You’re Doing Great! And other reasons to stay alive was released in May, written by a comedian. I haven’t read the book, but I applaud his timing. He has grasped what so few writers have: We need some good news. We’ve all been carrying agonizingly heavy loads for six months, and we need a break. We need hope.

Affirmations from a comedian, even if shallow, might bring welcome relief. We sense that there are things to rejoice about in our lives, perhaps hidden in the mire of the pressing and chaotic changes.

From my editorial perch, I want to say to the RPCNA and her congregations, “You’re doing great!” As I look at all you’ve been through this year and the care with which you’ve responded in considering God’s will and your neighbors’ good, you deserve affirmation. I see you, making difficult decisions every week. I see you, thinking about people who might be isolated in this pandemic. I see you, putting a priority on spiritual unity even when you know that others in your church have diverse opinions of how to handle emerging situations. In this way we resist one of the evil one’s favorite schemes. So be encouraged. You’re doing great!

We aren’t ignoring the suffering, or waiting for it all to pass. We know God is in control and that suffering has purpose. We also know that new realities that bring despair for some help others to see their need for a kingdom that is not of this world, and a God who is above the failed gods of their own making.

As Mister Rogers famously said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

Many helpers work quietly and in small ways. Consider, for example, the ministry of Rev. Jim Carson (1929–2020), who had moments in the spotlight and spent much time in the pulpit; yet some of his best work was done quietly, in groups of a few or one-on-one. Whenever you spent time with him, as I did while on a Synod committee in the 1990s, you had to resist the urge to speak so that you could glean the wisdom of his lifetime of godly service. In his last years of life, and facing his own infirmities, he quietly and faithfully continued his ministry (see article).

To do great things in tough times, we don’t have to be great, don’t have to be noticed, and don’t have to be courageous. As Scripture says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7). “With the spirit of power, we can be confident we have all we need as we go into the world, knowing He has empowered us and He is with us, even to the end of the age. We aren’t banking on our own abilities. We aren’t trusting in our own skills, or confidence, or experience, or creativity, or courage. We’re trusting God to give us everything we need in any moment” (Ann Kroeker, byFaith, Dec. 2018).

So, let me say to you, “You’re doing great!” But, more importantly, hear God’s word from Psalm 31:24: “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”