Gloom, and Despair 2021

Gloom, despair, and agony on me.. Deep, dark depression, excessive misery.. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.. Gloom, despair, and agony on me.

Gloom & Despair could be a paraphrased excerpt from Ecclesiastes penned by King Solomon.. but.. in fact they are the lyrics from the silly country ditty of the same title.. Gloom Depair and Agony on me. by Buck Owens & Roy Clark.  This tune was played as part of a regular comedy sketch on the TV show Hee-Haw where hillbilly folk lamented their dire circumstances.

For those of you too young to know, or trying to forget.. Hee-Haw was a television variety show featuring country music and corny but clean humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as a backdrop. It aired on CBS from 1969 to 1971.

note: If you have not figured it out by now, I am your go-to source for obscure TV and movie trivia.  You are all  very welcome.

​Gloom & Despair could also be the mantra for 2021.  I thought 2020 was bad, but.. 2021 is not starting out so great either.  We still have Covid wearing masks, we still have Civil unrest, racial tensions, we have a nation very much divided, and (in my opinion) a church that looks more like the world than it does Jesus.

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​All is lost, gloom and doom, and life is so bad I would feel 'lucky' to call our circumstances hopeless.  Are we all LOSERS living in Loserville USA?

No offense intended, but I am positive to some degree or another this is true.  BUT.. no matter the circumstances, and/or blunders we make individually or collectively we can purposefully choose to repent and return to God. 

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." 1 John 1:9 

Our hope is not in politicians, or a social justice agendas, our hope is in Jesus.  

note: Jesus is not a cliché', Jesus is truth, He is our salvation.  He came to Earth, was our perfect example and teacher for life.  He lived, and died on the Cross, and rose again so that we might live.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

So for all us losers in Loserville, the question of the hour is.. ​If God is for us, who can be against us? Ro:31        This is easily one of greatest rhetorical questions EVER!

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Instead of the worry and angst that goes along with living imperfectly in this imperfect world in a very imperfect year 2021 .. we can have peace and perspective from our God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

This peace comes when we.. love God with all your heart soul and mind and others as yourself.  ​All of life hangs on those two commandments.  - Jesus, Matthew 22:36-40

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I think the Apostle Paul was the king of contentment that rose above circumstance. No place Gloom, Despair, or Agony on me, deep dark depression, excessive misery in the eyes of Paul.  Only loving God and serving others.

So today I pray.. May God bless each of you in 2021 with a gloom and despair free attitude knowing ..
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My help (your help too) comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth..  Psalm 121 1

Amen, and amen!

​Jeff

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