Day 16 of my COVID-19 quarantine.
I woke up this morning and processed my online grocery delivery order via a handy little app I was recently introduced to, only to find several items that I needed were unavailable, and I found myself wallowing in self-pity. At this point in the COVID-19 crisis we are all feeling a lot of emotions, and there is no doubt we are just beginning this marathon. If you are wrestling with anxiety through this crisis I know you’ll be blessed by the tools I shared in my recent post 10 Tools to Win Your Battle with Anxiety.
I continued to meal prep, cutting up a bunch of veggies I had over bought in bulk and needed to cook before they go bad, listening to Mark chapter 13 on my Dwell Audio Bible app. As the words of Jesus rang through my smart phone, I felt Him tenderly nudge my heart toward truth.
The truth is that I am safe, sound, and have everything I need.
The truth is I enjoy the freedom and privilege of being a citizen in the wealthiest country in the world.
The truth is I am wealthier than 95% of the world’s population. A population that is also enduring this global pandemic without the luxuries of grocery delivery, access to exceptional medical care, the ability to video chat friends and family at whim, Amazon Prime, etc….
The truth is my loved ones are safe, abundantly provided for, and healthy.
The truth is I was born in the most technologically advanced era in human history, with entertainment, education, and connection literally at my fingertips 24 hours a day.
The truth is I lack nothing.
The truth is I am loved by God.
But Jen, if we are loved by God why would He allow something like this to happen to us. That’s an honest question that a few people have asked my husband and I recently. As I stood in my kitchen cooking up an amazing frittata and veggies that will top 3 different delicious homemade gluten free pizzas, I couldn’t help but wonder what God’s up to.
God never promised us a life without suffering, however Paul’s writing to the church in Rome in Romans 5:3b-5 demonstrate how God uses suffering in our lives. “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
As a Pastor’s wife I have a front row seat to what my husband calls the “Big C” church, that is, the people around the world that love and serve Jesus. Y’all it ain’t always pretty!
The truth is people who claim to love God often don’t live lives surrendered to Him.
The truth is the people of God have made soccer practice on Sundays, more important that gathering as a family in their local church.
The truth is many people who claim to love God haven’t talked to Him in years.
The truth is the average American family attends church 1x a month, which reflects its priority in their lives.
The truth is this generation is moving further and further away from God.
The truth is we’ve been sleeping, and we need a wakeup call.
In Mark 13: 32-36 Jesus is teaching his disciples about the end times and says, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
COVID-19 has brought tremendous sorrow and tragedy, there is no doubt about that.
But could God be using this crisis to draw the hearts of His people back to Himself?
Could He use this crisis to reset families into healthy sustainable rhythms according to His original design?
Will this be a wakeup call for you and I?
I pray that now more than ever you and I will seek the face of God, surrender our lives to His perfect will, and trust Him. Friends, as fear rises in your heart over the next few weeks and months, speak truth to lies. Instead of spinning out in fear, take back control by sitting down and listing what is true about your actual reality, then read those truths out loud!! Ground yourself in truth, allowing God to use this circumstance to produce endurance, character, and to renew your hope.
Journal & Process
-Use this statement to identify what is true in your current circumstances: The truth is…..
-What do you need to surrender control of to God today?
-What lessons are you learning through this crisis that you will remember years from now?
There is an epidemic of anxiety happening in our world. Almost daily friends reach out to us for prayer, desperate for support completely beaten up by anxiety. So, I am going to war! I am fighting for and with you friends and I want to share a few powerful tools that are currently being used by God to help many (including me) win the battle with anxiety.
Let Others Fight for You
Naked in the Potter's Hand 