This Too Shall Pass by Lisa Shoemaker

It really is difficult to believe that two months after our country closed its doors to mass gatherings and communal activities, we are still in the throes of this way of living. But since mid-March, we now don face masks to enter grocery stores and doctors’ offices; we limit who from our household goes to the market, picks up a can of paint from the hardware store, or drops off a package at the UPS Store. Life in 2020 certainly has not unfolded as we thought it would.

If you’ve been on social media as often as the majority of the population has been, then you are aware of all the ways we can organize our homes, cook a chicken casserole, put our online photos in albums, exercise in our basements, teach our kids quadratic equations, and get rid of our fine lines and wrinkles. We are all searching for ways to fill our days with somewhat meaningful activities.

Many of you were like me at the beginning of this pandemic isolation period:  we cleaned out a closet or two, learned how to make chocolate mousse, or repainted a room. We still have empathy for those who cannot experience the closure that a funeral brings when a loved one dies or for those who struggle with the fear that unemployment creates now. We understand the extreme disappointment of those canceled weddings and graduations. We have tried to support businesses that are creatively making efforts to stay viable. We have Zoomed, Face-timed, and Skyped until our eyes are crossing. Because then, we had energy, drive, and a sense of “We can do this!”  We were convinced that our daily walks would take us out of this COVID-19 crisis as a healthier, stronger, better version of ourselves. We knew this wouldn’t last forever.

Then we tired. We became bored. We lost our energy.

Since March, I haven’t seen my elderly parents who live isolated on a farm outside Armstrong, MO (they are not tech-savvy Zoomers or Face-timers), nor have Jim and I visited our elder daughter and her family. You have the same complaints, I know. For those who reached the point of head-banging ennui, it’s time for an attitude check and a recalibration of our foci and passions.

We need to muster new energy that allows us to find different ways to live with this virus threat until a vaccine is secured. Just because we may have months and months of potential rises in infections and deaths before this is all over, we cannot give up on living a life of quality. In the gospel of John, Jesus is quoted as saying, “. . . I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (10:10 ESV). Abundant living is creative; it is loving and generous; it is full of both pleasure and pain, but it is ultimately satisfying. A life in Christ is a life that promises this abundance; however it plays out in your circumstances. I think the key is seeing where that abundance can be realized.

So, keep looking for ways to get outside and enjoy the spring. Take heart in the knowledge that online school education is taking a break (and you can, too!). Enjoy the many ways you can make your home a true sanctuary without spending money. Keep texting, emailing, and Face-timing your family and friends. Worship in your family room as you engage with our weekly church services online.

We may be in this way of living for a long time . . . but it will not be forever, and what emerges in the aftermath of this coronavirus just might be a new normal we all can embrace.