2020: A Year of Intermission

2021: The Curtain Rises on the Rest of the Story

In the classic epic drama of the movie, Gone with the Wind, the plot thickens as the Civil War brings destruction to Atlanta and wreaks havoc in the life of Scarlett O’Hara. (I saw the movie in the historic Fox Theatre, a landmark in downtown Atlanta.)

Just when you’re captivated by the story, holding your breath to see what happens next . . . the screen reads “Intermission” and the curtain goes down. I remember sitting there in silence for a minute, my mind whirling as I tried to figure out what was coming next and how the story would end. Scarlett’s life had drastically changed. Would it ever be the same again?

Many of us have felt like Scarlett. I certainly have. Our plans go up in flames, life changes, loss comes, and we long for the way things were. In a similar way, 2020 brought much of life to a stop when we thought it had just started. A year of intermission came, unexpected and unwanted. We were left anxious, and even curious, not knowing what was coming in the remaining months of the year.

We became weary of the sudden intermission in our lives.

Most of us lived through the changes, shock, and disruptions of our unyielding turmoil and chaos. We adjusted, adapted, and waited for what would happen when the curtain went up in 2021. Yet, we are all painfully aware of family and friends who didn’t live through the catastrophic year of 2020. The loss of loved ones has left a life-changing impact on us, and we grieve for what once was and will never be again.

And now . . . the curtain rises and 2021 begins.

The rest of the story, our story, is not over yet. A new chapter begins. Now is the time to turn the page on 2020 and choose to move forward. Instead of re-reading the past year when your life was turned inside-out and upside-down, begin this chapter with all the things you have to be grateful for. It’s hard to be negative when you’re counting your blessings.

Each day let your story be threaded with God’s faithfulness. Oh my, can I tell you . . . His faithfulness consumes me. His steadfast love, care, and provision overwhelms me! I learned all the more to totally trust Him when things were out of my control, and they were out of my control more often than not!

Whatever you and I face whatever the new year brings, one thing is for sure. We will never be alone. We may feel lonely, but God will never leave us for a minute. His attentiveness to our needs will give us the security we so desperately need.

Write Him on the pages of your life this year like never before. Live Him out each day through your actions and your words. He held you up when you were down, cheered you on through His word when you were discouraged, and taught you a lot about yourself in handling adversity. Choose to embrace this year and live it wholeheartedly with a new and deepened awareness of who our God is, of who you are, and who you have become.

Don’t waste a day, start writing now….

. . . Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future…. Leave the irreparable past in His hands, and step out into the irresistible future with Him.” Oswald Chambers

From My Heart,

Susan Miller
Founder of Just Moved Ministry
Author of After the Boxes Are Unpacked
America’s Moving Coach