What Quarantine Taught Me: 2

I still find myself waking up in the morning thinking “Is this real? Is the whole nation pretty much being ordered to stay home right now? Are graduations and weddings really being cancelled? Are people really dying from this virus?” And still the answer is a resounding “YES!”

It seems crazy, probably because none of us have experienced anything like it before. When COVID19 was being talked about, I didn’t think it would result in closing down schools and workplaces. But then again, I don’t think anyone did at first. I didn’t have much of an effect on me until my university decided it was time to send the student body home. Talk about a “pinch me” moment. At first I thought COVID stole my Junior year. I felt like the devil had just robbed me and my friends or what was supposed to be the last few months before summer. Like he had robbed my sister of her summer wedding and soon would rob everyone of their livelihood. But I was wrong. When I stopped talking enough to listen, I learned an important lesson. How could we be robbed if we didn’t deserve any of it in the first place?

I know that might sound a bit morbid, but truly we were never promised anything. We set expectations and place so much value in the milestones in our life that we forget they weren’t ever guaranteed. Jesus has blessed us immensely to be able to even attend school, or have jobs or meet our lifelong partner. No matter what happens we are surely blessed to have a savior who would die for our sins. So no, we really don’t “deserve” anything. God knew where we would all be in this season, he didn’t rob us. It wasn’t ours to begin with.

So what’s the lesson? We are stewards not owners. We should give God what is first not leftover. So often I flip that around but in this pandemic it’s pretty clear that I’m not in control. What I can do though is steward what I do have well instead of dwelling on what I do not have. 

Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce”

I don’t have an action plan or a guide to gratitude, but I do know one thing… When I read through the Bible in the morning I see more blessings in my day than when I do not. If you put on the filter of goodness then surely goodness is what you’ll see. What filter have you been putting on?