This is probably going to be the darkest post I’ve ever written to you. It’s dark…but it’s not without hope. It’s not without love or light or promise. It is merely my observation and it has been weighing heavy on my heart the last few days. When something sits in me like that, I know I’m supposed to write about it, so here goes.

Humans like security. We don’t like change. When change is thrust upon us, we want everything to go back to normal as soon as possible. I learned as a new widow that life will move forward, but it will never be the same. At first, that devastated me. Then time and experience showed me that just because it’s different, doesn’t mean it can’t also be good again.

I read an article over the weekend about gaslighting and the pandemic. People are going to want the world to go back to the way it was and Madison Avenue has deep pockets. They’re going to start rolling out things that are going to make you doubt what you’ve seen with your own eyes. They’re going to make it look like this virus wasn’t really what you thought it was. They might even pretend it never happened. That it was all faked to scare you. It’s going to make you feel crazy.

You aren’t crazy.

Remember what you saw. Remember the pictures and the stories and the pleas for help. Remember that, if the death toll doesn’t add up to the numbers originally predicted, it doesn’t mean the virus was faked or blown out of proportion. It means the steps we took by socially distancing ourselves and using proper hygiene worked. The steps worked.

It’s easier to believe someone went overboard than it is to believe that a worldwide pandemic brought the world to a standstill. 

It’s easier to say maybe we misunderstood what someone said than to believe they actually said such frightening things. 

This is an adjustment phase we are coming into. Another layer of the onion this pandemic has set in our laps. We are going to see things we never dreamed we could possibly see in our country. It’s going to be frightening. It’s going to be confusing. But it doesn’t have to overcome us. 

Instead of focusing on the unwanted changes, what would happen if we focus on some of the changes we aren’t even looking at. 

Children are learning that electronics are tools for education instead of mindlessly whiling away hours focused on violent video games.

Families are gathering around the table every day…teaching, learning, creating, eating, praying.

We are learning to appreciate what is really important. We are learning new skills. We are getting mom’s old sewing machine out and making masks for people to use when they have to go out. We are teaching children to care for others in the process. 

We are slowing down and breathing. The environment is recovering. The earth is actually becoming quiet inside…it’s not vibrating like it was with all the heavy manufacturing and traffic. There are places in the world where you can see mountains that haven’t been seen in decades because of pollution. National Parks are closed to traffic so plants and animals will start to recover. Streams will run more pure. 

Maybe when things open up, more people can work from home and keep the traffic down and give the earth a chance to heal.

I heard a woman on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday. She said that maybe the NEXT “greatest generation” is being raised now. Maybe they will see what happened and learn better ways of doing things. Maybe they will take the stumbling blocks we have placed before them and turn them into stepping stones. Maybe they will find the cures and the ways of dealing with pandemics that will avoid disasters like this.

None of these things will happen if we let them downplay the seriousness of the pandemic. We must not forget this, as much as we would like to.

There are brighter days ahead, I assure you. They will be different, certainly…but they can be good.

I read this week that Bible sales are skyrocketing. People are praying and meditating and practicing their individual faiths. People who haven’t had any faith are coming to find a faith of their own. For me, my faith is in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I find great hope and comfort knowing that God never changes. Everything in the world will change. Everything. But God never does and He is with me always. He loves me and wants to prosper me and give me a rich and full life. Does that mean it’s going to be cushy and easy and nothing but a party? Heck no! 

We have this promise:

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Stand on this when you see the scary things. Just please…don’t forget they happened. We owe that to the brave souls standing on the front lines. The soldiers in this battle wear scrubs and uniforms, aprons and overalls, blue jeans and sweatpants. They’re nurses and doctors, therapists and technicians, cooks and housekeepers, trash men and sanitary workers, grocers and farmers, teachers and parents.

Take your fear and turn it into determination. Take your uncertainty and turn it into skills. Take your weary heart and turn it over and trust for better days.

And…know you are loved beyond measure.

❤️

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

Note: This is not a political post, whatsoever. It’s an observation of the human state of being during a time of crisis.