I’m a painfully practical person
without an ounce of dreamer in me. I
always seem to be asking the “so what?”
question. Most people would probably
consider me to be boring, but none of us can completely change how God wired
us.
As this pandemic continues to
dictate our daily lives, I’m struck by the fact that we are all stuck in the same place right now. For some, it’s a prison; for others, it’s freedom. Although many of those closest to me tend to
see this more like a prison than a respite, I can’t say that I begin to
understand exactly how they feel. I
recognize, however, that how we are responding to our current situation is
greatly affected by how we’re wired.
While many are struggling to find
meaning or purpose in their days right now, others are finding joy in
developing new skills or having time to read new books or complete long-dormant
projects. Still others are finding ways
to be useful to others during this unprecedented time in our era, and I applaud
them. There is no “right” way to spend
our downtime as long as it is not self-destructive or abusive to others. But all
of us can probably look for “better” or “best” ways to spend our time –
whether now or when things are normal.
Here’s the question that’s come to
my mind – the “so what?” question for the COVID-19 quarantine: when
it’s all over, will there be any lasting changes in my life? Will anything I am choosing to do today make
a difference in the future? We all have
lots of time on our hands right now, but are we doing anything to develop
character or prepare us for better service to others? Or will we all go back to our individual, selfish
lives and relative uselessness for God’s kingdom when it’s all over?
I’m pointing fingers at myself as
much as anyone else. I hope that I am
daily seeking God during this crisis in a way that will not be forgotten when
it is over. By default, God’s presence and
friendship are currently replacing the presence and friendship of others; but let me not lose sight of the importance of God's presence and friendship even when I am able to return to the presence and friendship of others in
my life. As the quarantined weeks go
on without an end in sight, I challenge you to think beyond right now and
choose to start building a future that makes a difference.
