My, How the World Has Changed!
My head is spinning. Every day feels like a week, and every week feels like an eternity. It’s difficult to get a handle on a world that seems to be changing so dramatically, so quickly.
I looked at my newsletter article from last month (because I honestly couldn’t remember what I wrote about!), and chuckled as I read about what was most pressing for me at that time: the renewal leave grant. Fear and worry and constant vigilance against the coronavirus was nowhere on my radar at that point. (It’s been completed and mailed in, by the way! Yay!)
Still… my how the world has changed.
So, dear Church, how are you? We are not even two weeks into this new reality of physical distancing, and we have a long way still to go before this threat passes. Are you prepared for a marathon? Are you pacing yourself? Are you taking care of yourself emotionally, physically, spiritually? How are you?
As of today, I’m doing okay. I’m sad. I’m concerned for the longer-term effects that this virus and accompanying disease will have on our economy, our world. I’m worried about all those who do not have the kind of financial resources set aside to weather such a sudden and unexpectedly long loss of income. I’m scared for children and families for whom time together is not pleasurable, but frightening due to abusive relationships. All of these thoughts swirl around me almost constantly.
Yet, I also wake each morning and go to bed each evening in prayer. And – wow – do I find that to be a powerful way to start and end my waking hours! A time to be quiet; a time to reflect; a time to gain perspective on all of this from God’s eyes – this helps me immensely. Lately, I haven’t had a lot of words to offer in those times of prayer. I’ve just been sitting with all of those heavy emotions and letting God’s Spirit hover over them, gather them up, and transform them from fear and worry and angst into peace, love and action.
I hope that you might find this time “in exile” to be fruitful for your own spiritual life and practice. If you’d like some ideas for prayer practices, let me know. In the meantime, let me encourage you to visit https://www.ctkdurango.org/faith-formation-at-home/ for some great tips and activities that can aid you and your spirit during this time.
Peace be with you. Stay safe and healthy!
Pastor Tim