Growth, Trust, and Care
Photo by Tim Goedhart on Unsplash
At the risk of making one of the most preposterous understatements of all time, I’m going to begin by saying that COVID-19 has had a major impact on almost all areas of our lives and our society. It has brought to light many things that we don’t normally think about. For example, it has reminded us that heroes are not necessarily famous people like athletes, movie stars, politicians, etc. Many true heroes are in the medical community ranging from physicians to janitors. Others work in the various service industries. This has been a good observation.
Another good reminder is we don’t control as much as we thought we did. We see who we are in the grand scheme of things.
However, COVID-19 has also exposed some troubling things such as shortages of necessary medical supplies and inadequacy of delivery systems. In the long run this will also be a good lesson because you can’t fix a problem until you discover there is a problem.
Years ago, I heard a saying that “Crisis makes the man.” In other words, crisis situations help us grow. One can’t disagree with that, but there is another aspect: “Crisis also shows what the person already is.” With that in mind, what have the virus and quarantine exposed in us that we weren’t aware of? Here are two questions we might ask ourselves in that regard:
Do we trust God as much as we thought we did?
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 NLT
Have we been able to buy into that? Do we truly trust that God will use this virus (which is clearly not good) to work for our good? If we do, it can make a major difference in how we handle any crisis. We don’t need to be happy and cheerful; these are not happy and cheerful times. But if we trust God we can experience some genuine peace and hope.
Are you taking good care of yourself in different aspects of life?
This second question is one you might be tired of hearing. This is not selfishness, but rather is self-responsibility. This is important for two reasons.
The first is that God commands us to take care of ourselves. We are to be good stewards of the resources He has provided. One of those resources is us. We are to take care of ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. This seems obvious, but it is easy to lose focus. We probably don’t do this intentionally, but it is easy just to ”drift” away from the practices and disciplines that help us maintain that focus. This is true even in good times, but it is especially easy to drift during a crisis when fatigue and emotional wear and tear set in.
Second, we are also called to love and care for others. We simply can’t do that if we aren’t caring for ourselves appropriately. Imagine yourself as a reservoir that has streams coming in one end and streams going out the other end. Incoming streams fill the reservoir and outgoing ones drain it. Over time, if there is more going out than coming in, the reservoir will become empty. If someone attempts to draw water, there is none left. This is a season with many outgoing streams, so we must keep streams coming in to care for the people around us. What are you doing to keep “streams” coming in?
Has this season exposed some cracks or difficulties in relationships that we might not have been aware of? If those things are present, have we addressed them in a healthy manner? Or have they begun to fester? Has frustration or impatience or irritability become a hindrance in caring for others (even those you love)? If so, please let us know and we will try to help in any way we can.
Finally, the ultimate question both the government and we must face is “What are we going to do about these emerging issues?” It’s one thing to become aware of them. It’s another to address them. I trust God will guide us all as we face these issues and grow through these troubling times.
As always, please feel free to reach out to a staff member if you are needing prayer, advice, or just a friendly ear to listen. Their numbers are below: