COURAGE, BRAVEHEART

There have obviously been a lot of conversations going around about social distancing in the crazy times we find ourselves in. In the times that will one day be referred to as “the Coronavirus times” or “the COVID-19 times” if you’re being reeeaally official.

Let’s be honest and call a spade a spade.

None of us could have imagined this is where we would be right now, and yet here we find ourselves and frankly, we’re all doing our best to make do and wrap our brains around this entire pandemic.

I know I am.

This has changed EVERY aspect of our lives. Jobs are being lost (yep, me too), the market is crashing, weddings are being cancelled, schools, gyms, restaurants and businesses are being shut down – forcing everyone to work from home, eat from home, workout from home, and even home-school their young children.

Elderly loved ones, young children and those with compromised immune systems are being kept locked away for fear of contracting something that could be life-threatening. And as a precaution, we are all being quarantined to our houses for a month at a time, maybe more, to see if this thing will die down more quickly, with less death counts at the end.

It’s a crazy time for sure. And crazy times cause crazy behaviors.

People are buying mass amounts of food and paper goods (everyone doing okay with the TP fiasco going on!?), small businesses are shutting down or going bankrupt, people are only looking out for themselves or taking advantage of others during a difficult time. Did you hear about the people who bought up all the paper goods they could find and then were selling them on Amazon or EBAY for a profit? They made $30,000.00 in the first hour. I mean, come on people – way to look out for your fellow man! Jeez.

There is so much fear, so much anxiety, so many unknowns surrounding the idea of contracting the Coronavirus and how long this thing is going to last.

Do you find yourself having to stop the mind monsters from coming in and making you terrified of everyone and everything? Or maybe just keeping fear at a minimum as much as possible?

I think there are three categories of people right now:

CATEGORY 1 | Those people who are terrified OF EVERYONE and EVERYTHING. They assume that if they cough or feel tired, then they must have contracted the Coronavirus.

CATEGORY 2 | Those people who feel like it’s a big deal but we’re just going to have to ride this thing out and do our best to do our part.  (I fall into this category)  This category is staying home and making do and this category also thinks that the people who are freaking out for no reason, have lost their ever-lovin’ minds and that everyone needs to calm the frick down! (Or maybe that’s just my own personal opinion and NOT EVERYONE in category 2.) I guess we’ll never know. Moving on…

Then there is category 3.

CATEGORY  3 | Those who have been denying and are still having a hard time believing what is actually happening. These people are in denial, plain and simple, and may still be going out as if everything is normal. They aren’t really taking into consideration the warnings from the CDC.

Now, everyone deals with fear and misunderstanding in different ways, so there’s no judgement here. I think all in all, we are all trying our very best to cope with the phenomena that is going on in the best ways we can.

I’ve been home and “quarantined” now going on a week, which doesn’t seem that long compared to others. I am in Arizona at my parents house riding this thing out with most of my family, minus my one sister who is in Nashville. Sigh. I was in Tucson a week ago slated to shoot a movie for a month: a western period-piece (what a dream!) that got shut down after me being there only a week. I was more than bummed to say the least but thought before I headed back to LA, I would shoot up to Scottsdale and visit my family for a bit, since I was only an hour-and-a-half away.

Yesterday, the Governor of California issued a statewide “stay at home” order until mid-April, and I just found out my job might be letting me go sadly…so it looks like I’ll be staying here in Arizona and trying to make the most of my time by writing and spending time with family, working out and getting good play time in with my nephews.

Being told you don’t have an income anymore and that you can’t leave your house unless it’s to get food or medicine (and for a month!) can seem daunting. Especially when you have bills to pay and especially if you are an extrovert or someone who thrives off of connection with others. This is a time that could feel really scary. Really disconnecting. Really isolating. But my question is, does it have to?

I think the answer is no.

Yes, we are being asked to socially distance ourselves. But instead of looking at what we are missing OUT ON, what we have LOST and what we DON’T KNOW, what if we were to flip our perspective and look at WHAT WE ARE BENEFITTING FROM, WHAT WE ARE GAINING and what we DO KNOW.

Let’s start with the first: WHAT ARE WE BENEFITTING FROM?

One of the huge benefits is that every form of distraction has been taken away. I feel like the Lord has talked to me a lot about how distracted we are as a people. How distracted I can be as a person and how it’s makes it difficult for us to hear from Him with all of those distractions.

Now? Problem solved. Case closed. Distractions gone. Work gone. Hang-outs and social gatherings gone. Busyness gone. And now all that lies before you is…

TIME.

Time, time and more time.

Unlimited time is here. Undistracted time is here. Intentional time is here. Relationally connecting time is here. Mentally engaging time is here. Emotionally healing time is here. Spiritually connecting time is here.

Social distancing is actually giving us all the very thing that the Lord created us for and if we’re honest with ourselves, the very thing we all really want deep down. And that is to be more connected, more engaged and more healed. Mentally. Emotionally. Relationally. And spiritually.

And what does that look like?

Spiritually it means taking time to sit. Without the noise. Without the swirling thoughts and the chaotic agenda. It means creating open space and unhurried time to sit in the presence of God. Brennan Manning talks about this, both in The Ragamuffin Gospel and in Abba’s Child.

Sidenote: If you haven’t read any of his work, please do yourself a favor and check it out. His writings are moving and chalked full of so much wisdom. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. Or don’t trust me and they’ll find you later in life when the timing is right.

Open Space. Unhurried Time. In the Presence of God.

What do those three phrases spark in you? Do they make you think? What do they make you feel?

Peace? Maybe relief? Or a sense of rest or comfort? Maybe for you it actually isn’t any of those warm, calm, fuzzy feelings. Maybe for you they spark anxiety? Impatience? Worry? Fear? Shame or maybe regret?

Whatever you feel, it doesn’t have to stop you from spiritually connecting to the God of the universe. Instead it can be a good gauge for where you’re at. And that is a great place to start exploring why you find yourself in that place and how you can move into a place of more spiritual connectedness. More healing. The Lord wants to connect with you exactly where you’re at. However you are feeling. Whatever state you find yourself in.

So maybe this is your moment.

Your reprieve (thank you Coronavirus!) to jump back in. To start again. To explore and expand in your spiritual walk and spiritual journey. To heal. To talk to God for the first time in a long time. Maybe to talk to Him in deeper, more meaningful ways than you ever have before. Maybe to sing praises differently and more authentically than you ever have before. Maybe it’s to worship Him while dancing around your house like a fool, because you’re shut in and no one’s there to watch you anyway. By the way, I highly recommend this!

Maybe this is your moment to get real with the God of the universe. Maybe this is your moment to step into deeper spiritual maturity because the spiritual depth you’ve had in the past served you then – in the past, but He’s asking you to step into a deeper faith walk for the future He has for you. For the next chapter in your story. The one after this Coronavirus chapter.

Maybe in the midst of the fear and the questioning and the worries and the wondering, He is asking you to step into deep radical trust. Outside the box you’ve placed Him in. Outside of what looks and feels like stability and security, success and safety. Maybe He’s asking you to trust Him regardless of your circumstances. Regardless of your future. Regardless of your job or your paycheck or your perfect health or your perfectly healed relationships.

Maybe He’s just asking you to be with Him. To sit with Him. To grow with Him. To talk to Him. To pray to Him. To learn to trust Him.

And while in the midst of getting spiritually connected, it will also open you up to engaging more with where you’re at mentally. Taking care of yourself in ways you haven’t before. It’ll get you in touch with your emotional life and create deep healing in ways you haven’t before. It will allow you to engage with others in relationally healthier ways as well.

And these lessons, friend, are the greatest benefit of all from this social distancing.

The second: WHAT ARE WE GAINING?

Good old-fashioned ways of connecting and learning are back. Social distancing is asking us to make a phone call. Write a letter. Read a book. Maybe write a book (I’m talking to you Ziza!). Watch a movie. Go for a walk. To really talk to each other. To get creative. To play music. To dance. And play and sing and paint. To play some boardgames or do a puzzle. It’s asking us to write in a journal. To finally sit down and write that screenplay or that blog post. To pick up a new study or a new hobby or maybe an old hobby that’s been put on the shelf because we simply didn’t have enough “time.” Well, you know what? That can’t be your excuse anymore because now you have unlimited time. (Thank you Coronavirus!) Well, at least for a month.

So what are we gaining?

So much access to all the things we have been putting off. All the things yet to be checked off our to-do lists. And my question is this – what are you going to do with it? What am I going to do with it? Hopefully we will take full advantage of using these opportunities wisely! To expand. To grow. To learn. To live. And I mean really truly live. I think some of us have forgotten how to do that.

And the third: WHAT DO WE KNOW?

We know that in the midst of the fear and the chaos; the worries and the unknowns, God promises He is right here with us. And not only is He in it with us, He is actually in full and complete CONTROL of ALL OF IT. None of this caught him off-guard or confuses Him. None of this worries Him or causes anxiety that keeps Him up at night. Because He is OVER EVERYTHING. He sees everything. He knows everything. He already knows the outcome. And because He loves us.

Romans 8:28 | “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose.”

Psalm 33:11, 20-22 | “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever. The purposes of His heart through all generations. We wait in hope for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice. For we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord even as we put our hope in you.”

I was reading in Hebrews this morning and these comforting words stood out to me:

Hebrews 11:1 | “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 10:23-25 | “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another.”

He who promised it faithful. That is what we know beyond a shadow of a doubt. And He promises to never leave us or forsake us.

So during times like these, let us hold to hope. Let us remember that He is faithful. Let us spur one another on toward love and good deeds, looking for ways we can serve others and not just be selfishly looking out for ourselves. And let us not give up meeting together in whatever form that is (phone, FaceTime, text, in-person (gasp!) and most of all, let us encourage one another in kindness and in love.

Because what the world needs now is love, sweet love.