“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Listen carefully; I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland.” ~ Isaiah 43:18-19

Okay, so this is weird.

It feels a bit like we’ve tumbled into the Twilight Zone. The whole globe has slowed, and stopped, and shifted.

I write a lot about pausing, slowing down, and being in the moment. But sheesh. This is epic, isn’t it? The greatest pause ever.

So, here we are. In this mind warp.

If only I could make soup and casseroles for everyone. I wanna send cards and clean your yards and deliver groceries. But, I can’t reach all of you. So I wait for words in this brand-new experience.

How about wonky and discombobulated?

Unsettling. And raw and awful and awkward.

And there’s all these new and strange questions:

How do I shop? How do I make a face mask? Where do I get toilet paper? How do I safely connect with family and friends? How does an introvert find quiet when it’s suddenly so darn people-y in the house?

For some of us, it’s a bit too quiet.

Author C.S. Lewis lived through epidemics and the 1918 pandemic. Throughout his life, he wrestled with discombobulating situations. He wrote a lot about doubt and faith, joy and grief. Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.”

Yep, for sure. This “flattening the curve” is a learning curve.

It’s our messy, unpleasant opportunity. To grow. To trust. To flip this stuff.

Ugh. Come on. Can’t we just eat Cheetos?

I wish. Stuffing and avoiding stress will just eat us from the inside out.

Remember Job? He has a whole section of the Bible to himself. It’s his raw and bleeding story of wrestling with extreme loss and gut-wrenching questions. He lost everything: family, friends, wealth, and health.

Then he lost hope and asked God to let him die.

“But even in the most calamitous circumstances, Job had a very thin thread of joy.” ¹

He found comfort and reassurance because he still believed the words of God. Though he despaired, even to the point of death, his faith was tenacious. Stubborn and persistent. And we can know this rare and extreme joy.

“It’s a joy that doesn’t deny reality, but it does defy it.” ² It wrestles and wins in the face of staggering loss.

This joy literally means, “to leap like a horse so stones spark. It’s not just jumping for joy; it’s dancing on disappointment.” ³

Now that moves me.

“Somehow, Job took a small measure of pleasure despite the pain. Would he have changed the circumstances if he could?  In a heartbeat. But he found joy in one simple fact”: ⁴

He didn’t forget or deny his Creator’s presence or promises. Though it may have felt like it, God had not deserted him.

After Jesus died, his followers were discombobulated too. Fear, grief, despair, and confusion rocked their world. Some hid; some went back to their old way of life. But then, Hope rose.

And Jesus changed everything.

Death becomes  Life. Dark becomes Light. Fear surrenders to courage. Despair holds on to hope.

And grief makes room for joy.

Jesus’ darkest days were the birth pains of a whole new era. His Story split history. And it’s about to happen again, my friend. This power to create new beginnings changes our story too.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But I have come so you may have a full, abundant life.” ~ John 10:10

What if ~ in this epic interruption ~ we focus more on God’s presence and promises? What if ~ as earth exhales ~ we take a deep soul-cleansing breath? In this pregnant pause, let’s take bubble baths and eat chocolate. Let’s re-group and set new intentions and priorities for our lives. On the other side of this, What will be essential? As the world opens back up, What will we let back in?

Because Hope rose, every brutal life lesson is a beautiful opportunity. Shall we dance?

Unchanging God, because you’re already on the other side of this, we know we’ll be okay. Teach us to trust, remind us to breathe. Show us who we’re created to be. As we seek a new self, a new community, a new world. One day at a time, one neighbor at a time. ~ Amen

 

1-4; Mark Batterson, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God

 

Photo from www.Pixabay.com

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite passages from Isaiah. I needed to read it today and soak it in. I pass it on to you and pray you’ll take a quiet moment to breathe deep and own it for yourself. It is true for you, Child of God. May it remind you that you are stronger than you think you are.

Look at what you’ve already walked through. So whether you feel strong or weary today …

Rest in these Promises.

Our Peace for difficult days.

Our Steady Hope in the unknowns.

God’s Unchanging and Unconditional Love on the days we feel we’ve totally blown it.

And Pugs. Just because 😊

 

“But now, [Child of God], the Lord who created you says:

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!

When you walk through the fire of oppression,  you will not be burned up;

the flames will not consume you.

For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior …

Do not be afraid.“ ~ Isaiah 43:1-2 & 5

                                                                                                                  ☮❤🙌🏻✝🙏🏻

 

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” ~ Isaiah 43:18-19

 

Photo from Pixabay.com

 

Our world is highly anxious and so easily panicked.

But, take heart. Spring is about to bloom. In fact it already has. An article in my local paper, “Out of tragedy springs opportunity,” proves there is always something good and wonderful happening.

Jesus’ tells us that a true neighbor is someone who stops to help another. Especially in the midst of pain and unsure times.

That’s what happened in February as hundreds of neighbors gathered to support the Manka family whose son, Jacob, died last spring. His dad said, “There’s a lot of love in this building … And yes, it does help. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring but we know that we have people who care and are praying for our family. So, yeah, it’s definitely helpful.”

There were neighbors in need and neighbors who stopped to help. Jacob’s spirit, his passion to help others, is quite alive. And I believe Jacob was loved well too. He’s still making a difference because that’s what love does.

With tons of negative media out there, we need to hold on to these good stories, these God stories. Like another I hear from a friend who’s helping Nashville rise up from the tornado that hit a couple weeks ago.

“As I worked as a crisis counselor yesterday, in the most devastated area after the tornadoes, I heard over and over how neighbors are helping neighbors. One person said ‘It doesn’t matter what color they are, what party they voted for, they are humans in need just like us.’”

Ya’ll, Nashville and my hometown are showing us what neighborliness is all about. I bet yours is too.

Hide these stories in your heart. This is how we change our communities and our world. With kindness and compassion, we are the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus.

“We the people” break down dividing walls and rise strong together.

Death and devastation don’t get the last word. The cross is empty. And because Hope rose, we have the power to redeem. We have the tenacity to use pain for good purpose. By putting love’s energy into the living, we serve well and suffer well.

Yes, out of tragedy springs opportunity.

❤😎🙏🏻☮

“I imagine Lent for you and me as a great departure from the greedy, anxious anti-neighborliness of our economy, a great departure from our exclusionary politics that fear the other, a great departure from self-indulgent consumerism that devours creation. And then an arrival in a new neighborhood, because it is a gift to be simple, it is a gift to be free; it is a gift to come down where we ought to be.

Self-giving God, call us to walk the road of newness—a new self, a new society, a new world, one neighbor at a time. May we have traveling mercies this Lenten season. Amen.” ~ Walter Brueggamann

 

Photo from Pixabay.com

So.much.Fear.

Everywhere. In every conversation. On every news channel and social media site.

 

Viruses. Violence. Economy. Environment. Government.

Oh my, this wide world.

And my gut reaction is to run, isolate, and eat Cheetos.

As if.

That’s helpful. Or empowering. Or adult.

Let’s be honest. It’s easy to hide but that’s where we get in trouble. That’s where care and concern become fret and worry or we numb out and disengage. Either way, we give the “What ifs” all our power.

What if the Coronavirus …  What if my child … What if my job… What if the earth … What if the elections … WhatifWhatifWhatif …

And we spin and spiral and lose perspective. I read that 85% of what we worry about never happens.* That’s time we’ll never get back, wasted on worry.

So, what do we do? We look up. Because God’s there holding our What ifs. We release the need for control and let go:

➡ God, if  I get sick … I’ll be okay.

➡ God forbid, but if  my child gets hurt … we’ll be all right.

➡ God, if  I lose money … we’re gonna make it.

➡ God, if the earth crumbles … it’s gonna work out.

➡ God, if they’re elected again … we really will survive.

The next time we worry, let’s change our What ifs to God, if. This isn’t just positive thinking. It’s powerful thinking. It’s faith that says “No matter what, my hope—my confident trust— is in You.”

We remember Jesus is “… far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.”

Elevating our thoughts, elevates Jesus, and Jesus elevates us.

“For God raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

Wow. Now that’s power.

~ Sweet Jesus, Savior and Redeemer, it seems the world’s on fire. Thank you, we are never alone. We sit, stand, and walk into our power with you. We surrender fear and worry so we are free to love and encourage. We are grateful for peace and strength.  For this day and for the days to come ~ Amen ☮❤🙌🏼

 

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you with hope and confident expectation. Trust in the Lord forever ~ for the Lord is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:3-4 

 

Ephesians 1:21-22, Ephesians 2:6

*Barbara Roose, Winning the Worry Battle

Photo from: www.Pixabay.com