So, here we all are – stuck at home. It’s a radical change in lifestyle. Some are without work, some are working from home, some are able to still go to work but can’t help but wonder if they are more at risk, some are in the medical field (the “front-lines”) and they are more at risk. What we all share in common is nothing is the same.
Many of us are turning more to social media as a way to stay in touch. I don’t know about you, but for me, it hasn’t been extremely fulfilling. Granted, we can get our thoughts out to more people at one time. We see the thoughts of more people in a short time and respond with a “like” or a “love” or a comment. In some ways, it’s been kind of nice to be “informed” about so many people. However, it occurred to me a few days ago, we have had a means for remotely staying in touch with people we care about for a long time.
It’s called a telephone. Granted, most of us use it to send texts or access social media. But we can actually use it to talk to other people – to hear each other’s voices and spend more than a fraction of a second interacting. It’s really amazing.
I tried it this weekend and called a couple of long-time friends whom I haven’t seen in forever. We got to talk about what was going on in each other’s lives, about our joys and hurts and cares and needs and projects and families…. And it was good.
And now, I know better how to pray for a couple of people for whom I care very much. Thank You, Lord, for using even this. Thank You for allowing our world to be shaken so hard that a lot of temporal, short term, not-really-all-that-meaningful stuff can be shaken off of us like dust, so we can maybe see and cling to what’s eternal instead.
Please understand (and if you know me and have read my blog you do know this), I am not minimizing the Covid-19 virus in any way, or the suffering and loss of those who are experiencing it directly. It is just that through all I have experienced in this life, I have learned, and am still learning, to trust God in the good and the bad. This thing is another thing that goes into the pot and makes up all things. And I have learned that God will use all things to mold me and teach me and grow me into a better person, the person He wants me to be – a person who knows beyond any doubt that God is, and He longs to be sought by me. And, He makes Himself readily available to be found by any who seek Him. He is a rewarder.
