. . .and to 2020, the best year that ever will be!
Nicholas Kristof wrote an editorial for the December 28,
2019 New York Times that caught my
eye, “This Has Been the Best Year Ever.” His point is that, as the subtitle
says, “For humanity over all, life just keeps getting better.” He goes on to
say, “since modern humans emerged about 200,000 years ago, 2019 was probably
the year in which children were least likely to die, adults were least likely
to be illiterate and people were least likely to suffer excruciating and
disfiguring diseases.” His article expands on hopeful statistics that describe
many ways in which human suffering has diminished greatly over the millennia and
even over the last 50 years.
One of the reasons that I love this article so much is that
Kristof is an editorialist who is quick to point out flaws in our world and the
humans who run it. He says at the outset, “The bad things that you fret about
are true.” Knowing the bad things all too well doesn’t keep him from stepping
back to take a look at the long arc of history and see hope.
I choose to do the same thing for 2020. I choose to see hope
and progress for the coming year, even as I am deeply aware of the challenges
and chaos ahead. The arc of history, held in God’s hand, will continue to arc
towards justice, healing, and wholeness, even if those things can be hard to
discern in the short-term view.
In 2020, we will pray, vote, and act in ways that reflect
our best vision for God’s kingdom. We will have new opportunities to love and
serve one another. We will experience new challenges that will teach us new
ways of resilience and resistance. In other words, 2020 will unfold as 2019 and
every year before has. There may be new issues and patterns, but the overall movement
of change, challenge, and joy that is a hallmark of being alive will
be the same.
Out of all of the options for how to face the year ahead, I
choose hope. I choose to trust that the loving God who began our beginning will
walk alongside us in 2020, bringing new life out of chaos. If ever there was a
year to live into the faith, hope, and love that we proclaim, this year is the
year to do so.
Here’s to 2020, the best year ever!
