For the last few weeks, my husband and I have been watching this situation with the virus unfold across the world. We’ve been watching fears surface, in ourselves, and in most everyone we know. We’ve seen the death toll climb, and country after country begin taking much needed steps towards self-preservation for their people. We’ve seen some who make choices to take advantage of the situation for personal gain, which is always an ugly side to see in any situation. We’ve seen politics as usual rear it’s nasty head. All of that being said, we’ve also seen incredible amounts of love, generosity, self-sacrifice, and deep veins of faith running like wildfire across the globe. We’ve watched countries suffering less reach out to help those that are suffering more. We’ve watch politicians respond with lighting speed (after climbing out of the political muck for a hot second) to do something to help the American people stay afloat. We’ve watched company after company turn their whole businesses inside out to accommodate the critical change in supply need, and are doing it as rapidly as possible. Where there is good, there will always be a portion of bad to be found. But you can also be sure that wherever there is bad, there will ALWAYS be good if you’re willing to see it.

Something that has really struck me during all of the quarantine and shelter-in-place directives floating about, is the extent of our addiction to distraction. Life is hard. There’s absolutely no getting around that. It’s hard, and sometimes it just plain blows. But even then, we’re still ok. We get so wigged out when we feel out of sorts and upset, that it makes everything seem so much worse. We lose perspective and we feel unable to tolerate what we are going through. So we turn to our distractions… work, school, phones, televisions, chores, tasks, lists, blah, blah, blah. Right now it all makes me want to vomit just a little. What I’m learning is how often we all live for our schedules, for our jobs, for our to-do lists. If we’re not accomplishing, networking, or being constantly productive in a worldly way, then we begin to lose our minds just bit. What this shows me is how much we all really tend live for the world and not for the Lord, even though that’s not our intention.

Now, I understand that to say “we” as an all-inclusive statement sounds as though I don’t believe any of us are living for the Lord, or are trying to live our lives the way He wants us to. That’s not what I think at all. Quite the opposite. I’ve seen and know so many beautiful souls who work hard day in and day out to make the right choices and walk close to God, putting their faith in the salvation of Christ. What I’m talking about is our human nature to get so bogged down by the weight of “keeping up” with life, we forget that the world isn’t going to end because we’re having to put that weight down for a while. We almost feel punished, as though we’ve all been grounded or something. But that is SOOOOOO not true.

There is such an enormous gift in all of this, if we are willing to see it and take advantage of it. We are being given time in fellowship! That kind of time is underrated and seriously underappreciated. We spend so much time running from one thing to another, always bemoaning the fact that we never have enough time to spend with those we love, that when we’re given exactly that kind of time, we bemoan the fact that it’s been forced upon us. Look, people…the truth is that real, honest, and solid relationships require actual time spent together. Not via phone or text or video chat. In person, face to face, “I can reach out and hug you” (aside from the current social distance requirements), togetherness. That is where God exists. If you think you can keep close relationships with your loved ones when you only communicate through a little box in your hand, your wrong. The strongest relationships in your life are the ones you’re actually willing to give time to maintain. You can tell your family and friends you love them and want to be with them, but if you want people to believe in your words, your actions have to back them up or they are meaningless.

We’ve all been given time to spend with our loved ones that we would never have had otherwise…time for long talks, card games, strolls at sunset. Many of you have children in school, some who are close to leaving home and living their own lives. Think about how precious this gift of time with them is for you right now… children grow up and leave home, and it seems to happen in the blink of an eye. Relationships begin to evaporate because we stop tending to them and living for our schedules instead. What we’ve been given is a chance to do many of the things we always say we want to do, but claim we never have time for… learn to take your thoughts of irritation and inconvenience captive, and turn them around to see the blessings that can come from the time that has been thrust upon us.

“We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:5