Coronavirus... what is God teaching us?

2020 was off to a great start.  In just the first months of the new year, I published my 1^st book, turned 40, ran my 3^rd marathon, my husband successfully defended his dissertation after 6 long years of hard work, our calendars were full of exciting things, we were gathering with friends more often, we had trips planned, weddings and other fun events to attend, a graduation party to plan… and then Coronavirus (Covid 19) happened.  2020 was great until it wasn’t great anymore.  Suddenly school was cancelled, weddings were postponed, literally every activity and event and all the things were either cancelled or postponed indefinitely.  It strangely became impossible to find toilet paper or bread or eggs or bottles of water.  Store shelves became empty as the media created mass chaos and panic buying.  Lights were turned off.  Businesses closed or were forced to change their way of doing business.  People were told to stay home and wash their hands.  Everything changed.  And it keeps changing....

This is new territory for all of us.  Everyone is being affected in some way by this crazy season we are walking through.  Small businesses, the entertainment industry, sports, travel, education, the stock market, literally everyone and everything feels the weight of Coronavirus.  It’s hard.  We want life to go on as normal.  We want to attend those events we paid for and planned for many months ago.  We want to go places and do things, we want to be able to buy toilet paper and go to church and then eat out at a local restaurant.  It’s crazy how quickly things can change, how quickly it can all be taken away.  We were made for community, and we are being told to practice social distancing in a way we have never had to do before.    

As a health care provider, I am still going to work.  Like many people, I don’t have the option of staying home at this time.  Things are changing on a daily basis.  We are working together to put best practices into place, bracing for impact, getting creative in how we are seeing regular patients and taking care of their needs while distancing them from the ill, and learning as we go along.  Some of my team is on the front line of things, screening and directing people to different locations, and a lot of us are far from it and wonder if we are doing enough to help.  Lack of supplies is a real concern, and difficult decisions are being made.  Not everyone is getting tested.  Not everyone is getting the care they need.    

So what is God teaching us during this challenging season?

Slow down, be present, and appreciate the little things.  I thrive on busy.  I love a full calendar, a schedule, routines, goals, and fun activities.  I plan things way in advance and look forward to them as they approach.  Coronavirus has forced us all to slow down, stay home (when we can), and just be present with our family.  Some of us needed this season of slowing down.  Some of us needed to learn how to put our phones down and truly be present with our family.  Some of needed to look around and just appreciate all that God's given us.  

    

Choose joy, kindness, and grace.  These are stressful times, but we can still choose to enjoy the little things, go on walks with our dog, bake cookies, plant a garden, play board games, create silly videos, and send text messages to friends.  We can be kind to our neighbors, be a helping hand wherever possible, share eggs and toilet paper, send words of encouragement to those we love, and still try and support our small businesses.  We can extend grace to those who are making the tough decisions to cancel, postpone, close, modify, change, quarantine, and all the things.  They did not choose this, and they are doing the best they can with what they have and what they know.  

Be smart and creative.  We are all having to be smart and get creative in how we spend our days at home, how we educate our children while away from school, how we run our business while practicing social distancing, how we do church from home, how we feed our families when we can't find certain items at the store, how we provide care to those who need it, and literally how we do everything.  If we are not smart and creative, this will have huge impact in the months (and maybe years) to come.  

Focus on self-care.  Like I say all the time, we can’t pour from an empty cup.  We have to fill up to spill out.  We need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of those around us.  This means focusing on good nutrition, getting plenty of sleep, and continuing to exercise every single day.  We must stay grounded in our daily habits, stay physically and emotionally well, and not be tempted to “let everything go.”  I am still waking up and writing in my journal, doing my devotional, and getting in my daily exercise every single day.  I can have that glass of wine at the end of the day, but I am also going for a run.  Use this time to establish a good self-care routine if you haven’t already done so.  Take time to read more, listen to music, take a hot bath, go for walks around the block, get organized, clean out closets, tackle those chores you never have time to do, write that book you’ve been wanting to write, learn a new skill or craft, plant a garden, wash the cars…. set yourself up for success after everything returns to normal.  

Grow through discomfort.  It is during our hardest seasons that we grow the most.  We are all being inconvenienced through this in some way.  We all feel frustrated, discouraged, and sad and just want it to all be over with ASAP....  Some are experiencing incredible loss.  But, we will get through this.  We will learn and grow and become stronger and wiser, more creative, and definitely more appreciative.  We will learn to not take little things like toilet paper for granted.  We will be more grateful for our teachers and leaders and so many other people who keep our lives running smoothly.  We will support small businesses, as they are the reason we love our communities.  We will be kinder to our neighbors.  We will not take our health for granted.  We will wash our hands to protect ourselves and others.  We will be better prepared for times like this, should it happen again. 

I am praying for us all as we walk through this time of uncertainty.  Things are different.  Fear is high. Disappointment is felt.  Decisions are hard.  Grocery shopping is weird.  Challenges are real.  But let’s focus on what truly matters, help each other out, be the light, spread kindness, focus on one day at a time instead of how long this might go on, and choose faith over fear.  

Phil 4:13 ~ Allison