Same Boat, Different Storm

Every single one of us are in the ‘same boat’, we’re just facing different storms. 

For my wife and I, we are only dealing with a drizzle. We are both blessed to be able to work at home and our kids are doing online classes fairly well. So far so good.

Many of you are going through horrendous storms: 

  • Those of you working in healhcare

  • Loss of loved ones

    Loss of jobs

  • Business owners who are not sure what the future holds

  • A higher level of anxiety and depression than ever before

  • A new fear

  • A lot of unknown. 

We have two choices here:

Feed your fear or feed your faith

  • We FEED OUR FEAR by watching the news for far too long everyday

  • We FEED OUR FAITH by spending time with God through prayer, reading and being with other believers. (Clearly, the ‘being with other believers’ cannot be physical today but there are many options: phone call, video chat, zoom virtual groups, text, etc..) 

In these moments where it feels the most hopeless, we need to go to the only One who can help. God did not cause this but He is allowing it. It certainly feels as though all of us will come out of it changed – hopefully for the better. 

Many of us (not all) now have a bit of extra time in our lives. Some of us can no longer make weekend plans, some of us are no longer are driving our kids everywhere, and some of us are not even commuting to work! With this ‘new normal’, we have a little more margin in our lives. The question becomes, “What are we doing with this margin?” So many of us (including me) were actually praying for more margin! I was praying for more quality time with the kids, more time with God and more time with friends and family. Well, careful what you pray for! Now it’s here and how will I (we) respond?

When I look back at this time, I do not want to regret not taking advantage of these opportunities. I would hate to look back and see this extra time was put only into binge-watching shows, playing video games, and being on Social Media. I’d love to look back and see more time with God through reading and praying, more time with family including dinner together every evening, and a new appreciation of the many things God has given me (us). I hope you see the blessings in this no matter where you are today. 

God has allowed us to all slow down. 

Are we listening? Are we aware? Are we taking advantage of it? 

Don’t miss out on what God is doing here. He is always at work despite how it may look. I cannot wait to hear all of the God stories we will hear when this is all over. 

Rich Pancoast