spring – Elisabeth Warner

The days, weeks, and months seem to blend together these days. We’ve been asking ourselves, “What time is it?” “What day is it?” “How am I feeling in the midst of it?”

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 King Solomon writes that there is a time for everything. In each and every season of our lives, we have a response. But as a result of reading this passage in Scripture, I have to ask, What season are we in now?

Everything Under the Sun

If you ask everyone on this planet how they’re responding to the coronavirus, to being in quarantine, to losing loved ones, to living alone…we’d all have different answers. In the beginning, I struggled with guilt because I was actually enjoying some time off from driving, and embracing this new season of much-needed time with my husband (and myself!). I was actually hopeful that God could use this virus and turn this quarantine into a way to draw us back to Himself.

But this virus has affected all of us differently. Some of us are rejoicing, while some of us are grieving. Some of us live alone, while others wish they did. Some of us are mourning loved ones who have passed, while others are celebrating the births of their babies. Some of us are consumed by work, while others are thankful for time with their families.

While I always have something positive to say, this trial we’re all facing has taught me to be sensitive to the needs of others. There have been days where I’ve struggled to even have a word of encouragement. But in those moments, I’ve also learned to rely on God, because He is the ultimate encourager.

A Time to Mourn AND a Time to Dance

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I closed on our home, after months of waiting for a mortgage application and after years of praying and saving practically every penny we own. We were so excited, we danced and jumped for joy as we moved into this answer to prayer.

When I opened that first box the day before our furniture arrived, I felt a wave of panic and….sadness? How could I be sad when we could finally see the culmination of all our prayers and hard work? This is everything I’ve wanted for the last three years, even before my husband and I were married. Why was I fighting back tears at this new blessing, after years of hopping from apartment to apartment, waiting for a place to call our own?

I didn’t understand how I felt until I saw it through the eyes of a TV character.

On a recent episode of a show we watch, a couple had just bought a home, but one of them had a hard time enjoying it. Their real estate agent and family member encouraged this person to properly say goodbye to his old home.

At first, he thought it was strange, but as he spent time alone “with his old house,” he realized how important it was to relive old memories and appreciate what the house contributed to his life. While it was all meant to be comedic, it spoke volumes to me about this current season of my life.

It’s possible to be happy and sad about my current situation, because I’m both gaining and losing.

We Need to Let Go to Move Forward

Moving is a change. My life has been a constant change. As a world, we are all feeling a change taking place.

Change is good. I need to believe that. We need to believe that.

Before all this happened, I felt discontent and lonely. I was overwhelmed with activities and work and my life was just one big obligation to take care of everyone but myself. Though my schedule was full, I was empty.

I needed change. But when the whole world literally shifted, I wasn’t ready, and I didn’t like it.

When we ask God for change, we come with our expectations. The change I was looking for was more money, more time, or boldness to say no when I needed to take care of myself. I wanted more space to live in, more convenience, more of the good things in my life and less of the bad.

But in asking for all of these things, I never asked for more of God, but that was what He wanted for me. So, His answer to my prayer was much different from what I expected.

To make room for this new blessing, the answer to my prayers, I have to let go of what was lost. In order to embrace the now, I have to lay down the expectations I had and seek the Lord in the midst of my emotions.

Friends, this isn’t a pause; this is life. We are never going “back to normal”; we are embracing a new normal.

As we walk through this difficult time, as crazy as it is, God is faithful and unchanging, yet He is calling us to a new thing. The world is being turned upside down, and we’re seeing a revival. In order to be ready for this new season, no matter how good it is, we have to mourn what we’ve lost.

Today, lay down your expectations for how you wanted 2020 to look, and embrace what God has for you. Take as much time as you need to grieve what you’ve lost: cry, scream, jump up and down, write in your journal. Then turn to God, who truly has a 2020 vision, for instructions on this next chapter of your life.

It’s been three weeks of social distancing and self-containment, and truthfully, I’m growing restless. But as I think of the world slowly transitioning back to reality in the coming weeks(or months?), I want to take advantage of the lessons I’ve learned in the midst of COVID-19.

As I’ve been praying about where God is in all of this, I’ve gotten the vision of a seed. Just as a seed is planted in the darkness, hidden yet nourished by the dirt, at the proper time, the seed grows into a strong oak tree that cannot be shaken. Seeds are being planted in this season, and in due time, we will reap a harvest (Galatians 6:9). Here are some seeds I pray will take root in the world, even when life goes “back to normal.”

1. We Keep Washing Our Hands

This is an obvious point, but I’m not just talking about physically. This virus has taught us to be more aware of how our actions, attitudes, and illnesses affect those around us. “If one member suffers, we all suffer together” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

As a result of COVID-19, I pray that we remember to practice purity in our words and our actions. That we can remember the power of life and death that rests in the tongue, and that we would choose our words carefully. Though we shouldn’t distance or isolate ourselves, we should be wise in what we share with others.

2. We Stay Home When We’re Sick

During the beginning stages of the quarantine, we received an e-mail from a local business about their protocol to handle the virus, “Employees who don’t feel well will be required to stay home.” My inward response to that was, Shouldn’t that always be the case?

I confess that I’m guilty of going to work even when I struggle to get out of bed. I’m guilty of being scared to call my boss and tell them I’m too sick to come into work. When I do take a day off, I try to justify why it was the right thing to do instead of embracing rest. But this virus has taught me that going to work sick doesn’t help anyone. Especially not me.

As a result of COVID-19, I pray that we would see that our lives are more important than our salaries. That we would have the courage to admit when we genuinely shouldn’t go to work or participate in that event. Though we shouldn’t cheat the system, we should use the PTO time (or even the non-PTO time) given to us by our employers to refresh and restore ourselves, so we can return from our breaks as healthy, hardworking members of the company.

3. We Make Time to Rest and Grieve

During this quarantine, we’ve lost a lot. Seniors in high school and college have missed a chance to participate in graduation activities. Sports events have been cancelled. Some people have important events, like birthdays, weddings, baby and bridal showers, and welcoming new family members into the world.

Loss happens in this world, but when “life goes on,” the pain and grief we feel often gets pushed to the side. We have to put on a happy face and keep going. It doesn’t give glory to God to power through our pain. We need to be authentic.

As a result of COVID-19, I pray that when we’re going through seasons of difficulty in the future, the world would be forgiving and let us reflect on what we’ve lost. But even when it’s not, that we would be bold in our tears and pain, knowing that our Lord holds our tears in a jar and is with us in the pain.

4. We Keep Up the Relationships We’ve Cultivated (Including With Ourselves)

In this season of quarantine, we’re getting the opportunity to see our loved ones up close and personal. I’m personally thankful for the chance to spend more time with my husband, who has been working from home instead of driving an hour each day into work. I’ve genuinely enjoyed the video chats I’ve been a part of and the chance to get to know my friends “face-to-face.” I’ve also found a new love for myself, discovering gifts and passions that had yet to be awakened because of lack of time.

As a result of COVID-19, I pray that we will become so saturated in love for our friends and family that meeting with them would never be a burden. May we be free from obligations and instead invest in where we want to be. Though we should still go to work and participate in the world, we should intentionally carve out time to sit with our friends outside and laugh at the memories created during the quarantine. And that we can recognize that self care is just as important as pouring into the lives of others.

5. We Wait on the Lord

The whole world is in waiting right now, begging for this virus to stop wreaking havoc on our land. While the day we see a break will be glorious, it will not signal the end of all waiting. There will be many seasons where we’ll be crying out to God just as loudly as we all now, our voices straining in desperation to be set free from this wait.

We were in that season of waiting for a house for a long time. After weeks, months, and years of prayers, saving, and sacrifice, we are driving to the bank to close on our first home. As we live in our new house, our new house, we will never forget the prayers we’ve whispered in desperation to God, the promises that He can do the impossible, and the faithfulness that carried us to see the fulfillment of those promises.

The same God who met us in our need is the same God who is with us now. And He’s the same God who will be with us the next time we’re in a season of waiting.

As a result of COVID-19, I pray that we never waste the wait. I pray that we lean into God and bring the deepest cries of our hearts to Him. Even though it hurts, I fully believe that God hears our prayers and He draws near to us as we draw near to Him. May we never take His presence for granted, even when we get everything back that we lost in this season of waiting.

Amen.

If you are interested in fiction stories, check out the short story I wrote this week about how I believe God is working during our global quarantine period. You can subscribe to my e-mail list to have an encouraging short story sent to you every Monday morning.