Old year held challenges that God helped me face
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Faith Fitness
Bro. Sam Kaufman
The year 2021 seemed like a blur to me. It was the year that was supposed to make us forget about the dreadful 2020 that brought a new normal. Some of those same less-than-favorable conditions remained in 2021.
I didn’t come down with COVID-19 in 2020, but I contracted it in early 2021. The virus knocked me for a loop. I was sick for about two weeks in January. It completely sapped my energy. At times, I could barely get out of bed.
Even with COVID-19, I still managed to put out a newspaper. God provided the strength I needed. I work remotely for a Texas newspaper. The funny thing is that I get much more done 1,000 miles away than I did from the office there. Consider it long distance productivity.
There aren’t as many disruptions or distractions working from home compared to the office. I do have to contend with four young children at home, but my wife does a good job keeping them at bay.
The virus pandemic of 2020 didn’t change our routine much. I was already working from home and pastoring The Church of God in Alex City. With church, we never skipped a beat during the lock-downs and regulations. We were able to continue services within the guidelines.
What’s great is that God’s presence and Word never change. He’s always the same. God pulled me through the virus. The virus is merely physical in nature. It is a microscopic enemy. God is a spiritual force.
The blood of Jesus Christ was physical, but it was pure and remains powerful against any foe.
The blood that gives me strength from day to day will never lose its power. It reaches to the highest mountain. And it flows to the lowest valley. It soothes my doubts, and it calms my fears, and it dries all my tears.
There I was that late January evening battling COVID-19 and doing my best to put the paper to bed. It was the week of the junior livestock show. That meant typing loads of names and waiting for photos for page layout. I was pretty much spent. It was challenging to sit up and type. I remember calling out to God. Others had been praying for me, as well.
I prayed something like, “God, you’re going to have to help me, because I don’t have the strength to do this.” I vividly recall the surge I felt soon after. It was victory power. It welled up within.
I was able to finish the newspaper. Though I was still somewhat weak from the virus, I knew I had turned the corner. From that point on, I began to improve. I kept getting stronger and stronger. The virus was losing its grip. Soon, I was back to my regular routine.
Being healed from the virus was one of the prayers God answered for me in 2021. There were many others. I’m so thankful He hears us and responds to prayer. When we’re weak, He shows Himself strong.
Though 2021 may have been difficult for some, there were so many blessings from God. He daily loaded us with benefits. Now, it’s time to move forward in 2021. It is a new day. With God, there are new beginnings.
This is how Paul put it in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Press on.
Sam Kaufman pastors The Church of God at 405 13th Ave. North in Alexander City. Contact him at 432-266-0154.
