Psalm 73:25

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” Psalm 73:25

Michigan has a shelter in place ban occurring at the moment. Day by day the count of those with the virus rises and the governor elongates the ban on a biweekly basis. We are ordered home until May at the earliest, probably longer. Yikes.

Now, in the spirit of honesty (which we know I thrive on), I should let you know that my introvert self is pretty happy to be holed up at home with not much to do. My life before quarantine was extremely busy; working 50 hour weeks leaving time for little else. But what does life look like now? It looks like trying to be productive and only succeeding some days. It looks like spending a lot of time reading, whether it be novels or my Bible and commentaries. It looks like a LOT of family time, a lot of Zoom calls and FaceTime’s and a lot of texting.

Because of my busy lifestyle, the biggest thing I’m experiencing in this odd time is forced relaxation. I am a high strung, high energy person who has a list for every day, week, or month that I tick off and stick to strictly. But there are no lists in quarantine, there are no To Do’s, there are no must’s to accomplish. There is just me, my thoughts, and my family. How odd is the time we’re living in?

I’ve been learning in this time to find joy in the little things. My family life continues to be tumultuous and dramatic and through it all one thing stays with me, God. My opening verse has been on repeat in my brain for the last two weeks, “Whom have I in heaven besides you? There is NOTHING on earth I desire besides you!” In this crazy time the one thing I need is the one thing I have. I am continuously learning to turn to Him, to trust Him with the uncertainty that this time brings, and to let myself breathe, for the first time in a long time. Diving into His word at this time has brought me more peace than I can describe. God is working in all of us, all the time. Although it doesn’t feel like, He has a plan for each of us during this pandemic. (Should I throw it in here just for kicks? Yes I should. JEREMIAH 29:11 mmhmm it wouldn’t be Thislightofmind without it)

Christ came to earth originally to deal with a much larger pandemic than this COVID-19 problem. He came to deal with the sin problem, a virus that we are all born with. It eats away at us and pulls us away from the only potential good in life, Jesus Christ. When Christ came he was rejected, pushed away, punished, and ultimately became the sacrifice for us. He selflessly gave his will over to the Father and said “Not my will but thine be done” He allowed God to use him to bridge the gap that sin brings. And on that cross all those years ago, Christ cried “It is finished” and gave up the Ghost, accepting a worlds worth of punishment in just 3 hours. 3 days later his work was truly complete when he rose again, and returned to heaven some days later.

This is the truth I cling to; this is the truth that makes me a child of God, a daughter of the King as someone reminded me this week. This truth, that I took for my own as a wee munchkin of 6 years old, is what guides me to this day, through this pandemic, through uncertainty and confusion and in good times too. He is my guiding light and I hope that during this dark time, someone will find him for themselves and join the family of God.

ALRIGHTY Y’ALL this was a little longer than normal, but I’m bored what’re you gonna do?

Much love if you made it all the way through! ~Ais

#Encouraging #QuarantineThoughts #Scripture