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Brothers and sisters,
welcome to this update!
The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus
has quickly spread throughout the world.
The number of cases has exploded.
We’re saddened to report
that as of Friday, January 21,
26,813 of our brothers
have now died from COVID-19.
But there have been
some encouraging developments.
For those who are vaccinated,
cases of Omicron are generally milder
and have not led to hospitalization or death.
For example, you may have heard reports
that there has been a major outbreak
of Omicron in Puerto Rico.
You may also know that Puerto Rico
has a very high rate of vaccination.
Although 551 cases were reported
among our brothers
during the recent outbreak,
only three of our brothers have died.
And it is our understanding that all of them
had serious underlying health issues.
Even one death is too many,
yet we’re relieved that so few died.
Our hearts go out to all
who have lost loved ones.
Please continue to be careful.
The pandemic is not over,
and we need to continue
to take practical steps
to protect our lives and our health.
In addition to the pandemic,
it has been sobering
to watch recent world events unfold.
We see one natural disaster after another,
and we hear threats of war.
“The king of the north”
and “the king of the south”
continue “pushing” one another.
When we hear all these things
happening in the world,
it reminds us how vital it is
that we “keep on the watch”.
We need to stay awake spiritually
and not doze off or get distracted.
Why?
Because we are living
in the most critical time in human history.
Jesus knew that the last days
would bring challenges
that would test our spiritual focus.
Out of his deep love, he urged his followers
as recorded at Luke chapter 21
verses 34-36:
“But pay attention to yourselves
“that your hearts never become weighed down
“with overeating and heavy drinking
and anxieties of life,
“and suddenly that day
be instantly upon you as a snare.
“For it will come upon all those dwelling
on the face of the whole earth.
“Keep awake, then,
all the time making supplication
“that you may succeed
in escaping all these things
that must occur and in standing
before the Son of man.”
We constantly hear encouraging reports
that you dear brothers and sisters
are working hard to “keep awake”
and remain busy in your service to Jehovah.
You’re busy in your personal ministry
—writing letters, making phone calls,
and looking for opportunities
to share the good news informally—
and many were able to auxiliary pioneer
during the recent campaign.
Staying busy in Jehovah’s service
is a protection for us.
But more is required to protect our hearts.
It’s vital for all of us to “keep awake”
—to be watchful of things
that could pose a danger to us spiritually.
What are some of these dangers?
Jesus mentioned things
like “overeating and heavy drinking
and anxieties of life.”
What are some ways
that these things could cause our hearts
to “become weighed down”?
First, let’s talk
about one common cause for anxiety
—social isolation.
No doubt we have never felt as isolated
as we have during this pandemic.
True, it has been necessary
to isolate ourselves physically
to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
But if we’re not careful,
we could start
to isolate ourselves in other ways.
Maybe at times, we feel Zoom fatigue,
and we even want
to isolate ourselves virtually.
What’s the danger?
Proverbs 18:1 says:
“Whoever isolates himself
“pursues his own selfish desires;
he rejects all practical wisdom.”
It takes effort to reach out
to our brothers by telephone,
by videoconference,
or even with an email or text message,
but so often the encouragement
that we receive from doing so
makes the effort so worthwhile.
Often, we receive back
more than what we may have given.
Just as Jesus said at Acts 20:35:
“There is more happiness in giving
than there is in receiving.”
An article on jw.org entitled
“How to Deal With Isolation”
made an interesting point
under the heading
“Cultivate friendships”:
“Friendships benefit
your mental and emotional health
“and are even more important
when face-to-face connections are difficult.
“If you are confined at home,
“you may be able to use videoconferencing
“or voice calls
to maintain existing friendships
and build new ones.”
We need our brothers and sisters,
and they need us!
To have a friend, we must be a friend.
So be a friend!
Could you reach out to someone this week?
Perhaps you can think of a friend
whom you haven’t been able
to talk with for some time.
The joy of speaking with your friend
will no doubt calm
some of the anxieties in your heart.
We can’t wait to get back
to our Kingdom Halls, Assembly Halls,
to have our large regional conventions,
special conventions,
and even international conventions.
In the meantime, we are grateful
that we have other means
to enjoy these programs, such as Zoom,
JW Stream and, in some cases,
TV and radio.
Of course, most congregations
are using Zoom for their meetings.
Isn’t it encouraging
to see our brothers’ and sisters’ faces?
We appreciate
being able to see them comment
and see them singing from the heart.
This also helps us
to fight feelings of isolation.
Simply turning your camera on and smiling,
even a simple wave,
can be such an encouragement to others.
And we can make it our goal to connect early
and stay longer after the meeting.
We can enjoy visiting
with the friends in breakout rooms.
Brothers and sisters,
these are some practical ways
that we can fight back
against feelings of isolation
and the anxiety that isolation
can create in our hearts.
Another danger
that Jesus mentioned was heavy drinking.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong
with drinking alcohol in moderation.
The Scriptures describe wine
as a gift from God,
designed to make the “heart rejoice.”
But some caution is needed.
Why?
Remember, Jesus specifically cautioned
that our hearts
could become “weighed down
with . . . heavy drinking.”
Secular reports indicate that many people
have increased their alcohol consumption
during the pandemic.
The article “Alcohol Consumption
—How Can You Stay in Control?”
on jw.org states:
“Some people drink more alcohol
“when they feel stressed,
lonely, or simply bored.
“Are you drinking more than you used to?
“If so, how can you make sure
“that your drinking does not get out of hand
or lead to alcohol dependence?”
Even if a person does not get drunk,
immoderate drinking
can pose spiritual dangers.
Isaiah 5:11 says:
“Woe to those who get up early
in the morning to drink alcohol,
“who linger late into the evening darkness
until wine inflames them!”
Why these woes?
Note the spiritual consequences
in the second half of verse 12:
“They do not consider
the activity of Jehovah,
and they do not see the work of his hands.”
Immoderate drinking
can weigh our hearts down
and cause us to neglect spiritual things.
It can cause us
to slow down in the race for life
or even to stop running altogether.
No wonder Jesus specifically mentioned it
when discussing the need
to keep awake spiritually.
Why not review that article on jw.org,
which features five tips
to help us keep alcohol in its proper place?
What is another potential danger
to our spiritual alertness?
Misuse of social media.
There’s been a lot of concern
from governmental and medical authorities
about the effect that social media
is having on people’s
mental and emotional health.
Even more important
are the spiritual concerns:
the content, the people,
and the amount of time involved.
It can be addictive.
Brothers and sisters,
if you decide to allow your family
to use social media, please be alert.
Make sure you have good association
with those who promote good spiritual habits,
whether on screen or off.
The whiteboard animation
Be Social-Network Smart
provides some good reminders
on how to be balanced yet cautious
when using social media.
What’s the final challenge
we want to consider?
Tests of neutrality.
With so many different
challenging situations in the world
and even the threat of war in some countries,
we need to be sure
that we are not allowing our hearts
to take sides on these issues.
How sad it has been
to see simple public health measures
like wearing masks, handwashing,
physical distancing, and vaccinations
become controversial, even political!
Some of our brothers and sisters
have been influenced by the political views
of those in their community.
Some have turned to the Internet
and have been deeply influenced
by official-appearing websites
filled with highly political propaganda.
Brothers and sisters, be careful.
Just because something appears
on an official-looking web page
on the Internet
does not make it true.
We must guard
against “the spirit of the world”
and remain neutral.
How appropriate are Jesus’ words:
“Pay attention to yourselves
that your hearts
never become weighed down.”
Let’s keep focused on God’s Kingdom
as the only solution
to this world’s problems.
What has helped
some families to keep awake?
Let’s see as we watch the following video.
During the pandemic,
it was definitely difficult
to keep a good routine
and it was very easy to form bad habits.
During isolation,
I spent more time in front of the computer,
and it disturbed my sleep pattern.
I had to make an adjustment
(because with bad habits, you know,
they’re easy to form and hard to break),
so I did a little bit
of replacement therapy (I call it),
where you switch from mindless TV watching
to something
that’s a little bit more profitable,
which is our own TV station,
JW Broadcasting®.
As I spent a lot of time watching television,
I heard a lot of negative information
about vaccination.
I was frightened.
I felt pressure from the media,
and I decided
not to get vaccinated for some time.
We often asked Jehovah for guidance.
The Governing Body updates were timely
and helped us to make the right decisions.
When the pandemic first started,
I had a lot of free time on my hands,
so I was just on social media all the time
or on technology all the time.
Family worship was an excellent opportunity
for us to be able to talk about social media
—to really get Jehovah’s thinking on it—
and how we can balance it
while not eliminating it completely,
so that we controlled it
and it didn’t control us.
It was a slow process,
but eventually I deleted my social media
and began setting time limits for other apps
that would take a lot of my time.
Our family decided
to spend more time together.
We played music and danced together.
We played board games
and went for walks together in the forest.
That helped us
to reduce the time we used for social media.
I decided to keep my schedule busy,
so I started a few new hobbies,
like knitting and gardening.
I saw a lot of benefit in staying close
to the congregation through Zoom,
even though Zoom is not easy for me.
Being able to spend time
with people who were going
through the same thing as I was,
was really beneficial.
We could all talk
about what we were dealing with
and encourage each other as well.
We arranged
online Bible-based games through Zoom.
I found it nice to use Zoom
to connect with the congregation
for events that were planned
by those in our hall.
Some of them were interviews
with those who have been
in our hall for a long time,
so it was nice to hear those experiences
and be able to draw closer to them.
During the pandemic,
I would reach out to others
—either a phone call
or a little card or a text message
or just dropping something off
at someone’s door—
and it helped me to feel closer
to my brothers and sisters too.
The Governing Body updates
were an absolute lifeline.
They were something that really helped us
to focus all of our activity.
As parents, they helped us
to have clear direction,
so we felt like we were guided
through the whole pandemic
and encouraged at the same time.
I also have been able to see Jehovah
answer my personal prayers even more so
and see just how he
is holding all of us up
during this difficult time,
because I don’t think any of us
could get through this pandemic without him.
We are proud of these families
for keeping awake to spiritual dangers.
Did you notice
how they counteracted social isolation?
They have reached out to others regularly.
They use videoconferencing
to stay close
to their congregations and dear friends.
Did you notice how they addressed
their use of social media?
They talked about it as a family
and decided either to reduce the time spent
or eliminate it completely.
They have also increased
the time they spend together,
including enjoyable outdoor activities.
And how did they handle tests of neutrality?
They prayed to Jehovah
and trusted the information
provided by “the faithful and discreet slave”
in making their own personal decisions.
Very soon, Jehovah’s day
will come upon all the earth.
It’s vital that we keep awake.
Now is not the time
to become spiritually drowsy or distracted!
Remember Jesus’ words at Luke 21:36:
“Keep awake, then,
all the time making supplication
“that you may succeed
in escaping all these things
that must occur and in standing
before the Son of man.”
By earnestly supplicating Jehovah
and applying the fine direction
we are receiving,
we will be successful!
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting.

2022 Governing Body Update #1