Press releases

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) published this op-ed in the Baptist Message on December 18, 2020. 

Below are key excerpts from the article, which focuses on the challenges Louisianians have faced in 2020 and reasons to be confidently hopeful this Christmas season.

“This year not been easy for Louisiana.

“No one could have foreseen when 2020 began that, in just a few months, an unprecedented pandemic would shut down America’s economy and a novel coronavirus would infect more than 200,000 Louisianians, with over 6,000 confirmed deaths.

“As if the coronavirus didn’t cause enough loss, Louisiana has also had a particularly bad hurricane season, too. In August, Hurricane Laura killed at least 28 Louisianians, destroyed over 10,000 homes, and caused up to $14 billion in damages. Tragically, while we were still recovering from Laura, Hurricanes Delta and Zeta followed, further devastating much of the state.

“Louisianians are tough. We have been through worse and always come out stronger. We are tired. We will, however, make it through this challenging year and be the better for it, with God’s help.

“It can be difficult to focus on God’s love in such hard times. But this is exactly when we must draw encouragement from the Lord. The same God who loved us by being born into humble surroundings and dying in our place is the same God who will carry us through any trial we ever face—whether that storm is called Laura or COVID-19.

“So whatever life’s trials, whatever we have suffered through this year, we can hold onto God’s love and know that we didn’t make it through 2020 by ourselves and we don’t face 2021 alone.”

Read the full op-ed in the Baptist Message here.