She sits outside watching her ninety-eight-year-old grandfather as he is wheeled over to the window for their first visit in six months. It has been difficult to spend time together since the pandemic kept them apart, with video chats replacing the hugs and kisses laden warmth stolen from this quisquous year named 2020. Grandfather flattens his hand on the window, beckoning the match to join on the other side, which is obliged in bittersweet ponderosity. He withdraws his hand and caresses his cheek, as he gazes through the transparent wall, the color of tears, with desire to break through this barrier to belonging.

I have not had the experience this forlorn lass has had. My family isn’t accessible at all, so visits remain virtual, and I have been blessed by healthful bounty in those that I love, but I have, in isolation, lost the social belonging that accompanies the gathering of others, be it friends or coworkers. There is a gap that cannot be filled in Zoomeos or social media posts, although I can’t imagine the isolation we would feel without these technical wonders.

Everywhere, I hear you say – 2020 has been the worst year ever. I ask you, why? What is it that you cannot live without? Is it the distractions of pleasure you miss most? Is it dining out or social interactions that make your heart yearn?

Our lives have many competing demands for our attention. Just thinking about all the businesses impact by lack of patrons, and you will see that it is heavily weighted toward entertainments. God doesn’t appreciate competition, and He is getting more attention lately, in the face of prayers for others, or even blame and anger towards Him. The psalmist reminds us: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Ps 34:8). We literally have walls severing our relationships. These walls are filled with tears. Imagine how full of tears the wall of our Lord is when we pull the curtain down on His hand on the window untouched.

Think about that.