As I sit here with my oldest, I was reading a post about how intentional we should be with this extra time that we have. There is a lot to say about this corona virus. People are hurting financially, children and families are lacking basic needs, parents are frustrated that they have to actually take care of their children while balancing work from home, and some others are just frustrated that they have to take care of their children. There is a lot of uncertainty. There is a fear of the unknown and a valid concern of what the future holds. There are a lot of challenges that people are experiencing in general. Other families, and individuals, see this time at home as an opportunity. An opportunity to get back to the spiritual order the Lord originally intended for his people. An opportunity to spend more time with their families, to get to know their children, to create memories that otherwise may be missed due to the busyness of life. (SN: as I typed out busyness, I originally typed “business”. One could see the correlation between the two. Business=Busyness, something to think about.) There is a lot to be missed when we are too busy with work, entertainment, television, and all of the other mundane things we focus on in our lives. The lifestyle we all once knew, and became accustomed to, has changed drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything, all of a sudden, has changed. But Why?
I believe that this is a time for us to shift focus. For those who believe in Jesus Christ and follow him, it’s a time to reconnect, realign, and re-shift our focus back to the Lord. His Word says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Listen, we don’t know what is going to happen with this virus and whether or not it will come back next Winter/Spring. What we do know is that as of now, the Lord has given us time. He has given us time that many of us have asked for. He’s given us time that many of us complained about not having. It seems that now that we have it, we are complaining and making jokes about how our children are driving us crazy and our spouses are working our nerves or whatever the complaint is about for today. We have to take this time and be intentional. Is it hard, yes! 24-7 with multiple people can be a lot, especially for someone like me who loves to be alone and in the quiet. But I have an opportunity to spend time with my husband who travels A LOT. I have him home. I have an opportunity to love him better while he’s here, to get to know him more, to spend more time and build a solid foundation so we can go to another level in our relationship. I have an opportunity to keep my 3 year old home and teach her myself, create memories that will last a lifetime and pour into her what the Lord desires us to as parents. She also gets an unprecedented amount of time with her dad, who is home, instead of spending it all at her school. This is time cannot get back. So it’s time to be intentional. Take walks, read the Bible, eat dinner at the table, teach your kids how to cook, teach your kids about life, educate them, cultivate the ground you have been given to tend and try your best to do it well. A lot of growth can be had during this season of uncertainty. One thing I do know is that we have time to grow in Christ. It’s time to trust God and grow in that trust to where we are truly unmoved and our faith is unwavering. He is in control. He is not surprised by what’s going on. If you don’t know how to start praying, here is a great place to start:
Matthew 6: 9-13 NKJV
“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
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Acknowledge the Lord for who He is: “Our Father”
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Reverence His name: “Hallowed Be” or to be made holy
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Receive/Establish His Kingdom: “Your Kingdom come”
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Submit to His will: “Your will be done”
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Seek His provision: “Give us this day”
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Recognize Him as Savior: “Forgive us”
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Respond to his grace and mercy: “As we Forgive”
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Acknowledge Him as our Guide: “Lead us not”
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Embrace Him as our Deliverer: “Deliver us from evil”
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Acknowledge Him as Creator/LORD: “For Yours is the Kingdom, Power, and Glory Forever”
Be encouraged because the Lord is with you. I declare Psalm 91 over you and your family. His word is true and does not return void. Trust Him and He will lead you through this like only He can.
Grace and Peace,
Tiff
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“If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;”
