#BTEditorial – Celebrating Easter with renewed faith

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrew Chapter 11 verse 1 (King James Version)

What a difference a year makes! This time last year on said Maundy Thursday we were under strict COVID-19 guidelines. The health guidelines were so stringent that they restricted those of the Christian faith and belief from worshipping on two of the most sacred days on the Christian calendar.

Churches across Barbados were closed and believers had to resort to online services, where possible, for their fill on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But here we are in 2022, with COVD-19 restrictions lifted for the most part and fellowship can be a reality for all who so desire it.

The past year has been a test of faith and fortitude for every individual on this rock and, by extension, the country as a whole. Many have lost loved ones to the deadly Coronavirus while others have counted losses under other circumstances. We continue to have challenges either with our water supply, cost of living, fuel costs, unemployment, or otherwise.

This time last year, we would have faced the pandemic, the ashfall from the La Soufriere volcano, and little did we know we would soon be facing a destructive Category 1 Hurricane Elsa. It seemed as though we were wading through one disaster after another.

Now, here we are looking back at how far we have come. And although the challenges in life never end until the day of death, we can boldly say we are in a better place.

Certainly, hope springs eternal. Our tourism and entertainment sectors have reopened, causing us to have improved occupancy levels due to an increase in tourist arrivals.

Our children are back in school even if under a phased approach. Many of them needed to be back in the physical classroom as they were slipping badly.

Corporate Barbados is pleased as all businesses are open and everyone is free to ply their trade again. Government is continuing its job of managing the pandemic and the numbers where possible.

And, during this said year, our country historically became a republic, naming our first President Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason and an additional National Hero in The Right Honourable Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

Indeed, strides have been made individually and collectively.

But it is highly unlikely that any of us could have foreseen such a future. The moments of 2021 seemed so dim and uncertain. All we could have done is hold on to that hope and faith as we clung to the words in our National Anthem: “The Lord has been the people’s guide for past 300 years. With Him still on the people’s side, we have no doubts or fears . . . .”

Our journey mirrored that of the Easter story. We had to wade through a gloomy, dark, depressing Good Friday which felt like “the valley of the shadow of death”. But it is only in going through that period that we then get the glory and satisfaction of the resurrection. We are in a period of resurrection. We are on our way to rising again.

May we take the lessons learnt while in that “valley of the shadow of death” and gird ourselves for any such walk in the future. May we tell generations to come of what we have overcome and continue to overcome.

Having looked back, this Easter certainly gives us renewed hope and faith in God. Let us always remember that the reason we overcome is that He first overcame.

Anglican Bishop of Barbados Rev Michael Maxwell put it well in his Easter message to the nation.

“Again, my friends, it is because of Christ’s resurrection that we can have the blessed assurance that if God has brought us to the challenge and allowed us to experience it that He surely knows how to bring us through it and can raise us up once we continue to trust, rely on, and give Him thanks in all things. The truth of Jesus’ resurrection affirms that when life has been shattered through tragedy and pain, the only sure hope and deliverance for the future lies in what God alone can do when we respond in faith to Him,” he said.

“If then, as individuals and as a nation, we desire to be empowered to overcome whatever challenges confront us and be given the victory, we ought, as Jesus our Lord did, to commend our spirit and the spirit of our nation into the loving, powerful, steadfast hand of God, that He may raise us up, despite the circumstances, to be more than we ever thought or could be in our own strength.”

As we go about our tasks throughout this Easter weekend, may we be mindful of the significance of the season; that while weeping may endure for a night, joy will come in the morning. Whatever we are facing individually or collectively, let us be reminded that we too shall overcome as long as we renew our faith and hope in the Lord God Almighty.

On behalf of our Chairman, the management team and staff at Barbados TODAY, we wish you a safe and happy Easter!