Episode 58: Navigating the Emotions of 2020

As we close out 2020 and look ahead to 2021, there’s no guest on the show this week. We’ve already recorded five episodes for 2021, which I am so excited to share with you all starting in January, but this week I just wanted to take some time to share some thoughts that I’ve had on my heart this year and reflect on some of the events that shaped me in 2020.

This year has been a bear, without question. I don’t know what you’ve dealt with in 2020, but I know you’ve dealt with something. We all have. We’ve all experienced suffering and pain — some of us in ways we could never have imagined. The loss and isolation we felt at times was unlike anything we’ve experienced in some time. For some this might have genuinely been the worst year of your life.

As we get closer and closer to the New Year — or maybe you’ve already started to see this — your social media will probably be filled with people talking about how they’re ready to end this “dumpster fire” of a year and welcome in a new year.

This happens every single year — we get to the end of the year and people are ready to throw the current year away and welcome in a new one. You’ve heard me say it before, but the phrase “dumpster fire,” especially in this context, has become somewhat of a pet peeve of mine. It just seems like an overwrought, low-hanging-fruit way to describe a bad year, especially one like 2020.

We know the reality is that every year for the rest of our lives will bring heartache, suffering, pain, and sadness.

Just because the calendar switches over to January 2021, that doesn’t mean COVID-19 or any other horrible thing about 2020 will magically disappear. Some of you are still in the thick of whatever it is you’ve been going through. That won’t go away just because the calendar says it’s a new year.

Let’s instead position our hearts to be excited about what’s to come but also remember what we’ve gone through.

You might feel like this year was a dumpster fire. But you have gone through it. God has led you through the fire. 

As you enter a new year, I pray you don’t forget the work God did in you and through this year. Even in the times when it was so hard to see it.

Friends, I cannot thank you enough for joining me on this journey in 2020 and supporting me and this show all year. You are the reason I do this show and I hope the conversations we’ve had on here have brought value to your life.

I’m so excited about where this show is headed in 2021 and I can’t wait to continue bringing you more amazing conversations with incredible people.

If you need me at all, you can find me @ColeClaybourn on Twitter and Instagram and I’m on Facebook as well at Cole Douglas Claybourn.