Does Anyone Know?

Recently, I had breakfast with an old friend. We do this from time to time to keep up with each other. Somewhere along the way, the conversation turned to COVID-19. "My life really has not changed," he told me. "Has your life changed any?" he asked.

Yes, my life changed. A lot. My life changed a lot. First, after spring break, we did not re-enter the classroom, but shifted all of our instruction online. In short, we teachers were asked to do something we did not sign up for, were not prepared for, and never saw coming. We did it, and thus saved our school. I am thinking of the MDCC faculty. We saved the semester, we saved the school, and we saved our students. To show his appreciation, our president rewarded us with a pay cut. I am not kidding. You can't make this stuff up. 

Not only that, but for the longest, until just last week, we did not know what our fall semester would look like. We were never asked what we thought. Teachers never are. Have you ever noticed how often education is discussed? Have you ever noticed that the one group never consulted, never invited to the table is the one group that knows the most about education, that has as much at stake as anybody else, and is uniquely impacted by any decision made on education: teachers. Funny how that works.

Life changed for me in other ways also. The Over Sixties get together that Penny and I enjoyed so much shut down in February of 2020. Just this morning, Penny mentioned that she missed our gatherings, the meals we shared, and the entertainment that was often so edifying. When will Over Sixties come back? I don't know. Does anyone know?

Another change was the cancellation of all the spring races. Many of these were outings that both Penny and I enjoyed. For instance, we always loved to go to Koscuisko in April for the festival where she shopped and I ran. Gone. Not only were the spring races cancelled, but the summer ones went away also. Then the fall races began to fall. Where will it stop? When will they come back? I don't know. Does anyone know?

The thing that hurt me the most was the cancellation of church services. When liquor stores were deemed "necessary" but churches not, you know your society has lost its moral bearings. I missed the building. I missed preaching. I missed the people. I missed corporate worship. Recently, we have reopened. I can tell that our church was harmed by the shutdown. But the church is not the building, you say. No, the church is the gathering. God commanded the gathering (Hebrews 10:25). I learned long ago that it is always bad anytime people miss church, and it does not matter what the reason of their absence is. They lose something they don't get anywhere else. When they miss, there is a price to be payed for that. I can see the price with my own eyes.

Of my mother's and father's generation, I have only one aunt and one uncle left, They live in Noxapater, Mississippi. I long to see them, but fear to visit. COVID has even taken that from me. Usually, I would drive over during spring break, sometimes during the summer, and always at the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon. Not this year. When will it be safe for me to see them again? Does anyone know?

Even the charity swim that I conduct, my swim, was postponed for a variety of reasons all related to COVID. Recently, one of my top crew members, Gerald Johnson, tried to book a room in Lake Village, Arkansas for the night before the swim. All the motels there are closed. When will they reopen? I don't know. They did not know. Does anyone know?

I was watching the Paul Finebaum Show the other day. Guess what else is up in the air. College football. What??!?! Yeah. It is not certain that there will be a season. Already we have experienced the cancellation of all the spring collegiate sports. Now college football is in crises. The Big Ten and the Pac Ten have already declared that they will play only conference games. The SWAC has announced the cancellation of fall football. They hope to play in the spring. No one seems to know what is going to happen. If the season does start, what happens in the event of an outbreak? Do you know? Does anyone know?

I guess that is the one thing that bothers me most about all of this, the uncertainty. Uncertainty is always with us but now its magnitude, its ubiquity has overwhelmed my spirit. So much is uncertain and unsettled. I yearn for solid ground under my feet. Concerning Chicot, I recently decided that we are doing the swim without the pontoon from the State Park. I was tired of waiting and seeking certainty, I opted to make a decision. Even if they offer the boat, this one thing is settled. The swim is going on without the pontoon. Now I know something. Gosh, that feels good.

There is one more thing I know. The Bible is very clear: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). If that is not a comfort to you, I implore you to seek His face. Pray to Him, ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and invite Him into your life. He is the one thing, the only thing, we can be truly certain about.