Thankful … in 2020? (December 2020 Update)
How can we be thankful in 2020? For everyone, this has been a very difficult year: children doing school from home, restaurants going out of business because of restrictions, friends and family hospitalized from Covid, jobs lost and now election uncertainty. It is hard to remember a year with more difficulty. Yet Thanksgiving is upon us and how can we be thankful with all that we have been through and with all that is going on now?
In Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul admonishes the Philippian believers to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” And so that they see the importance of this, he repeats it, “And again, I say, Rejoice!”
In this passage, Paul gives us instructions for rejoicing always. First, he begins by reminding us that we can rejoice always, because “the Lord is at hand.” Some interpreters believe this is a reference to the Second Coming – rejoice even in difficulties because the Lord will return soon. While that is true, most interpreters believe that Paul is telling believers to rejoice because the Lord is near to them (at hand) in their present situation. Both are great reasons to rejoice – the Lord is present now and He is coming soon!
Second, he reminds us to pray: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” How can we “rejoice in the Lord always?” Only by learning to present all our cares and worries to the Lord in prayer. 1 Peter 5:7 likewise reminds us to “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.” Unless we learn to give our worries to the Lord in prayer, we will not be able to rejoice always. In fact, Paul says that we are to present our needs “with thanksgiving.” That means learning to thank the Lord in every situation – for His presence, for His provisions, for His protection and for His providential care.
Third, we need to focus our minds on godly things. Paul says, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” If you want to have a thankful heart, you need to learn to focus on godly things. Dwelling on our problems and on the situation in the world only produces discouragement. Thinking about good and godly things sets our troubled hearts to rejoicing!
But why should we be thankful, even in difficulties? We should be thankful because there are a number of blessings from being thankful. Here are a few reasons why you should be thankful.
- It affects others. When you have a thankful heart, you affect the hearts of everyone around you.
- It changes you. A thankful spirit not only affects others, it changes you! “But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). James 1:2 also reminds us “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Be thankful because difficulties can change us!
- It brings God’s peace in every circumstance. Paul tells us, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Paul certainly had his share of difficulties, but he learned to rejoice and be thankful in all circumstances – “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
- It reminds us that God is in control. When we have a thankful heart, we remember that the Lord is in control of our circumstances. When we praise God, we see Him on the throne, and we see our problems at His feet. We have a thankful heart because we “know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Certainly 2020 has been a difficult year for nearly everyone. But there is still much to be thankful for! The Lord is still on His throne and He is still watching over you. So, rejoice and be thankful for the Lord is at hand!
Thankful for Teaching …
As I mentioned in our update last month, this past year has been a very different and difficult experience in teaching. Because of the quarantine restrictions here in Ukraine, most of our classes (especially larger classes) must be held online. This has been a lot of work for me, converting all my lectures into audio, then transcribing them, translating them, recording them, and finally merging the audio lectures with PowerPoint presentations for each lecture. As you might imagine, this takes a lot of time. In fact, it takes 4-5 times as much time as just teaching the class in person! It also has meant a lot more expenses for translation and IT work to get the classes ready. One big advantage is that we won’t need to do this again even if the Covid quarantine continues into next year. We can use the same lectures without additional costs and time. Also, we will now be able to offer some of these classes completely online if a student wants to study but work or ministry prevents them from being able to come to the seminary for classes. (If you want to help with these additional costs, see the section “Thankful for Provisions” below).
In November, I taught a Church History 1 class online. This was the first time we have done Church History in a totally online format. This class required a lot more translation than previous classes simply because of all the information for Church History. For example, costs for translating the Worship and Prayer classes were about $1000. Costs for the Church History class alone were almost $1500.
The class itself went really well. Each day, students would have textbook readings, lectures (online) and then we had a Zoom session at the end of each day. In the Zoom session, students would ask various questions about the lectures and then we split the students into breakout rooms to discuss an issue related to that day’s lectures. In the evening, they had to complete a quiz and also a “Historical Excursus.” The “Historical Excursus” was a reading from a primary source and then they had to write a short essay about what they read, especially about how the material might apply to the church today. They read articles from the Didache, Cyprian, Augustine, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, John Wycliffe, and Thomas a Kempis. It is very helpful for students to be able to “go back in time” and read the original sources and think about how these teachings would apply today.
But if I could use three words to describe this past month, I would say, “Papers, papers, and more papers.” While I did spend time teaching the Church History class this month, most of my time was consumed with grading papers from earlier classes in Evangelism, Worship, and Prayer and also some papers for the Church History class (most of the final papers will come in December). I’m nearly caught up and looking forward to submitting final grades for these earlier classes sometime next month.
It has been a lot of work creating and teaching and grading for these courses this past semester, but I am thankful for the opportunity to be teaching even with the Covid restrictions and with my health concerns. Be praying for me as I work on my next class for February, Theology 1. Again, it should be a lot of work to get ready, so I really don’t have much of a break. But my class in May is already converted to an online format so I will have a short break after completing the class in February.
Thankful for Family …
At home, the girls (and Katya) love learning about American History. We have covered the colonial period and the Revolutionary War, and the girls are often including much of what they learn into their playtime too. Some of their dolls are now named Miles Standish and John Hancock! We also found a great kids history channel on YouTube called “Liberty Kids” and they love watching these episodes over and over. They have even made paper dolls for the major characters in the series.
While we had a few warm days this month, winter has already arrived here with snow and much time around the woodstove. And the girls love playing family games together too. When the days were warmer, they have enjoyed playing football (soccer) together.
We are thankful for our times together as a family. These times go by quickly as the girls continue to grow up. And we definitely miss being with family in the states, especially around the holidays. But we are grateful that we can connect often over the internet. We are so thankful for our family, both here and in the states!
Thankful for Life …
Right now, it looks like they have removed all the cancerous cells. Last month, I had 5 more growths removed that were similar to one that was cancerous. So far, all the pathology has come back negative. I am still waiting on the pathology for the last one that was removed last week.
My heart and lung and blood pressure problems seem to be completely under control now. I haven’t had any BP issues now since September! That feels so good! But I am continuing to have struggles with my stomach (colon). It is difficult to eat regular food – I’m often eating a liquid or soft diet to control the problems. I’m also taking a number of anti-spasm medicines to control the stomach spasms. Last year, I missed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s dinners because of my various health issues. I was so looking forward to some good holiday food this year. Hopefully, we can clear up some of these medical issues so I can get back to eating and feeling normal again.
But, even with all these difficulties, I am very thankful for life. There have been many times in the last year when I really did not expect to make it much longer here on this earth. The reality is that we never know how long we have. But chronic health problems make it difficult to look forward with encouragement. I’m thankful too for all of you who have prayed for me and encouraged me in various ways. Even in these difficulties I have often had to remind myself to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” I am thankful for the life that the Lord continues to give and pray that I can continue to serve Him all the days of my life.
Thankful for Provisions …
As I mentioned above, our translation costs for these online classes are significantly more than normal because of all the extra work involved. Last month, we received a special gift of $1000 that covered the translation costs for the Prayer and Worship classes. The work on the Church History class cost nearly $1500! I anticipate that the translation and conversion work for my Theology class in February will cost over $1000 too. If you would like to help us with these costs, simply designate a gift (in the memo line) for “Translations.” This will help us tremendously because we pay for these costs out of regular salary unless we receive special gifts for translations.
We continue to be amazed at how God has provided for us in every situation. What a joy to be able to see how God provides! We are especially thankful for your prayers and support through all these years!
Pray for Ukraine, Belarus … and America
We also continue to pray for peace in Eastern Ukraine. The Russian-supported forces continue to attack every day and Ukrainian forces continue to hold the line. Pray for our chaplains and pastors in those areas who are continuing to minister to people (and soldiers) even in the midst of this conflict.
Right now, much of the focus is on Belarus and their struggles for correcting a clearly rigged election. (It is interesting for me to hear how many here in Ukraine are supporting recounts and investigations into election fraud in Belarus, while they are saying that Trump should not seek recounts and legal investigations into potential election fraud. But, since they only read the mainstream media, it is understandable.) But pray for Belarus and for a peaceful (and successful) conclusion to the protests about the election in Belarus. We lived through similar times in 2014 and we are praying that the people of Belarus will also be able to finally have fair and transparent elections and leaders who will serve the people and not themselves.
Be praying for America and a clear conclusion to the presidential election. Unfortunately, most people in America do not understand our election process and so there is much frustration at this point. But, in America, we settle election disputes in recounts and court cases, not with riots and tanks in the streets. Pray that the process will continue without America dividing. I am especially thankful for America and for what we as a country have stood for all these years. As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, never forget that most who came to this country came here for freedom of religion and freedom of speech. This was especially true of the Pilgrims who were persecuted for their religious beliefs in England. After they barely survived their first winter in America (only 52 out of 102 survived!), they made friends with the Indians who taught them how to survive in the New World. After their first harvest, they declared a feast of thanksgiving to thank God for their harvest and for their Indian friends. The feast lasted 3 days – and all this without football! 😊 But I am thankful for America and pray that it will continue to be a “a city set on a hill” (John Winthrop, 1630).
By His Grace,
Jim, Katya, Kristina and Nadia
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