Corona Devotionals

Isn't "wisdom" a great word?  If people use this word in conversation, I often immediately consider them wise.  It's a powerful word, and w e don't hear it enough.  We sure don't use  wisdom enough.  As Americans, we are pretty fond of rushing into situations, and serving (mostly) ourselves.  Wisdom often takes a backseat to our wants and needs, and our entitlement.   Why?  Because wisdom takes time.  It takes patience and perspective.  Prudence can be a piece of it, as well as experience.  But I have also seen young people with wisdom.  However, I have most often seen wisdom in older, faithful people.  And I always admire it. I want wisdom, don't you?  Especially now , during the "Corona Spring Break" as we are now referring to it in our house.   What are wise ways to spend our days when we are mostly confined to our homes and immediate family members?    We need wisdom w...

Although it is humbling, and a little humiliating, I have to be honest with you. Some people are running out of food supplies and they are nervous.  Some are freaking out about scarce toilet paper quantities.  I want to (embarrassingly) bare my soul to you and admit that I am running low on something else: patience . One area that I keep failing in, is that it’s only been one week that my kids have been out of the daily structure and discipline of going to school in a building, and yet it feels to me like months.  I comprehend that they no longer have the 6-7 hours of scheduled classes and teachers and friends.  I understand that we are transitioning into a “new normal”, but the embarrassing problem for me is that I can’t last the whole day of trying to fill their time and bellies.  They are not little heathens.  They are great kids.  I love our kids, and count them as the biggest blessings in my husband and my lives.  But still, I keep runni...

We are so busy worrying these days.  These nights.  Every conversation carries us to a new high or low.  We are fickle. The news has a different tangent that they run with every hour.  There is a vaccine!  (Emotional high!)  We will have to wait months for conclusive results with it. (Emotional low.)  Stimulus money might be sent to us from Uncle Sam.  (Emotional high!)  But we might be locked down in our houses so we can’t spend it in person.  (Emotional low.)  And so on it goes.  And this entire spin on the Emotional Roller Coaster only took 5 minutes of newsreel! I sometimes feel exhausted even though I am not really going anywhere or doing much.  It’s a Corona-sponsored circus in our minds. But then as I was putting away laundry, I looked out the window and saw a bird.  Coasting gracefully in high circles above the trees in our backyard.  Carefree. It relaxed me to watch him (or her).  There was no wo...

I challenge us to today: Let’s get up and follow Jesus. And if it is within reason for you—plan a meal with someone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.  ~Matthew 9:9-10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I read these verses they both jumped out at me.  The two verses are both on completely different topics, but I think they are both relevant, timely and awesome for you and me TODAY.   As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. ~Matthew 9:9 If you know anything ...

These days are a bit surreal, aren’t they? The news sputters updates about infection counts and closures but we ourselves are removed from any chaos of infection (I pray).  In fact, the societal halt is almost eerie.  There are no leisure public attractions to attend anymore, like movie theaters, or sports, (most) retail stores, or even the zoo.  There are very few cars on the road, because…where can we go?  A park for a hike, maybe. It’s like we have this knowledge that the world continues to turn, but the pace and presence of people has completely changed.  We almost feel like we are standing still, in the middle of a world pandemic occurring around us. It’s almost like, we are standing in the middle of a sea and the water has been pushed back on both sides.  Turbulence is out there, but we are separated from it.  It’s eerie, surreal, and unprecedented. The image I mention here is unprecedented for us, and our daily events are partly physical, an...

The tighter the ropes seem to get on our daily lives and public options because of the Corona precautions, the more closed-in we feel.  The more isolated we feel.  The lonelier we feel.  Much of our contact has been cut off, and even if we didn’t “do” much before, at least we had the option to. This is hard.  Even if it is short term, it hurts inside.  I just cannot get over (everyday) that Jesus knows just what we are thinking, feeling and dealing with.  Todays’ scripture spoke right into my heart and my hurt, and I hope that it whispers hope and love to you also.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the ...

What day is it?   It is a wild feeling when all of them feel the same...because our normal "markers" are not there--school morning alarms, event meetings, after school practices, church events.   But this "same" is like no other "same" that we've ever experienced.  Infact, I have sensed a bit of sadness or even depression in us, as the days melt slowly from one into the other.  With the limiting of outside contact, our homes (and the people in them) can drive us a little stir-crazy.  Plus, I keep "checking" myself for any symptoms of sickness.  (Do I have a fever?) The news on TV and in print is both mesmerizing and suffocating.  It's all the same stuff, but it weighs us down and it can seem like our walls are literally closing in on us. But there is a breath of hope.  And actually, it's more like mouth-to-mouth resusscitation.  God breathes life and protection back into the areas of us that are slowly sliding into sad spots....