Hey guys! I know it’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me on here but I’m hoping that will change now that my schedule is nearly empty as opposed to crammed full, as I’m sure everybody else’s is. 🙂
My favorite Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” That’s been my favorite for a long time now but I think it’s super fitting for everything that’s going on in the world right now. None of us have ever experienced a global pandemic before, not even our world leaders. So no one really knows what exactly will happen, we can only make predictions and base our actions on those. As Christians we’re called to put our trust in the Lord even when we can’t see or understand what’s going on. But the good news is, we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). So it’s important to pay attention to how God is using this big, scary unknown to move in our lives. Here’s a little bit of how God has been moving in my life in the midst of this pandemic:
In early March I started thinking about seasons of life and the season I was currently in. I remember thinking it was hectic and exhausting with a never ending to-do list. I was looking back on my high school career, knowing that it was coming to an end but also looking forward to the Race. And while I did have little glimpses of peace and rest throughout that season, it wasn’t enough. It felt like life was moving 100 mph and I just couldn’t keep up. But then the coronavirus happened. Now, my days start when I want them to start and move at a pace that I get to set. And it’s been a HUGE blessing! I finally feel rested and I get to focus more on things that I love.
Now that school is online, I get to structure my day exactly the way I want it. I don’t wake up at 7am like I did during normal school and I get to ease into my day in a way that I never had time for when I slept past my alarm everyday. So I wake up at a more reasonable hour of the day (I won’t say exactly what time since we probably have different definitions of “reasonable”), I get a cup of a coffee and start my day off with a devotional. I said in my last blog post that I normally do my devotionals right before I go to bed because that’s what worked for me but I’ve always wanted to start my day with God and now I finally get to do that! My youth group has been doing devo plans together on the Bible app and it’s been great.
I also have a little quarantine project going. I ordered a plain grey sweatshirt off of Amazon and some embroidery thread. My plan is to embroider the sweatshirt with my favorite jokes, sayings, and anything else that represents me until it’s full. And it’s already got SEVEN designs on it! I would have never been able to do that without this quarantine. And yes, I know this is very grandma-ish (I’ve already been told by multiple people) but it gives me something to do during the day besides stare at a screen. Oh and I have time to read again! All throughout elementary and middle school, I was always reading a book and I would just breeze right through them. But when I got to high school, I never had the time anymore. So I’ve picked up reading again, I just went for my first bike ride in years, and I get to “go to” school WITH MY DOG. Doesn’t that just sound great? Now don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely been challenging for me trying to navigate online school and stay in my house 24/7 with my family. But I try to focus on the good. My sister is home doing online school for college, so she and my mom and I have card game nights once a week. My dad and I started watching an old sitcom from the 70s together every night at 10.
The point is, I’m trying to look at this like the times when the prophets of the Old Testament would go to God before going out to minister to God’s people. All of these prophets were worn out and tired from their never ending task of trying to keep the Israelites faithful. Just when they were ready to give up, God would call them into the wilderness or up to the mountain top to spend time with Him. And when they returned, they were refreshed and renewed, ready to go out to speak the Word of God. And that’s what I think this quarantine is giving us a chance to do: go back to God and be renewed. I know for me personally, I was worried about going on the Race and being so burned out from four long years of high school that I wouldn’t be able to serve the Lord or those around me with everything I had. But now I have this chance to rest and be renewed. And as I pray for the world in this difficult time, in the same breath I am thanking God for this opportunity to draw close to Him and rest.
God bless, Madison <3
