Those were the days From the Bunker Day 32

Those were the days my friend. From the bunker day 32

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way

Mary Hopkins, 1968

Yes, another obscure song went through my head this morning. It made me think.

Remember when gas was $.25 a gal? Ok that really shows my age. I was very young.

Remember the excitement of the Apollo space flights? We even went and watched on takeoff.

Remember when walking through your neighborhood at night wasn’t wrought with fear?

Remember when you didn’t have to X-ray Halloween candy?

Remember when phones went from rotary to push button?

Remember when you got your first color TV?

Remember when you got your first computer?

Remember when you got your first cell phone?

Remember when…..

Ah, those were the days my friend. I’m sitting here watching the news and they made two points. Generation Z is really stressed and are experiencing signs of PSDS, and covid-19 isn’t going away so we are probably living in a new normal. No wonderGeneration Z is stressed. 

When I was young the future wasn’t certain, but I felt as if I could do anything. If I worked hard enough I could achieve all of my dreams. And a lot of them have come true. There were stress points for sure. The Cold War was raging when I was young. There was Desert Storm, Y2K, and the Twin Towers going down. But none of them seemed more emotionally overwhelming than Covid-19 has had over Generation Z.

Of course, there is a difference. None of the experiences I listed above were at my back door. The corona virus is just down the road. People I know and love work in the healthcare industry and are in danger of being infected. That makes the present environment more uncertain. Therefore, unless we have a firm foundation we will live each day in fear. Fear of not working, fear of losing health care, fear of becoming sick, or fear of dying. What do we do in the face of such overwhelming uncertainty? How do we help Generation Z weather the storm?

Fear is an emotion rooted in uncertainty. When you remove the uncertainty then you can remove the fear. When we wake up in the morning we relish the new day and hope that everything will be the way we dreamed it would be. But life is never that easy. Even Jesus pointed out that in this world we will have trouble. The scripture says that the poor will always be with us. Because of sin there is sickness and death. What does Jesus offer in the midst of such uncertainty? He offers HOPE.

1.     In this world we will have trouble and persecution, but Jesus has overcome the world.

2.     In this world there will be the poor and scarcity of jobs, but Jesus said seek the kingdom of God first and he will provide for our necessities.

3.     Facing stress? Jesus is our peace.

4.     Feeling sick? Call the elders and have them pray.

5.     A loved one is dying? Jesus is the resurrection and the Life.

I used to stress over the uncertainty of life, but not anymore. What’s the worst that can happen to me economically? Everything can be taken away and I will end up living with my kids. The worst thing physically is that I could die, but I know where I will go and that removes the sting of death. If I remove the fear of economics and death, then the worry I have for tomorrow is diminished. Then I can allow the peace of God to uplift me emotionally.

If you are feeling stressed, if you are worrying about tomorrow, and if you can’t see beyond Covid-19, I want you to have hope. Your hope isn’t in the medical establishment or in the government, but in Jesus. 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 

And if by chance we do lose everything, do you have an extra room? I’m just saying…

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From the Bunker Day 32