We are in uncharted territory as we enter the second week of an open-ended quarantine. Life as we know it has abruptly shifted, leaving us in a state of bewilderment. The unpredictable human costs of this quarantine are beginning to surface, as anxiety becomes the rule of the day. Your church leaders or inbox devotions may be urging you to lean on the Biblical instruction to “be anxious for nothing,” to trust God in all things, and to set a good Christian example of unwavering faith in all circumstances. Pressure’s on Christians – this is your time to shine! Right? But what if you don’t feel shiny?
Maybe you are like me, vacillating between being ok and being really not ok. One hour I am overcome with anxious uncertainty and heavy sadness from the weight of heartbreak and loss our world is experiencing right now – losses of lives to Corona virus, but also widespread business losses, loss of freedom, loss of support systems, loss of community and of reprieve from daily struggles. Then, in the next hour, the truth and promises that have been sewn into my heart bring me back to the place of peace and hope, feeling the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Well friends, even with Christ as our guide, we are humans who live in this very broken and disturbing world. If we were not prone to fear, God would not have to remind us OVER AND OVER throughout the Bible, “Do not fear”. Fear is normal for humans. Denying it will not help. As the prophet Jeremiah said, “You cannot heal a wound by saying it’s not there!” (Jer. 6:14). So go ahead, feel anxious, but don’t stay there. Allowing fear to settle in and take up residence in your mind is where the danger comes in. We must keep our spiritual toolbox close at hand during these vulnerable times.
In this last week, we have ALL LOST SOMETHING. I want to give my entire human family, Christians included, full permission to grieve those losses, and to acknowledge that this HURTS. But if we really read our Bibles, we cannot be surprised by times like this. In fact, we might be wise to expect things to be even worse. Jesus told us that “In this world, you will have trouble.” He knew that the power of darkness would overwhelm us if we were left alone, that we would fall as prey to the ruler of this world if left alone in the struggle. In God’s great grace and mercy, He gave us the Holy Spirit to be our helper – the power of God within us to strike down the weapons of the enemy. And fear is one of the enemy’s favorite weapons.
So, let’s all give ourselves permission to acknowledge fear when it comes. Let’s allow ourselves to feel heartbroken for the losses. And then, let’s open our spiritual toolboxes and choose a weapon.
My Spiritual Toolbox for Overcoming Crises:
Music – Music is one of the fastest ways to invite the Holy Spirit into any situation. This Playlist has some of my favorite songs for times of fear and uncertainty.
Bible Reading – Just do it!Some great chapters to read during these times are:
The book of Psalms is full of messages with hope during hard times. Some of my favorites are Psalm 23, 31, 71, and 91.
Pray – If you aren’t sure how to pray, you can always recite the Lord’s Prayer, the Serenity Prayer, reciting a Bible verse.
Phone-a-friend – We must “not give up meeting together”, we must “encourage one another.” We are meant to go through the struggles of this life arm in arm as brothers and sisters – not on our own, or even alone with Jesus. Proverbs 17:17 tells us that, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” We should expect to need each other even more than usual, yet these current circumstances make it much more difficult to really do life together. We will have to make it happen, as it will not happen naturally. We must let our Christian family know our needs and give each other the opportunity to love one another. Don’t just reach out when you are able to encourage others, but also when you need to be encouraged. Consider Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one…If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help him up.”
Have a Plan – I don’t mean an all-encompassing 5-year plan or 10-year plan, or even a 2-week or 18-month survival plan. Just have a plan for today. Make a list of things to do and check them off through the day. It may seem small, but it can provide serenity by giving you back some control over your life. Write down obvious things like “Make dinner.” You deserve credit for all of it!
Set the Bar Low – for yourself and others. Lowering expectations increases everyone’s chance to succeed. Take note of your expectations, as they may be a cause of stress for you and your relationships. For example, rather than expecting to give your kids the full day school experience at home, expect to read them one book today. Instead of expecting to clean your whole bedroom, aim to clean one night table. Instead of expecting your kids to play well together all day, aim for 10 minutes at a time. Be especially mindful of the unconscious expectations you may be placing on your spouse. Keep it simple and give yourself, and others, plenty of extra measures of grace!
I hope this helps. I hope that you will bookmark this page and come back to it when you feel fear or anxiety creeping in and you need a reminder for how to pull yourself out of it. I hope that you will find supernatural comfort in the Holy Spirit and by clinging extra close to our Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Charmaine Rusin 