There’s so much happening on a daily basis I think I control that I do not. All of us have been affected from living in a pandemic for a while now—some more than others, of course—but all of us in ways big and small.
We all want life to return to normal. But if protecting others means we need to stay at home for a few weeks, we can do that. We can do our part to protect our communities and love those around us a little better. Our family has decided to take the guidelines and advice of those with more knowledge than us on this so we’re being diligent about staying in and staying home as much as possible.
Which means spending a lot of time together as a family right now. We have had many slow days, filled with great conversation, meaningful prayer time, games, delicious food we’ve cooked together and lots of time outdoors.
It has been opening my eyes to just how much we were on the go on a regular basis, before the virus hit, preoccupied with this, that or the other thing. It has given me pause to be able to appreciate the people in my home even more than I did before by connecting more than we usually do. That part of all this strange uncertainty has felt gratifying.
Our normal weekly schedule typically consists of running around non-stop to work, sports practice, church functions and music lessons. Our quarantine time has forced us to connect with each other on a daily basis—time that we usually don’t even get in one month! We now have time to play games together, do puzzles, organize our home, watch movies and have full conversations we don’t have to rush through.
This is what we need as a family unit. With all the busyness of our society, it’s been a blessing to give ourselves permission to simply slow down and just be with each other.
I think oftentimes we under-appreciate things until they are taken away. I am really grateful for the freedom I experience on a daily basis, like going out to dinner with friends or even if I’m just going to Target or running errands. Because freedom is limited at this time, I don’t think I’ll ever take it for granted again. I hope I don’t.
But right now, where I’m finding freedom is within my faith. My relationship with God has given me the freedom to surrender control and trust this path.
Stepping back to realize for me, that God is truly in control and I can trust Him even in the hard times (or maybe especially in the hard times) has been both challenging and rewarding. It’s easy for me to say, “I trust in God…” or sing along at church and say “Amen” in prayer when everything feels perfect. But when things feel difficult, that is when my faith is tested and I must step up in order to practice what I preach.
This time in our lives has caused me to lean into my faith in God like never before. I I have had to put every tool I’ve learned over the years into practice lately.
I’ve been challenged to lean on God for my own sanity—when my fears and anxieties threaten to overtake me. To see the joy around me and not just the difficulties. To acknowledge my gratitude. For the first time in my life, my relationship with God is all that is keeping me together. I am desperate to see things through His eyes—the good and the bad.
I have often felt as though I have no time for mindfulness and connection with God with all I had going on. Now there is plenty of time, and I need it more than ever. When I look to Him and have time with Him daily, my perspective changes from stress to thankfulness. Without it, I’d never be able to see the lessons I’m learning all around me—I wouldn’t be able to recognize that I’m living life with clearer eyes now.
That clarity is soul-filling. Because what’s coming out of that clarity is love. The most important thing. I can love my people whether things are perfect or challenging as if tomorrow is not promised. Because these times remind us that it isn’t. Whether sitting in our home or busy with our “normal” schedules, the shortness of life has been a good thing to keep in my mind.
Because I’m living more intentionally, and hope I now always will.
