Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled

I’m sure you all have heard the great news this week. WHO has declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Some localized incidents may still occur, but it’s no longer a global crisis. We hope nothing like this will happen again in our lifetime or in the future generations. We don’t know how long it will take for us to recover from the trauma of these three years.

Now is the time for us to heal the wounds and strengthen our spirits to handle any future challenges that may be on the way. We must rejoice for the relief, but we cannot coast because life is a series of peaks and valleys. When we are at a peak, prepare for the valley; when we are in a valley, be ready for the peak. That’s the wise way to live in this fallen world.

One thing we can learn from this past pandemic is how fragile human lives can be despite our amazing inventions and incredible evolution in science, medicine, technology, and education. People used to think our growth in knowledge would save us from evil. But this pandemic reveals how little we know.

A Chinese proverb says, “When morality grows a foot, evil grows a yard.” (道高一尺魔高一丈). It means evil evolves faster than morality, warning us not to believe that we will outgrow evil, not on this side of eternity. We must grasp this harsh reality without letting our hearts be troubled.

The good news is Jesus has taught us how to handle hardship. The first century Israel was not better, but maybe worse, than our society today. His disciples thought since they had found the Messiah, they had secured their future, including the future of their nation. However, things were about to get worse before getting better.

When their master told them that even the Son of God was about to suffer crucifixion by the evil power, they were extremely discouraged. Their hearts were troubled when their only hope was about to explode.

How many of you have experienced the feeling of losing your last hope? We live in a fallen world, and the only thing that keeps us going is hope. We need hope to cope. When we lose hope, we suffer from all kinds of problems—depression, distress, desperation, despair, disorder, and you name it. Our hearts are troubled during hardship.

The good news is that Jesus taught us a secret that will keep our hope alive during trying times and turn us into instruments of hope for others. He began by saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled,” then revealed the secret to maintain hope to cope. Let’s begin!