What I’ve learned during this incredible year

By Don Gann
The Baptist Record

Having never lived during a crisis year quite like 2020, I have done my best to learn what I can and not waste any of this experience. Here are some things I’m learning:

• Staying connected is hard, but it’s worth the effort. In a time of social distancing and avoiding crowds, it’s hard to stay connected to each other but the times we can connect are more special.
• Children change more in seven months than adults do. When kids started coming back to church after time away, I was shocked by how much they have grown up. I’m so proud of their growth and am reminded of how quickly they grow up. I also have come away with a renewed commitment to children and youth ministries. These impressionable years are vital.
• Unplugging from devices really can be good for our souls. While technology is a blessing, taking a break from technology can be a life-saver. Give it a try.
• Though we can’t control our circumstances, we can control our attitude. God is greater than our circumstances. Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The last phrase, “and be glad,” is about our attitude. We have a choice of our attitude each day.
• God is faithful. Psalm 90:1–2 says, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

I hope we will all consider with gratitude what God is teaching us during this strange year.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Gann is pastor of First Church, Oxford. He is a member of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board’s executive committee and former director of the Men’s Ministry Department at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board in Jackson.

EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was originally published by The Baptist Record. To read more articles like this on Mississippi Baptists, visit thebaptistrecord.org. This article also appears in TAB News, a digital regional Baptist publication. For more information or to subscribe to the TAB News app, visit tabonline.org/TAB-News-app.