The year 2022 came to us in a sobering way. Usually, we as a society are carefree, full of revelry and hope for a year that was better than the last. However, many of us are still operating in a post-traumatic stress disorder state because the shut down in the pandemic year of 2020 left us shell-shocked. In addition to the lives lost, many of us were directly impacted by an aggressive virus that snatched our loved ones from our lives. That year gave us a wake-up call to the importance of connection, family, and how or what is relevant.
The great pandemic of 2020 left us pondering what is really significant. We’ve asked ourselves more meaningful questions like ‘How do we move forward after this?‘ Or ‘Will we ever find that new normal?‘ experts kept referencing or ‘How do we remain hopeful and yet productive when there are still unanswered questions about how a virus that decimated millions of families spreads and mutates?
One thing I recognized is a need to liberate ourselves from the pain of what may have happened in that shut down year and the fear that still seems to plague us. These were the prevailing issues that were suggested or even directly communicated to us through the media. The sensational journalism tactics which kept us glued to our screens were crippling. We wanted to be educated about what was happening and how our lives would take shape in the future. However, we needed to be liberated from a mindset that was pointing us to some gloom and doom mandate that would snuff out our joy, creativity, and peace. We needed liberation from anything that was standing in the way of us securing meaningful connections with loved ones. We needed to be liberated from a methodology that suggested our only option for financial success was to appear daily at an office for eight hours to showcase our productivity to affirm our lives have meaning.
Elevating our thinking is not for the faint of heart. Elevation in our thought process means we must do things more intentionally. Although the journey can be terrifiying, we must unleash new ideals to embrace the “new normal” we are being compelled to confront. We went into the pandemic kicking and screaming, filled with the “way we’ve always” done things only to realize that the old way wasn’t working and hasn’t been working for many years. It takes the bravery of an elevated soul to forge into a new frontier while paving the way for future generations. We had to discover and embrace our brave as we forged into 2022.
We desperately needed to uncover a way to neutralize the confusion and crippling fear of the future. In order to accomplish this, I believe we need to embrace a stance of humbleness. Since the shut down of 2020, we’ve had a birdseye view of a fallen system. Yes we can blame it on capitalism, greed or a disconnect to society’s spirituality but we now understand how important service workers, first responders, and teachers are to the fabric of our lives. We learned the simple pleasure in hearing the cry of a newborn or the welcoming voice of a loved one on the phone. We realized how important self-care truly is; because we’ve reacquainted ourselves with how valuable community can be. Additionally, we’ve missed and understand there is nothing more sacred or meaningful than the power of human touch.
Lastly, we all learned that money isn’t everything and even with all the riches that can be amassed will not make a difference, because given the right circumstances any person or family can be touched by an airborne monster that knows no class. We learned that liberating ourselves from the barrier of what we’ve always done allowed us to find our brave. In discovering it; we’ve released bondage gripping fear which has altered us forever.
Now here we are in the first month year 2022 and as we look back at 2021; we can lift our heads high. We can be grateful that we survived that first year after the world was shaken to its core. We’ve overcome a shut down while navigating a pandemic; we sobered up and learned how to work from an office that may look more like our living room. We now desperately know the value of being physically and emotionally healthy. We now hug each other a bit tighter and extend a bit more grace to those who are under served. We learned to truly appreciate generations of ancestors that came before us because they overcame insurmountable odds to bring us to this moment.
We realized at the end of it all, it’s the relationships and legacy we build now; while we’re here that matters, has relevance and adds value to our existence.
The Healing Place Prayer Ministry! 