“What About Tomorrow?”
COVID-19, also known as the “Coronavirus” has introduced the world to an unprecedented state of fear, panic and uncertainty. Quarantined in our homes, we wonder if life as we knew it will ever be the same. I certainly hope not! I hope life as we knew it is not the same after this, because while I’m confident we will get through COVID-19, I’m more concerned about the generational effects of a society that feeds on rebellion and selfishness? I’m troubled about living in a land where people know no boundaries and applaud hatred and division. Yes, we’ll get over COVID-19, if we follow the guidelines given by the CDC to wash our hands, sanitize, avoid gatherings, practice social-distancing, etc. We WILL get over COVID-19! But what we cannot afford to do, again, is miss what the Lord is saying to us.
In this season of “social distancing” – and in this season of Lent – I believe God is calling us to wash our hearts, sanitize our thoughts, and distance ourselves from immorality! The word of the Lord says, “if My people who are called by name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”.
I don’t want to go back to life as it was. It wasn’t all that “great” in America! Let’s not forget the “real” fake news to mislead the American people into a false sense of security, while legislation is passed to make the rich richer and the poor poorer! Let’s not forget the millions of people who are without sufficient, if any, healthcare coverage. Let’s not forget the children age 10 and under who are handcuffed at school, put in the back of police cars, carried off to jail and locked behind bars like a criminal! Let’s not forget the hundreds of people still trying to recover from natural disasters that have left them displaced and/or unemployed. Let’s not forget that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!
Let’s not go back to life as we knew it! I want to share in the agony of my brothers and sisters, with the same zeal that I have in their blessings, and not be so anesthetized to human suffering that I cross over to the other side of the road in my heart! I want to come into the house of God – and it is a place where EVERYONE is welcome – and we ALL serve the Lord with gladness – and we ALL have our needs met!
In this season of Lent, I encourage us to use this as a time to pray and study God’s word. I encourage us to use this time to rediscover family, friends, community and even ourselves. Let’s spend time in reflection and self-examination. And Finally, let’s prepare for the next season of not only our lives, but our children and our children’s children. Mahatma Gandhi said, “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
Things cannot go back to the way they were. It’s my prayer we hold tightly to love, compassion, hope, and expectation. It is my prayer that we continue to “check-in” and blow each other’s phones and Facebook pages up with prayers and words of encouragement…. that we continue to work together to ensure everyone has access to the things that help us live healthier, happier and more productive lives. God, I pray it doesn’t stop here! Rather, let these moments of “real community” become the norm. During this time, I will not fear nor will I lose hope. As David said in Psalm 27:13, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
