Sheryl Brady - Being Aware of the Blind Spots

I want to talk to you, and I want to minister from the subject of being aware of blind spots. There is nothing quite like those blind spots. One of my grandchildren is learning how to drive, and I asked her mom the other day, «Have you told her about blind spots?» Because those blind spots are exactly what they say they are—blind spots. Some people have really fancy cars, and if you start to move into another lane, a light will flash or you’ll feel a vibration in your seat that says, «Hey, there’s a blind spot.» But you know what? It’s not always that clear. As we mature in God, we need to be able to defend against anything that would stop us from growing and being all that God wants us to be. So today, that’s what we’re going to talk about.

Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you for the sanctuary. I thank you for what you’re doing in our lives and in our world. I thank you that for many people, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I thank you for continuing to be God, for keeping us, and for giving us wisdom, insight, and direction. Thank you, Lord, not just for America seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but I pray for the nations of the world—that those who feel like they’re still in a pandemic and see no end in sight will find hope today. I pray that you will give them peace and that you will provide for their needs just as you are providing for ours. You are faithful, kind, and loving, and you’ve been an amazing God. We thank you for that.

Now, bless your word, bless me to speak it, and bless your people to hear it with clarity. We will thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen.

So, it’s been a year since we began coming online into your homes, but it’s also, this past week, the anniversary of the pandemic. One year ago, people began using phrases that many of us had never heard of or never even thought about using; our world flipped upside down. We heard things like, «We have to flatten the curve.» For many days, we heard that. We heard phrases like «social distancing.» We didn’t even think about such a thing until a year ago. We heard orders to shelter in place. Suddenly, we became aware of N95 masks. I don’t know that I was really aware of them before, but I certainly am now, and I want to continue to encourage you to wear your masks when you go out until you hear an all-clear. I would rather us be safe than sorry.

We began hearing terms like «quarantine.» What do you mean, I have to quarantine for 14 days? We heard about Zoom calls. I don’t even know what a Zoom call was this time a year ago, but that’s what we ended up having for so many meetings. I began to hear about PPE—personal protective equipment—and the shortages we were facing because of everything happening during this pandemic. Suddenly, state officials began counting available hospital beds and counting ventilators—things you didn’t necessarily think about in pre-pandemic days. You just thought, «If I get sick and need to be in the hospital, there will probably be a bed for me.» But during this pandemic, things like ICU beds began to dwindle down, and people just didn’t know if there would be beds available if they got sick.

We started hearing things like «body bags» and funeral homes saying, «We are full to capacity.» We watched as they brought in tractor trailers and turned them into makeshift morgues due to the high number of deaths occurring. Family members were kept away from their loved ones; they couldn’t enter the hospitals with them. As a result, many had to die in the hands of strangers. That has been so difficult. We just have to trust in the grace of God as He helps us process everything this year has taken us through. Many of you had to drop loved ones off at the door, and for many, that was the last time they saw them. There were no final kisses, no final goodbyes, not even a funeral, because so much was going on; you couldn’t even have a normal funeral. Many families struggled with that, with multiple members of their families passing away because of this pandemic, and in the middle of all this, as if it wasn’t enough, political division began to intensify in America, and racial and economic inequities began to widen.