We Do Not Know Hardship

I saw this today, and couldn't help but share it. I have often thought of what it would have been like to live in the early 1900s. It was a period of so much progress, and yet so much suffering and death. You think about some of the achievements - from the invention of the airplane in 1903, to on the moon in 1969, being just one example, but all also all of the war and evil:

"Imagine you were born in 1900.

When you're 14 years old, World War I begins and it ends when you're 18 with 22 million people dead. Soon after, the Spanish Flu appears, and kills another 50 million people Worldwide. You're still alive when that's over and you're 22.

When you're 29, you survive a global economic crisis with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange, which causes unprecedented inflation, unemployment and famine for the next several years.

When you're 33, the Nazis come to power in Germany and when you're 39, World War II begins. It ends when you're 45 and 60 million people worldwide have been killed, including 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. The Cold War begins shortly thereafter.

At 50, the Korean War begins, at 64, the Vietnam War begins -- and that war doesn't end until you're 75."

I truly believe that anyone my age (36) or younger has no idea what 'hardship' really means, on a social scale anyway. In fact, we are so far removed from real, world-scale, problems that American society has invented new ways to fight and new enemies to hate. "Cancel culture" and social media are a perfect example of this. Can you even imagine if a popular politician got up today and uttered the words that JFK said years ago, in 1961, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country"? This idea is completely foreign now.

The current pandemic is definitely inconvenient for most of us - but I think we all need some perspective. This isn't the end of the world and comparatively, this isn't even a big deal. Whether you agree or disagree with the policies that are being enacted to combat this virus or even whether you're afraid of COVID or not - this is nothing compared to previous times of strife and struggle in this world.

We need to focus on what is important. Paul, in Romans 2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." The 'renewing of your mind' is devoting yourself to the study of Scripture and to prayer and fasting. It is keeping what is actually important on the forefront of your mind and not letting the concerns and troubles of this world (the weeds) grow up and choke your faith out.

Some food for thought today!