Only two months ago, it seemed that life was starting to become more normal. People were getting vaccinated, families were gathering, in-person board meetings were planned, indoor dining was expanding, and there was a sense that while the pandemic was still with us, there was a growing light at the end of the tunnel.
Now we’re seeing a surge of COVID in pockets around the country, restrictions are back in place in many areas, and in-person meetings are being replaced once again by Zoom. Lutheran social ministry organizations are continuing to face tough challenges such as breakthrough infections among vaccinated staff and residents, whether or not to mandate the vaccine, and how to cope with the acute staff shortages that we face across the country.
Sometimes it can seem endless.
It must have also seemed endless to Job. His wealth and livelihood were wiped out in one day, he lost all of his children, and he was physically afflicted. Even worse, his friends and community insisted that it was all his fault. It’s painful to read about the blame and guilt they placed on Job. And yet while broken, Job persisted in his faith declaring “though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15), and in his process of discernment, he gained a greater understanding of God declaring “For I know that my Redeemer lives and at last he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25). In the end, Job’s suffering was alleviated and his fortune was restored in abundance.
We don’t know when the pandemic will end. But as a community of faith, we walk by faith knowing that our hope is in Him and that we will not be disappointed.
By Charlotte Haberaecker, President & CEO
