Who thought anything could put the whole world on “pause”? In almost no time, COVID-19 has achieved what our collective ideologies should have acknowledged long ago: despite all our differences, we’re still all humans living on the same orb. We believers would add – beholden and answerable to the same God. While our growing globalization points to our tremendous ability to operate interdependently, it is only here in the face of a common enemy that we realize our oneness in our shared fears.
It is indeed a scary time. How ironic that the great feat of our modern age – our spiraling interconnectedness – is also what has made us vulnerable to this common threat. How sad also that we are called to sacrifice that wonderfully complex and productive interactivity in order to combat this virus. Though the virtual connectivity of our digital age keeps us from complete isolation, our present pause certainly brings home (literally) what we are losing when we disentangle ourselves from each other.
So where is God in a time like this? Here’s where it matters what you believe. I can’t accept that God would choose to visit this misery on us as a punishment. Instead, our answer lies in trusting that the Lord’s vow to be with us always (Matthew 28:20) especially means times like these. Daily we are confronting huge uncertainty with no indication of its duration. Although our suffering will differ in kind and severity, we all face significant losses ahead. How will we recognize God’s presence with us?
My yoga instructor always intones: “There’s power in the pause.” I see these circumstances as our opportunity to receive a special divine insight and blessing. I cannot say what that will look for anyone else. God loves each one of us. Being the perfect parent, however, that means not loving us all the same, but loving each one uniquely. I will pray for healing for the sick, fortitude for the frontline caregivers, genius for scientists looking for a cure, insight for our leaders, security for those not able to work, resilience for those having to work extra (especially all the parents homeschooling their children), and companionship for the lonely. But what will be my particular portion, and yours? Let us invest in this found time by listening for God’s specific message to each of us.
For my loyal subscribers: It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here in this blog. Mainly because life has been so busy, I haven’t felt I had the capacity to offer anything worthwhile. I no longer have that excuse! If God be willing, I look forward to offering whatever worthy insights I can manage to hear in the weeks to come.
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