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Here we are at the beginning of 2021 according to our modern day calendars after a year full of unexpected experiences of which living with restrictions related to the COVID-19 virus has to be the biggest one. For me personally, I had 8 months of great joy during 2020 working in employment that was the pinnacle of my career and often marvelled at this blessing until receiving the shocking news of a multiple whammy, which felt like a barrage of physical illness just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles. The FOT was definitely the absolute highlight of 2020.
Reality has somewhat set in after 3 months in order for me to learn how to live with the dreaded disease of Diabetes Mellitus which is genetically linked from my Dad’s side of the family, as well as Adrenal Fatigue related to a 5 cm growth on my left Adrenal Gland which is still to be determined whether benign or cancerous. Then there is the discovery of lactose intolerance, multiple allergies to foods such as nuts, grains, and pretty much anything processed. The abdominal pain associated with all of this can be incredibly debilitating but after bowel surgery things are looking much brighter.
Whole foods such as free range eggs from happy, free range chickens, lactose free milk, organic coconut based yoghurts, grass fed Australian meats, local fresh fish as well as tuna and sardines, high fibre, low carbohydrate, no sugar flatbreads free of anything GMO and produced by a small family business in pristine conditions of a country region, is amazingly delicious and the first bread I can truly endorse that does not break apart or taste like cardboard; also a wide variety of vegetables and salads are the panacea so far. Thanks to my sister, a most welcome recent discovery has been the addition of Tabouli. Once upon a time this would have contorted my nose to say, no way...that looks most unappetising, but now I truly enjoy it. Progress!
Little by little I am finding things that do not cause irritable bowel as well as my diverticulosis to flare up and there are some products out there that are really healthy and nice as well, which is a great bonus. Nexba is a brand of carbonated drinks with no sugar, nothing artificial added, only single digit calories with flavours such as Cherry Cola, Pineapple, Natural, Cucumber and Mint, Strawberry with Raspberry, Mixed Berries, Tonic Water, Lemon and more. Great for hot days when you might feel like something fruity, bubbly, non-alcoholic and natural but cannot have any sugar and do not want to poison your body with artificial sugars such as aspartame. Each drink contains Probiotics, very helpful and most welcome for the suffering gut.
Finally, there is a non-milk product, no sugar ice cream that is smooth and silky on the palate, with a coconut base and flavour to match. Truly, if asked was it any good, I could honestly reply it tasted amazing and just as nice, if not better than any other ice cream out there. Just yesterday this little gem was found even though it was expensive and twice the price of what I wanted to pay. Slowly but surely it is satisfying to discover replacements and alternatives to what I refer to as “devil’s food” that is manufactured and marketed to produce diseases that will eventually kill you after suffering to some extent whether from Diabetes Mellitus, the primary disease which afflicts the Endocrine System, and also the myriad of diseases linked to the Gastrointestinal System. Convenience while working shift work, especially night duty for years and years is a big price to pay. Entrenched habits are hard to break but all things are possible with God.
Other notable things from 2020 apart from surgery and illness, were purchasing a new car while still working; admitting defeat to accept the fact that retiring from work one month later due to ill health was necessary; applying for and then withdrawing all of my superannuation early to be able to afford to live, and then becoming the recipient of government welfare which just covers the rent thankfully for now but once the COVID Supplement is removed, then it will not. None of this was my first choice but it has to be this way for now. Suffice to say that any and all vestiges of pride have needed to be dealt with, and this has been a huge internal struggle. 2020 has been a rather eventful year and if I could turn the clock back and change things I would. However, we know this to be impossible and therefore the many lessons needed to be learned must be so. Are we ready for 2021?
The new year is usually heralded with fireworks as we transition from December 31 into January 1 for the majority of the world, or later in February known as the Chinese New Year, and in March for others which is quite a discrepancy. Recently I have surprisingly discovered that apparently the new year is celebrated by more people than celebrate xmas. Who would have thought? No matter when celebrated it is steeped in paganism from about 4,000 years ago brought in by the Babylonian culture which is totally and fundamentally opposed to God’s way. Taking part in New Year’s Eve is a big no no for God’s people as it most definitely does not align with what God says in the Bible. My pagan memories are full of indulgence and unwanted side effects one year when I became acutely ill. What I did was really foolish — I was young and naïve — mixing different alcoholic drinks at a family gathering encouraged by others, which caused me harm. Passing out after midnight while wishing everybody “Happy New Year” was my last conscious memory until I woke up the next day with vomit everywhere. My contact lenses felt like razor blades in my eyes. Never again!
New Year’s Eve for me since converted looks like a quiet night at home safely tucked away with a good book then retiring to bed early and definitely on the left side of midnight. Sometimes I vaguely hear the loud cheers of neighbours and fireworks as the clock strikes midnight, but not this time. Waking up the following morning feeling refreshed to start another day is very welcome while I pin up a new calendar. There are some lovely calendars out there which refer to different scriptures from Psalms, one for each month, along with beautiful scenes from God’s creation. We tend to purchase these since beginning a real relationship with God, and they correctly begin each week with Sunday, the first day of the week.
Have you noticed that there are many calendars out there these days beginning the week with Monday? This is erroneous and it centres around the working week, rather than acknowledging how God created the 7 day cycle culminating with the weekly Sabbath every Saturday which is the 7th day thereby making Sunday the first day of the week, not Monday. This is just another deception out there courtesy of the devil who enjoys creating confusion. When faced with these types of calendars I do not use them as they muck with my mind, but if online we can easily access the settings feature to make the necessary adjustment to fix the situation. I have found it rather surprising to see just how many colleagues at work have so quickly and readily adapted to this calendar change without much thought or attention; they just accept it as if it is no big deal. But it is.
You may have heard of the Roman calendar and the Hebrew calendar. Presently the majority of the world uses the Gregorian calendar first introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII which contained slight modifications to improve accuracy after previously using the Julian calendar. There is so much to read about involving the historicity of calendars and it is quite interesting, even though confusing, because of changes to include amendments based on solar cycles as people made mistakes and these needed to be rectified. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar is a link for basic knowledge on different calendars from years past and the basis for how various cultures observed days. You can see that the Catholic Church had huge influential powers in these changes down through the centuries. However, no matter what calendar people use, the cycle of the moon remains stable and unaffected and this is one foolproof way of knowing when God’s holy days occur.
Recently I saw on Facebook the other day about how somebody thinks things will suddenly improve because we have “left 2020 behind”. They were quite obviously referring to the COVID virus but we can already see London in their third wave with disastrous pandemic numbers saying 1 person out of 30 are affected in the city itself while 1 out of 50 in the country. Meanwhile the USA and parts of Europe and Asia have huge mind boggling numbers climbing on a daily basis. One week into January and not off to a great start after all! A year cannot be all good or all bad because it is within a certain timeframe. It is totally unrealistic and absurd to think 2021 will be largely free of calamity because 2020 was so bad therefore it must be better, surely?! The world will continue to have bushfires, drought, earthquakes, famine, pestilence, volcanoes erupt, landslides, and tornadoes whether it is 1921 or 2021. The world mistakenly thinks this way because of removing God from the picture and I clearly remember thinking like this when part of the world.
What I find somewhat fascinating yet ludicrous is that people really believe 2021 will be better than 2020. Can we change what happens with the change of a calendar? COVID-19 virus will not suddenly go away because of the change in a year. Really?! Now I thought I was an optimist but not when compared with all the nations out there who think things will improve because the year has changed. Wishful thinking at best. Noticeably even a few people in God’s church have said 2021 will be better. Not according to my Bible. If anything, I read about blessings being removed, the land cursed, increasing persecutions and stronger attacks on Christianity, financial upheaval, imprisonment for some, further abominations being committed, greater and greater deceptions, confusion with lies increasing, and eventual captivity. Doesn’t sound the best does it?! Unless nations repent from sin then things will get worse and you can rely on that because God does not lie. Are we awake or half asleep? The reality is we are all about to go through a time like no other and it won’t be pretty. Whether any or all of this occurs over the next 12 months God only knows but we know one thing — it will be sudden — it will take almost everyone unaware and by surprise.
Are we focussed and ready? Things are going along today just like in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39, Luke 17:26-27). People are still getting married and given in marriage — we continue to eat and drink, buy and sell (sales of alcohol increased markedly in 2020 along with wrongful attitudes of “you only live once: (YOLO) — therefore eat, drink and make merry for tomorrow you will die) — with some even continuing to hold illegal rave parties known as super spreader events despite lockdowns. Most of us go out to see friends and relatives perhaps with limits in households depending on where we live, going to the beach, walking in the park, and generally living life as we know it. We could be lulled into a false sense of security thinking we have “a new normal” but we would be kidding ourselves. This week on the news an Australian airline was announcing the return to international travel with the sale of tickets from July — huh? I guess the authorities are relying on the COVID vaccines to assist with this. How bizarre to think one will be safe and immune. Really, it is all about money, rather than health.
Even though we are living in a new year and have left behind the time of 2020, 2021 will bring with it its own unique challenges and we need to be ready for whatever these are. God’s Word does not change therefore we must be on high alert for further deceptions which will be unleashed upon the whole of the world. At the conclusion of the matter we will flourish as long as we are close to God. There is no need to worry or stress because we can fully rely and trust God to be faithful to his infallible Word. It would be wise and prudent to keep in mind the scripture from Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 which states “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new’? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after”. Perhaps we can all ramp up our efforts to be about our Father’s business throughout 2021 so we are not caught unaware. The new year assures us of one thing and that is we are one year closer to the return of Jesus Christ.