So I’ve been sorta blue lately…not as in the color, as in the feeling. Thanks, COVID-19.
Church, writers’ events, family visits–all the things I normally do that keep my mind running faster than I can follow–all of it canceled due to the present crisis. On days Ivan is gone and the house is very still I call my mom or eat lunch with Ivan’s parents who live just across the yard. People keep me sane, it seems.
I’ve heard a few interesting perspectives on the whole business. One friend said her lifestyle hasn’t changed at all since quarantine. Seeing everyone else freak out over the social isolation that had been her normal validated what she had been feeling, she said. A sort of crazy-making loneliness, a need for friends.
Yes, I said. Human creatures aren’t meant to be alone.
A neighbor of ours asked me if I knew anyone, or knew of anyone who knew anyone, that actually had the stuff. He’d asked this question during an Anabaptist conference call–what the Amish do instead of Facebook–and out of hundreds of people from around the country no one could say yes. He was beginning to wonder if the media had made the whole coronavirus thing up.
I told him I didn’t exactly know anyone, but I had heard of a Mennonite couple about an hour and a half south of my Wisconsin hometown who tested positive.
“You’re the first I asked who actually knew of anyone,” he said.
For some reason, his suspicion struck my funny bone. Like everyone else, I distrust the media–or at least the brands that don’t corroborate my obviously superior personal belief system–but I have never yet reached the level of independence that would consign them to a giant hoax.
And now, my apologies for the unnecessary preliminary…here’s what I actually intended to say, the thing I talked about in the title:
COVID-19 is resetting my mindset. Here are a few things I’ve realized since the crony-virus (as my husband calls it) began:
1.Busyness is not as necessary as I thought it was. The parties, the conferences, the visits–I am surviving just fine without all of that. I miss church, and I am truly disappointed that visits from my Wisconsin family had to be postponed. But Ivan and I have been enjoying some quality time together we wouldn’t have had otherwise. My mind has slowed from its swirl, relaxed a bit. And I am beginning to wonder just how necessary all that busy-ness is. Connections with church and family are important, of course. But how much of it? What about events and conferences and socializing with friends and Christian ministry? How much is too much? Another way of asking this is: How important am I? I tend to feel that if I don’t participate in the world, if I don’t add my two bits to society, both myself and those around me will be missing something valuable. But is that a conceited way to view my participation? Perhaps just as many helpful words will be spoken, just as many people encouraged, just as many souls won for Jesus if I stay home more often. I’ve begun to think so, now that I am practicing it.
2. God’s acts are more powerful than anything man can achieve. And by God’s acts I do not mean to say He manufactured this virus for our punishment. Only that he controls the natural world and can choose to allow or not allow what happens in it. And turns out that natural world is way more powerful than the best or the worst that humans can enact. Think about it. For years, we’ve feared terrorists, and war, and mass shootings and nuclear blasts. But the one thing that brought the whole world to its knees was a disease. Perhaps people had a role in creating that disease by creating the proper conditions…but the actions of the disease itself, the way it spread from person to person, the way it skipped over countries like a calf jumping hillocks…all of those natural processes are out of our puny human control. We can only contain as best we know how. Makes me wonder what will happen when a worse disease comes down the pike. Makes me realize that the “protections” we’ve put in place aren’t much of a protection at all.
3. The world is smaller than it used to be. In the 1300’s, the Bubonic Plague traveled in a fleet of “death ships” from Asia to Europe, where it killed a third of the population. Still, huge swathes of the world remained untouched. In today’s travel-easy population, almost every country has been affected. I have never seen the whole world as riveted by one thing as they are by this disease. The disease is not cool. But it is eye-opening and rather cool to to see how connected we all are.
4. God still reigns. In any situation, under any circumstance. In that we can rest. I personally haven’t felt threatened by COVID-19, either in person or in livelihood, so–besides the change of pace–it hasn’t affected my well-being. But I do worry about other things, often things equally out of my control and equally futile to worry about. Here are a couple of videos on worry that have helped me personally:
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Feature photo by Frankie Lopez on Unsplash
Anyone who questions if this virus is hype manufactured by the government or media can ask my son if it’s real. He works in the ICU and says it’s like a war zone. They are doing ok but supplies are running low.
Bless our health workers!
Good read. And yes, I know people who have it and others directly affected. As a nurse I am very directly affected! Before thus is over we will all know someone or many who have been sick, died or will ourselves be sick. Or dead. Just fact of life!
Good post, Luci. I think sometimes that the Anabaptist community has a higher immunity, partly because of lifestyles, (hard physical work, strong faith, natural social distancing….and this coming from a city dweller😋) and partly because of community and helping each other out, thus lessening the stress load. I don’t know of anyone personally who has/had it, but I don’t doubt it’s a serious virus. I’ve also thot about the fact that it’s a virus that’s brot the world to its knees, versus war. I find rest in knowing that God is still God and He’s on the throne.
Blessings!!
Interesting thought about the Anabaptist community having a higher immunity. There’s probably truth in that. My family did get hit with something pretty hard a few weeks back, knocked some of them out for a couple weeks…now they wonder if it was COVID. No way of knowing anymore.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on what’s happening in your life. I always look forward to reading your blog.
Those videos you posted were precious. I have taken notes in my journal to keep them fresh in my mind.
Thank you and take care
Janette
Glad you found this encouraging, Janette. God bless!
This is Carol again. I just am so amazed at how you say just what I’ve been thinking, but seems I can’t put words to it like you do. You have a wonderful talent with words. The Virus? Well I am almost 75, the age that is very suseptable, but cant say I’m especially worried. I feel very much like you…the Lord allowed this to bring the world to their knees. Let’s just keep praying.
Carol
Good to hear from you again, Carol. Thank you. :)
This is what I’ve been feeling this month. I always fill my life with volunteering where ever I can. But these last few weeks? I have been able to relax my soul.
I love to read your thoughts..
Yes! Good to hear from you here.
You are right on target. God is in control. This horrific disease should bring people to their knees.
It is sad. It has reached all corners of the world. Never in my life have I endured a pandemic. As terrible as this is, there are things that could happen that are equally as bad.
Thank you so much for sharing. I always enjoy reading from you. Stay safe and blessed.✝️
There are things that could happen that could be much worse. Especially in this nation of good health care, I consider us blessed.
Good to hear from you. :)
That going quietly on clip is beautiful! I agree with your thoughts. I personally know 1 person who has it and know about a few others, but it is not prevalent in my area. I do wonder how much is exaggerated and how much is actual truth? It’s hard to discern.
All the children are outside or at work, (ages 1-19), and the house is clean and quiet. I felt in need of encouragement, so sat down and prayed that I would be led to a blog that has something encouraging. I tried yours first, and am blown away by what God gave! Your 1. is exactly what I have been thinking. We live in a time when relationships are almost a god. There is so much pressure to be and to do everything. Pressure to be perfect in relationships and disdain if we are clumsy. Pressure to spend time, always stay connected, etc. with family and friends and everyone I meet. Until it feels like a competition, like some goal other than Jesus Christ. I love people and social life as much as anyone, but sometimes we might just have to put our feet down and say, “Enough. I am going to listen to Jesus about my communicating, not all the pressures of our society!”
Those are just some thoughts, and they are clumsy enough!!
And then, the darling lady talking about “Just go quietly on…” It made me cry. It’s exactly what my husband and I say, to ourselves and to friends who face similar hard situations, “Just focus on Jesus, and then go ahead and do what He wants you to do.”
Bless you today, and may COVID-19 stay far from your door!
Wendy, I so agree with your thoughts. And I am encouraged to hear that my words encouraged you. I didn’t feel full of much when I wrote them, but I wrote what was on my mind and prayed that what I shared would encourage someone. So you also are an answer to prayer. :)
As always, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Is it all a hoax? I’ve have had that thought and question more than once. I even half-heartedly joked with Lindsay on March 31st and said, maybe we’ll wake up tomorrow and all of this will be a cosmic April Fool’s joke. I’m not sure if it’s part denial or the fact that I too don’t know anyone who has or has had COVID-19. Like your family, our household was hit hard a few weeks back as well. Coughs, fevers, etc. We assumed it was just that time of year and we were just passing it around as we live together.
One thing I can’t get over is how quickly everything changed. I’ve said it, my Mom and Lindsay’s Mom have each said it. It’s as if someone flipped a switch. Initially, we didn’t want to buy into the hype and hysteria. However, you’re practically forced to if you want to have necessities. Now I wish the switch was flipped again and we could go back to normal. The normal that was taken for granted. Taking our children to playgrounds and the library. Allowing our children to visit and hug their Grandparents. I think our society was already suffering a great disconnect. Heads down, scrolling, scrolling…many of us have trouble maintaining eye contact and holding a conversation. Social distancing has the potential to drive the wedge further. Forbidding gatherings, corporate worship at the time of year we celebrate Christ risen. I can’t help to think there is an underlying spiritual dynamic at play that I just can’t put my finger on.
I do hope this ‘stay-at-home’ time slows us down, brings families together and resets our hearts to each other. I hope when this is all over we don’t just run back to our busyness and try to find fulfillment in those things we are currently living without.
I trust God is sovereign and that there is a prophetic time table for the ages and it is right on schedule. May we fix our eyes upon Jesus…stay home and stay well.
Hopefully PEOPLE will be ready to see other PEOPLE again and will spend a little less time looking down at their phones!
Good to hear from you, Paul. I think that how COVID-19 affects us in the long term has a lot to do with how we learn from these experiences. For me, it’s helped me to re-prioritize and also to spend more quality time with my husband. Those are things I desire to carry forward and with God’s help, will try.
Lucinda,
Can you put your whole posts on email again? Depending on what you write about my blocker will not let me get to the site. But I can get it email.
Thanks,
Lucille
Yes, sorry about that Lucille. I am still working on getting the settings right and accidentally sent the last post before it was ready.