Don’t Give Up!

Where are the good old days? The “seven cows, sleek and fat” (Genesis 41:2 NIV) from Pharaoh’s dream are no longer around because the “seven other cows, ugly and gaunt” (v.3) ate them up. Ironically, the “dance of the cows” is already a deterministic feature for almost every period in human history. Maybe we lived a good life or just a portion of it, but now the time has come for a different, unpleasant reality. And the most burning aspect is that we were not consulted or informed of this; it was just imposed upon us by those playing with power and politics.

Nowadays, we are advised to get acquainted with another “ugly and gaunt” word dubbed survival. We are invited, again by those in power and better-off than the majority of the population, to ‘get used to it’, to tame it, to ‘live with it’ and become familiar with it. Because this new reality is here to stay (hopefully, not for seven years as in Pharaoh’s dream, although we are entering the third one), we need to get to know its “relatives” too. Like how to deal with a social crisis, what adjustments are necessary in times like these, managing the personal budget, giving, or receiving help, changing priorities, protecting vulnerable people, the church and a needy community, cutting back and spending less, and others more.

The Winter edition of the Communicator is dedicated to all who have been challenged to learn the new language of survival. Our dedicated volunteer writers have each prepared articles with differing topics and perspectives on this theme. While we must be equipped for these ugly times, we should not choose between living and surviving. Christ promised our survival (Hebrew 13,5.6), and also the promise of a full life (John 10,9.10 NIV). May the good Lord bless us all and may the following year be a better one!

Sorin Petrof is the Executive Editor of the SEC Communicator