Tag: Coronavirus

Continued Changes due to Coronavirus

I cooked a lot before, now even more. It astounds me how much food the kids go through now that they are home all day long. Once or twice a week we support a locally owned business by ordering dinner. But since we are not allowed to go in, they deliver it curbside.

Spending more time together as a family means my community that was once outside these walls, is now entirely within these walls. This has brought us closer as a family physically and relationally, but exposed our weaknesses as well.

Since we do not go to church, we worship here in our living room. This week Gabriel accepted Christ into his heart. Esther and he are to be baptized this coming weekend – Easter weekend – in the creek. Obviously, it won’t be a big hullabaloo like before but I do think the intimacy makes it more special.

In some ways, life reminds me of our intense baby stage when my house was never clean, I rarely had time to work out or put makeup on, I lived in leggings and my mom-bun hair was washed every three or so days. It is was as uncomfortable then as it is now. However, I have become more familiar with each of my children. Strengths. Weaknesses. Preferences. I have also become more familiar with my own.

Part of me mourns the loss of time in the mornings with Grace and Ruth before they leave for school next year. Now I am fully occupied with homeschooling and they play by themselves. But, I am so grateful we are all healthy, home and together.

I really believe we will look back at this time in our lives to see this particular season of loss and disruption as a time when God pruned away our non-essentials and grew our faith, our love and our family. This is a call to fix our focus on things most important. It is a chance to know God as Provider, Prince of Peace, Healer, Comforter, and Friend. To know family as community.

I am choosing to dive in deep to this unprecedented time, when the world seems to have paused for a moment and the rush and race of life has slowed down on the home front. Praying for fresh strength to steward this season with wisdom and grace.

The Coronavirus is changing things

Outside Our Walls

It’s the beginning of April and the coronavirus has taken over the world. They have shut down schools, campuses, businesses, travel, churches. We are not allowed to meet in groups more than 10. A couple in the northeast was arrested for having a wedding. Funerals are not permitted. States have passed a “stay at home” order telling people they are not allowed to go out for non-essential things. Of course, we all define that a bit differently. Toilet paper has been missing from shelves for a month now. The CDC wants everyone to wear masks when they are in public. Doctors and hospitals have canceled “elective” surgeries (which apparently includes heart surgery?!). The stock market has plummeted. Gas is the same price it was when I got my drivers license and people get really excited about car rides.

At Home

My husband’s Reserves trips have been suspended until June. This, is a temporary respite I am grateful for as I miss him when he is gone. Since he also teaches at a local college two nights a week, he is now home more often in the evenings. This I love too. His day job as a contractor for the Department of Defense is considered “essential” to National Security so we are one of the few very blessed to be still working. Many in our tourist town are not sharing in this blessing.

We cannot go to church. We are not holding our MOPS meetings. I cannot connect with moms at school. We now do our Bible Study on a video app. Essentially, my sense of community has disappeared and everyone else’s has too.  Biblical Prayers Ministries has always been an online ministry, so that has been a source of stability in my schedule.

The kids are home from school full time. Their loving teachers post online videos. In the last week I have become a homeschooling mom. This, I always swore I would never do to my children. Not everyone is gifted in teaching children, and I am happy to salute those who are superstars in patience. However, we do what we must and I have decided to adapt to this new role and become more sensitive to my levels of patience.  I’ve no doubt the Lord has planned this as a growth spurt for me.

Usually, everyday I am grateful for the space we have living in the country. Now, it seems essential to our sanity. States have closed state and national parks to keep people from being in contact with each other and now more than ever I am thankful for the space.

While my husband personally knows people who have gotten the virus, it has yet to touch my acquaintances. At this point, in our area it seems all these changes are a prelude, like time has been suspended and we are waiting for the impact of this virus and the economy.

I pray God will grace us with the wisdom and strength to know how to love, serve and respond. Also, I pray God will grant divine revelation to the researchers, scientists, biochemists and health leaders who are seeking a cure for this virus.

COVID-19 and Community

Birthday parties and play dates are canceled.  Church services, bible studies, small groups and ministry meetings are canceled. Cities have passed laws that forbid groups larger than 50 to meet with a penalty of $1,000 and six months in jail.

This is to say nothing of supplies. Fearing the unknown people have stripped the previously plentiful shelves. What is our response to be in a time of turmoil and fear? How do we continue to live in community when we are limited to no more than a few?

The same way we were always meant to live in community. We do family different. We do not back away from need and we do not live isolated lives of fear. We can be respectful to our local and national leaders, but we need not resort to fear based hoarding and animalistic behavior.

We do not abandon each other. We are called to fellowship and community. We stay connected and encourage each other. The first century church was more susceptible to sickness and disease than we are today and we now have the help of unprecedented technology.  

When our structure shifts, return to the basics. The first century church practices revolved around community. They were not all about self-preservation and self-promotion. In contrast, they trusted the Lord to provide all their needs and they rested in His peace. We have the perfect opportunity to teach these same community-centered values to our children. Children grow to mirror and repeat our own responses to times of stress and trial.  

As Christ followers, we are called to be fearless. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, God’s answer to a broken world. Acts 2:42-47 is a powerful call to action. They met in small groups then and we can meet in small home-based groups too. They ministered, shared, provided for needs, prayed for miracles and God was with them in a powerful way. We can too.

If we truly believe God has all authority over sickness and disease, if we really do believe our days are ordained and written in His heavenly books before we are born, if we believe he has the power to heal… our actions need to reflect it to our neighbors and our children. Let’s raise our children to be powerful witnesses in their community, beacons of hope in times of peace and trouble. Sharing resources, praying for the sick, believing God to be our shield and hiding place.

Read Matthew 6:25-34, Psalm 91 and Acts 2:42-27.

Be sure to join our KidsTalk Friday this Friday at 2:00pm on our Facebook page as we discover what to say to our kids about COVID-19 and some practical things we can do with our families.

Acts 2:42, 45

Father, show us how to be good neighbors in times of trouble. Help us devote ourselves to your “teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Give us a spirit of generosity and sacrifice by giving us wisdom in, “selling [our] possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any [has] need.”