“Strange,” “Zombie,” “Twilight Zone,” “Bizarre” are words we hear often today. Clearly, most of us are experiencing things we’ve never seen before. Empty streets, shortages of common supplies, and closed businesses leave our neighborhoods with a “ghost town” feel, don’t they?
Not only have things changed, but they have changed quickly, and still are changing day by day, and sometimes by the minute. Reflecting those changes are the expressions on people’s faces. We see fear, or at least discomfort, in their eyes as they seek to get their minds around what is happening, or at least try to cope with the new normal.
It makes me wonder what their faces would reflect if, instead of a shortage of toilet paper, they faced a real shortage of food or a serious threat to their safety. And what about you, Christian? What does your face reflect?
It’s actually a time to praise God that we live in a land with great health care, plenty of food, and safe lodgings. It’s a time to see that having our movements restricted is not persecution nor reason to fear. It’s a time to develop patience and a tolerance for inconvenience that we seldom experience.
No one is chasing us. We have plenty to eat. And “sheltering in place” provides us, maybe for the first time in a long time, with the time to reflect on what is important, what is eternal.
“Father, help us to count it all joy when we experience various trials (James 1:2), and forgive us for making too much of our inconveniences. Help us remember our brothers and sisters in faraway places who are hungry and sometimes fearful of losing their lives (Hebrews 13:3). Give us your eternal perspective and grant us your peace. In the name of Jesus. Amen.”