I have always tried to look for the good in everything.

Is there a silver lining to all that we have been through thus far in the covid-19 pandemic?

I thought of 5 things I have seen in these tough times for which I am thankful:

1. As a pastor, I have gotten better acquainted with many people on the phone that I might not have ever gotten to know very well had we not been kept from attending church.

2. I now have a deeper level of appreciation for my friends and loved ones.

3. Senior adults seem to be handling this adversity better than most would have thought.

4. The price of gas dropped to what it was 40 years ago.

5. My well-being does not depend upon the number of rolls of toilet paper in the house!

But, I am also a realist, and these 5 pandemic observations cause me great concern:

1. It has now been proven that the whole world can be controlled by a single reason.

2. Unreasonable fear is unreasonable, and common sense is not always common.

3. Evidently, money does grow on trees— the government just has to vote it so.

4. Personal freedoms and our national liberties are under threat of radical change.

5. The conclusions by the media and political pundits regarding who is to blame most for the pandemic and how it was han dled will have lasting repercussions.

Point #5 of my concerns comes from being a senior adult.

The country needs to beware of drawing hasty conclusions, and here is why:

Conclusions about past events establish current dogma and shape the future.

In other words, there are consequences for what one generation does that will affect the next generation.

Let these words and the concerns you have for our future cause us all to pray for our local, state and national leaders to make wise decisions.

Next week: Lest we forget

Dan Williams is the senior adult pastor at Lexington Baptist Church.