Genesis 31:6-7-You know that I have served your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me.

At the close of each year we like to look back to put the “year in review”.  We all can conclude that the pandemic has put us at the mercy of trying to adapt in various degrees, hoping that the year 2021 brings with it some form of “normalcy”…
At some point the need to counter what we see, by faith to endure seems to be what the Lord is calling us to embrace.  A lengthy time of being subjected to safety guidelines and various restrictions has brought many around the world to depression, desperate for circumstances to change, and Lord willing they might…
Jacob was bound to the servitude of his uncle Laban for twenty years, where he had been misused and cheated.  Though wary of his circumstances and mistreatment, Jacob found ways to acknowledge that the Lord had been with him in ways he sought to affirm, strengthening his faith while in them. (Ephesians 3:14-17)
The beauty of walking by faith in Jesus is that we can acknowledge the hardship of our circumstances, but that is not the only way of seeing things.  To only see how bad circumstances have been around the world in 2020, would leave anyone depressed.  But what this year has forced us to do is to recount the good God has made of it, namely testing our faith to see Him and live there! (Romans 8:28, Galatians 2:20)
Like Jacob, we too can look at what the Lord has not allowed, and allow that way of seeing life form gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise to Who He is, in spite of what we have endured this past year.  My prayer for us is that we would be more “reflexive” about seeking Christ by faith in hardship.  Because gratitude for God and what he has done, can shift our whole heart and mentality in how we see trials, even if they persist into 2021. (Isaiah 26:3, James 1:2-4)
God bless, and please have a safe and enjoyable New Year-In His Love, Ld