A few days ago, users of Dictionary.com selected the word ‘unprecedented’ as the People’s Choice 2020 Word of the Year. 2020 wasn’t like any other year and we know very well why that is. During last year, most of us experienced various shades of anxiety, depression, and fear.
One of the major mechanisms by which people coped with these emotions was with the help of digital entertainment. The major streaming platforms witnessed a huge increase in subscribers as per the latest data. But is this really helping?
A web series or a movie may give us temporary pleasure or tickle our emotions till it lasts. But after it ends, our minds reset emotionally to square one. We go back to our normal routines and are constantly bombarded by news about the number of deaths or active cases due to the pandemic. This triggers unpleasant emotions in us and thus, we indulge in something else in order to escape. This vicious cycle has lasted a good 10 months at least.
While medical science offers drugs, psychologists provide therapy to help us face these challenges. These methods help to an extent.
But what I am going to point out is a comforting statement made by an ultimate power thousands of years ago to the nation of Israel when they were filled with fear. Israel was in captivity in Babylon and they heard about a Persian King coming to conquer the place. The affirmation made to them was:
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The creator of this world says that there is nothing to fear as he is sovereign over everything. If you are a movie buff, wouldn’t you vouch that all’s well that ends well? Even if there are twists and turns, we always expect a happy ending. That is how human minds are. We expect a calm after the storm. When we don’t feel the warmth of hope in the midst of tough times, we tend to grow desperate.
We all go through difficult seasons in our life and believe me, the uncertainty aggravates our fear. We might feel the creator of this universe is passive throughout our adversities but the truth is that he is actively working behind the scenes. He is in control of all our emotions and he knows us better than we do. No matter what our situation is, he is there to strengthen us through it all. The hope is that one day we will meet him and there will be no more tears or pain. All we need to do is to put our trust in him and cling on to him. He is the ultimate strength in uncertainty.
