The Beauty of What is to Come

This morning I reminded my children that this day 79 years ago the world was forever changed. An event. Unexpected entirely. “A date which will live in infamy”. A day that altered the course of history and remains a notable blip in our timeline. Even if you woke up and didn’t realize it, this day many years ago changed the way you live today. It set things in motion that picked up speed and rolled downhill into one of the greatest events in history and reimagined the world as it was. History is captivating and devastating and fascinating and lovely.

Can we teach it to our children? Can we enrich their lives with what was so that they build into the what is to come?

To all the men and women who died this day years ago, a life lost under an ancient ocean, and the ones who followed through on the fight that made the nation and world what it is now, you are remembered and seen. The only freedom that is free is the one that was shed on a cross centuries ago. You know the price of all other forms of freedom, and you paid it.

Today, 79 years later, we face a different enemy altogether. Citizens of the world -comrades in arms- stand against an unseen enemy. What is it doing to us? How is it changing us? How is our current path changing the course of history forever? What mark will we leave on this significant thumbprint in time? What will be different on the other side? Are our thoughts the same as the ones our great grandmothers and grandfathers had on this day so many years ago?

I’m not altogether sure, but I think a few things I am certain of. Human touch has value that is worth fighting for. Life is short, and love is worthy. God is near to the broken hearted, and aren’t we all a bit of that? Eyes really are the window to the world, and who knew how important it was to see someone’s lips in conversation? This pandemic- this unbiased enemy- has unearthed so many things, but it will also leave a legacy of people connecting despite barriers. The highlight reel will flash pictures of hands touching through windows, singing through screens, and long awaited reunions. It will show giving upon giving upon giving. It will leave a taste of sadness but an overwhelming washing of triumph on our tongues and a feeling of gratitude for the hand you are holding.

So, 2020, remember the days long ago, the hard days so far, and the days to come. As 2021 nears, may we cherish the now but remember there are always days to come that hold resolution. God never leaves, never forsakes. I imagine the men standing on the shore of Pearl Harbor stood with disbelief and heartache at the destruction before them, much like we look at our landscape today. Little did they know the beauty to come. The rebuilding of a world after it was torn apart. What will our eyes behold after we have been shaken to our core? What beauty will rise from these ashes? God is infamous for such things, and my God, well, He doesn’t change or disappoint.

~Kalan