2020 is a year to remember.

More than that, a year we will never forget.

We overused the word “unprecedented” in 2020, but it was on-point.

Most of us will be glad to see 2020 go, but the question is, where are we headed? The New Year looks like more of the same chaos. The election is crazy, and COVID-19 is going crazy and many of us feel like we are going crazy.

We hope that Christmas will bring some reprieve So, with Christmas near, I wanted to make a 2020 grown-up Christmas list.

So, this is my 2020 grown-up Christmas list.

1. LESS POLITICS IN THE WORLD
   

2020 is the year of political craziness.

“Politics” is the word of the ’20s. Before the 2016 election, 82% of those polled said that the campaign made them feel “[more] disgusted” about American politics.

Today, when you ask Americans which institutions are “pushing people apart,” they will list political parties to the most divisive.

2. The CORONA-VIRUS IS NOT POLITICAL
   

As a pastor, I have witnessed COVID-19 wreck the lives of many. Our church has lost precious saints to the disease. My heart breaks as we argue over masks, business closings, and red and blue states.

People are dying-real people. We watch the evening news as they report the number of cases.

The doubters talk about padded numbers. The un-maskers think the virus isn’t real, and the rebellious don’t care.

The numbers to check are those in the hospital and the number of deaths. Those numbers are real. Those in the hospital affect the emergency rooms, doctors and the nurses.

The deaths burst through the homes of someone who lost a mom, dad, sister, brother, or a loved one.

That’s real.

3. MORE ACCEPTING OF OTHERS
   

We have lost our respect for those of different views. Can Muslims and Christians find a place of respect? Yes.

Can black people and white people be close friends? Yes.

Can Republicans and Democrats go to the same church? Yes.

Christians must do better.  We will talk about cancel culture. Even Christians are caught up in the rhetoric. They continue to cancel each other over politics, vaccines, conspiracy theories, and skin color.

Racism is not a “them” problem. It is an “us” problem. All ethnic groups are hurt and confused.

Change starts with me.

Life is working hard to divide, and isolate us.

Let’s remember: Mercy triumphs over judgment.

4. CANCEL CULTURE IS CANCELED
   

In 2020 we canceled everyone and everything that challenged our opinion. Social media is the place it all goes down. Canceling things you don’t like or disagree with is not healthy. There’s no question that we live in a divided world. For many years we have separated on political views, religion, and more.

But violence and unfiltered vitriol have no place in the American way of life.

Cancel culture is an affront to a free nation.

Many are afraid to voice or tweet their opinion. One tweet has the potential to make you a public enemy.

“Cancel culture has become a sort of a source of fear for many Americans where we live in a culture that you are somehow afraid that if you say the wrong thing that your life will be forever changed.

-Former presidential candidate, Andrew Yang

5. PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IS ABOUT THE SPORT
   

I miss the days when sports were about sport. I realize athletes are people and have a voice. I also recognize that God has given these athletes a platform to speak out.

However, most don’t care to know what political party an athlete supports. Yes, all athletes have the right to stand up for issues but to make the problems divisive is another story.

We miss the days of enjoying a sport without hearing the political jargon

6. KOBE BRYANT IS STILL HERE
   

The death of Kobe Bryant was shocking. Kobe was an icon and a beast of an athlete.

Here are some responses to his untimely death.

Lebron cried. Shaq cried. The world cried. Vanessa Bryant stood firm. I dare you to watch one of those videos and try not to shed a tear. ESPN shared a video tribute that concluded with a young Gianna Bryant looking up at her father after presumably after one of his early NBA Championship victories. She looked up at him with awestruck eyes, a giant to her … and to the world. Around the world, little kids wrote his name on the ground. They did it with crayons, pen, marker, whatever they could find. Teenagers are tossing balled-up pieces of paper at a trash can and shouting “KOBE” instead of whispering it.

NBA legend Magic Johnson spoke movingly about Kobe Bryant’s legacy on and off the court in an emotional phone interview with CBS Los Angeles. “I thought he was going to live forever. I thought he was invincible.”

Kobe was not invincible. It turns out that Kobe Bryant was human.

Kobe knew that more than we did. That’s what made him great.

7. SEX TRAFFICKING IS NO MORE
   

Child trafficking affects every country in the world, including the United States. Children make up 27% of all human trafficking victims worldwide, and two out of every three identified child victims are girls.

2020 is the year of heartbreak. Nothing breaks our hearts like kids being used as sex toys.

Victims of sex trafficking found that the average age of victims is 15 years old. The child is trafficked an average of 5.4 times a day. Some children have sex with more than 30 partners in a week, and more than 100 times a month.

Just thinking about kids being trafficked for sex is devastating.

Let’s pray fervent prayers for the victims and swift justice to the traffickers.

The Song

Kelly Clarkson wrote the song My Grown-Up Christmas List.

This is the chorus in her song:

No more lives torn apart, That wars would never start, And time would heal all hearts.

And everyone would have a friend, And right would always win, And love would never end,

This is my grown-up Christmas list.

Do you have a grown-up Christmas list?

Please leave it in the comments. I would love to read your list.

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