Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
“Coronatimes”, as I’m calling this horrible time in our lives, has sure prompted some changes in the way we are living our lives. Yesterday, on television, I watched protesters in Michigan loudly expressing their desires to be released from the ‘stay at home’ orders of their Governor. I just heard our Surgeon General say that this virus has humbled him. I’d say it has humbled lots of us and changed our mindset about where the products we need desperately actually come from. Yesterday I watched the press conference praising our truckers and thanking them for moving the products we do have.
I have never been an individual with patience. I cannot knit a sweater because it takes too long. I have trouble reading long novels because I want the author to ‘get on with it’ so I can get to the ending. I have always worked hard to achieve what I desired, and I think God expects us to do just that. He doesn't take care of lazy people.
The notion of being quiet and waiting on God to do something is a concept I’ve always had problems with … but as I’ve grown older and wiser … I’ve come to accept it! God works in His own time and if we pay too much attention to others … their accomplishments or their dirty deeds … and think we should be moving more quickly than we are … God might just take a little longer with us!
Right now, patience is a must. We have to wait until the right time to return to something similar to our old way of life. There are things that I will never do again. Watching how easily and quickly COVID-19 spread has reminded me to keep my distance … to wipe down the grocery store shopping cart handle … to stop shaking hands and hugging people.
Seeing the general public hoard toilet tissue confused me in the beginning, but this many weeks into Coronatimes, there is still no toilet paper! I can understand food products being hoarded, but I wouldn’t have thought about toilet tissue! This has reminded me of my late husband’s rule: Always have enough food in the freezer and in the pantry to last for a year. I guess when toilet paper and paper towels are available again, I’ll hoard them, too!
For now, I’m going to be still and try to be patient. I enjoy spending quiet time at home and don’t care much about public functions anymore. I retired at the beginning of this mess, so I’m content, but I sure am concerned about people who need to return to their jobs … and I worry about the overall economic challenges that are ahead of us. The virus may go away, or we might certainly get it under control, but it will take a very long time for the economy to bounce back and that will impact all of us. I worry about the folks who are being so drastically impacted emotionally by these times. We should pray for our communities and hope that these needs are being addressed.
We don’t have much choice but to wait. I’m hoping my readers and followers are using that extra time to reevaluate their ways of life and their spirituality. Our families are the most important gifts we have. Time spent with children and grandchildren should always be cherished. It might be time to renew some old trusted friendships. I had a conversation like this just last weekend. A lifetime friend had been reminded of the fact that we had lost contact in recent years. Make a phone call, write notes, send cards, send emails, engage on Facebook. Use this quiet time to reconnect.
All we can do is be still and wait. Let’s make the wait time remarkably valuable.
