I am writing you this month after finishing some quiet time with God. I was reading Romans 5 and thinking about all of you. We have all been walking through a very hard and challenging time in history. This pandemic has not been easy. It has been long and challenging, leaving some of us feeling very fatigued. Not only have you been dealing with a pandemic, you have also been in a season of transition with pastoral leadership. Wow, that is a lot and I can’t imagine what that has been like for you. However, you have made it this far. Let’s look at Romans 5:3-5,

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

We can rejoice? How can we rejoice in difficult times like this? We fix our eyes on Jesus. We look not at the circumstances but at how we can grow from them individually and as a community. It is all about what we choose to focus on. I want to encourage you to take some time this month and identify what your have been focused on. Ask yourself what you have learned or what you still have to learn. How have you grown in your walk and relationship with Jesus through these tough times. Ill give you the first one, you are stronger than you were when it began. My prayer for you is that you continue to fix your eyes on Jesus every step of the way.