Cancel culture refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming.”
I am all for holding people accountable when it’s appropriate but it is pretty unfortunate to see how much “canceling” took place this past year; the shaming, shunning, and disposal of relationships because of offense. In a world where people felt like they were experiencing “connection” through screens, we saw depression, anxiety, and suicide rates increase like never before. I’m not a psychologist, but it seems like the isolation that the last year held negatively impacted the relationships around us if we weren’t intentional to fight for unity instead of demanding division like we saw with the rampant “cancel culture.”
If we learn anything from the cancel and avoidance mentality the last year was filled with, as we move forward in 2021; we should be eager to avoid avoidance itself. Instead of isolating from and avoiding relationship with God and others, we should choose to make them our top priority.
Prioritize Relationship With God
We were made for relationship with the God that created us. As St. Augustine has said it so well; “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” When we feel discouraged or disconnected to the voice of God, we can pick up the Bible to read the actual words of God, we can choose to turn to Him and be honest with Him in prayer. God sees you, knows you better than you do yourself and desires to speak to you and have the intimate and fulfilling relationship that you were created to have with Him.
In this upcoming year, whether in the good or bad, make it priority to order your day around this relationship. Literally carve out a time each day to be alone with Jesus, just like you would carve out time to exercise, eat a meal, or shower, make this time with God priority. Jesus refers to Himself as the bread of life and calls us to come to Him and we will not go hungry (John 6:35). As you depend upon Him daily, He will sustain you and equip you to live out the life He’s called you to for His glory. As you enjoy and get to know God more, you will see how it will drastically impact the relationships He’s called you to have with the people around you.
Prioritize Relationship with Others
As God satisfies us in relationship with Him, He stirs us to extend the selfless love and fellowship to others that we first received from the Lord. When someone says “I don’t need a Church community, I’m good with just me and Jesus.” I’m sorry, but I think they’ve got the wrong idea of who Jesus is. Yes, there are times where we need to get away with the Lord alone but the Bible does not tell us to just have relationship with Him and cut off all other relationships. He actually calls Christians to consider their brothers and sisters in Christ more significant than themselves— in the good and in the bad, in the agreements and disagreements. He calls us to prioritize these relationships not expecting to gain anything in return from them but out of response to everything we’ve gained in Christ.
Do you have a local church body that you consider yourself part of? Within that church community, do you have people that really know you and can encourage you or correct you? There is something so powerful when the Lord encourages His people through each other. Of course we find deep satisfaction in our relationship with Christ but we also need real community with God’s people. Striving for unity and authentic relationship within the local church the Lord has placed you in can be so humbling yet rewarding. We are called to be known by other people, bear one another burdens, to continue to point each other to Christ, reminding one another the truth of His Word, and see iron sharpening iron, all for the expansion of God’s kingdom.
Maybe you found that your community in the last year was not deep as it could have been? Maybe you felt like you were “connected” virtually but barely had any real conversations to talk through what was actually weighing on your heart in the unique season we all just experienced? I will always stand by the statement that communication is key in every healthy relationship. The enemy loves to use isolation to breed division and offense. If we are left with our thoughts long enough we can blow up, twist and misunderstand something that really just needed some clarity through a conversation.
If you haven’t already, let me encourage you to reach out and get connected and in love, be honest, don’t avoid conflict but strive for unity. You will probably have to depend upon God in order to be able to love others rightly (and that’s the way it should be), don’t be afraid to ask God for help! (You probably will need to often, if not every day). Find those people in your church community that can pray over you and you can pray over them (and not just like a quick text “I’ll be praying for you” but actually hear their voice in person or over the phone). Do everything to prioritize the relationships God has placed before you to sanctify you and serve the body that you belong to. Have fellowship! Eat good food! Laugh and cry together! Build up each other with encouragement and stir on each other to step out in their gifts for God’s glory! Be in the Word together- studying and meditating on it, and respond in worship to the great God who has given us life! In this next year, make the choice each day to avoid avoidance as you prioritize your relationship with God and the community of believers He’s placed you in and you will be sure to see fruit in the season to come.