Even Now

In a strangely still community where only a few weeks ago we were going through the rush and the race of the everyday, suddenly we are forced to suspend our fast-paced-usual. And everything changes in our taken-for-granted life.  Sorry to say that so often I’ve wished for the gift of a gutted calendar with less appointments, meetings and necessaries – begging for solitude.  And now I have it . . .

The difference between solitude and isolation is the choice – and we still have a few choices. So what do we do with self-quarantined spaces other than I Love Lucy and Little House on the Prairie reruns (my go-to when I like to remember the world differently).

The invitation to take a sacred solitude for prayer and reflection couldn’t come at a better time for a world in frenzy trying to outrun the relentless path of a virus.  Desperate situations call for desperate trust.  And this is a time to trust and take courage. We have to encourage one another with more than a Bible-ish meme when so many are suffering and fearful because everyone handles stress differently – even if it’s to stockpile.

There’s something about the hard places in life that have us believe we’ll be stuck there forever.  But hopefully those hard places last long enough for us to actually learn something while we’re there – in the middle of our “even now” . . .

In the madness, our globe has had to sit down and think. The hope is that even now we see this as the proving ground of what we actually believe as we learn a new way of being and have the opportunity to find out who we are as a person and a people. As we distance from one another – we must remain close.

Courage is facing fear and still walking . . . and not even now are we defeated or alone.

 The Lord is the One who goes ahead of you – He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8