Tags
beauty, coronavirus, covid-19, God’s creation, Guatemala, missionary in guatemala, quarantine, self isolation
04 Saturday Apr 2020
30 Monday Mar 2020
Posted All, Home Life, Ministry Work, Spiritual Lessons
inTags
corona virus, covid-19, i lift my eyes to the mountains, mountains, My help comes from the Lord, pandemic, we cannot do nothing
“You and I are blessed to live in nice, spacious homes. Not everyone has that privilege.”
This whole self-isolation thing here in Guatemala has been going strong for two weeks already. We were already 1.5 weeks into it. I had done my shopping, I had made sure we had enough essentials in our pantry to last a few weeks, in an effort to avoid returning to the grocery store soon. I was focusing on my children; spending time more intentionally with them, planting a garden, setting up some swings that we had never taken the time to install, working through a cooking class for my kids homeschooling program. I was spending time with the Lord, enjoying my devotional time with him. I was staying informed, trying to avoid most social media and the inevitable flow of fear and anxiety inspiring opinion posts, rather looking for fact based informational websites, listening to the daily updates from Guatemala’s president, and abiding the recommendations of the Guatemalan government.
We were already 1.5 weeks into it. And the fact that so many people in our area live in one room homes with just a few shared beds and belongings hadn’t even crossed my mind. And I wasn’t remembering that so many families in our area live from one day to the next, in a 24-hour cycle, with food as a scarcity if they hadn’t been able to secure a labor job that day. How could I be so blind? How could I be so selfish? How could I not have even realized how selfish I was being?
The phone conversation mentioned in my first quote wasn’t an admonishment. It was just a comment that sprung up in a conversation I had with a fellow missionary. But it hit my heart hard. Truth has a way of doing that. Another conversation with a different fellow missionary soon followed,
“It’s hard to take this grocery money, because there are so many needs here.”
It took 1.5 weeks for me to react and remember to think about those around me. Well, the wheels in my brain started turning, and together with my husband we agreed that being so fortunate; having a place to comfortably self-isolate, and money in our bank account; we cannot continue doing nothing. We are currently seeking the Lord’s guidance and have a few ideas in the works.
It is easy to get swept away in the wave of fear and panic. I mean, if everyone else is panicking and purchasing all of the toilet paper, what if there is none left for me?!? But the one thing that calms my soul is lifting my eyes up to the mountains. I have the great privilege of having a beautiful mountain view surrounding our home, which is a great reminder to me of these words in Psalm 121. Read it with me.
When I lift up my eyes from the overwhelming confusion of these days; the fears of the unknown, the loneliness of self-isolation; when I remember who God is, I can draw a breath in peace. I can rest in knowing that even though I don’t know the outcome of this convid-19 pandemic, my trust and my hope lie in the One who controls the universe. This whole situation is a great reminder of the fragility of life. A worldwide reminder of our need for God, for truth and a reality larger than what we can create for ourselves.
What has your reaction been?
I was encouraged by listening to an online sermon last Saturday, reminded that we should not react in fear, but in love. To heed self isolation measures and recommendations, not as a reaction of fear for ourselves, but in love to ensure the safety of those around us. To look beyond ourselves and find a need and do something about it.
It’s not too late! Seek the Lord! Lift up your eyes to the heavens; remember that God is still in control! And ask him to show you what you can do now to faithfully represent him as his ambassador to the world during these difficult days.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20