Letter from Jason – April 2021

Dear Honey Run Friends,

This year has been a once-in-a-generation type of year. The Covid pandemic is certainly not the first pandemic the world has seen (nor will it be the last), but it is the first one we have all experienced. The pandemic really made me dig deeper into my faith. It allowed me to connect with fellow Christians around the world digitally, as this was a rare time in which every nation, every ethnicity group, every type of person was dealing with the same adversity. In a sad way it has brought us all together with a common enemy. We also have a common enemy in the devil, or evil spirits. Somehow with these common foes of humanity we also find ways to attack each other and create manmade enemies. Why can we not see our commonality, join hands, and march toward the light together? Why do we allow Satan to create hatred amongst ourselves and then allow ourselves to be the destroying pandemic? We are all different – different races, different sexes, different nationalities, different economic groups, different religions. But we all come from the same place at birth when we arrive in this world, and we all will leave this world through death. So how different are we?

This past week our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrated Passover, and our Christian family celebrated Easter, Resurrection Sunday. Our Muslim brothers and sisters will be celebrating Ramadan starting next week, and many of our fellow citizens did not celebrate anything as they do not observe any religion. My faith is rooted in Christianity, and as a Christian I am taught that God created everyone and loves everyone. Why would I believe that I have the right to judge or condemn anyone? I am not God, and I did not create the human race or the earth. I have many skills in this life, but the creation of life is not one of them. I respect everyone, and I greatly enjoy learning about other cultures, races, and religions. That does not negate my faith in God or lessen my values; it strengthens them. It shows me that God had a great plan for us, and we have allowed our free will to interfere with God’s will. God’s plan was for us to live in peace and love one another. Regardless of whether you worship God or not, we all seem to have this desire for peace inside of us. So why can we not temper our tongues, humble our pride, and listen to one another? Why can we not accept that we are all different, but we are all human, and therefore we have more in common than not? What happened to the America I knew where we were allowed to have dissenting opinions and yet we still held mutual respect for one another as a brother or sister in the human race?

This past Sunday I celebrated and remembered the resurrection of our Savior Jesus who died for our sins and then overcame death to show me and the world that there is more than this life on earth. Jesus’ resurrection reminds me that I serve a God who created me and has a perfect plan for my life and yours. God wants us all to know the unending joy and peace that comes from God in this life and for eternity. Whether you share my beliefs or not, I love you. I want the best for you, and my prayer is that you have this joy and peace that I experience daily. We are all citizens of this world. My prayer for all of us this side of the resurrection is that we each do our part to love our neighbor as ourselves, and then watch how the world is transformed.

Your joy-filled Innkeeper,

Jason