When The World’s Gone Crazy…

It feels quite surreal today!
How life as we know it can change in a heartbeat! This time last week life was relatively “normal”.
But as of midnight tonight NZ is on lockdown. 4 weeks of self-isolation to try and curb the spread of Covid-19.
That means no Church, no catch up with friends, no takeaways (be still my aching heart!) and no connecting with people face to face.

Now to this introvert, I am thinking this is not such a bad thing! I have craft projects all set to go, a list of spring cleaning to do and the cupboards are stocked. Don’t worry, I wasn’t one of those crazy doomsday shoppers, although I did buy 2 jars of peanut butter just in case! The puppy thinks all her Christmasses have come all at once having us all home, so she is one happy pup!

We had our “Last Supper” of McDonald’s and now we are set to hunker down. Not so bad right?
But it is so much bigger than just being in self-isolation for 4 weeks. There will be long term consequences and things we have not foreseen.

My heart aches for my parents who are so far away. For my sister who lives on her own. For the fact that I won’t get to see Jackson for 4 weeks. Our #DOT-K camp has been canceled. The Shine Program is on hold. No Easter Services. Life as I know it is no longer.

I heard a great quote the other day. Someone said we are all in the same boat, and someone else said actually we’re not! We are all in the same storm but we are all in different boats. This will affect us all differently. My problems seem small in comparison to those who have lost loved ones, lost their livelihood and to those who can’t get home. I have heard that domestic abuse rates will likely go up, and that just breaks my heart. But it also doesn’t change the fact that this affects me, albeit differently to you!

We need to be aware that every person will process this differently. Some will react with anger, some with frustration, others with sadness. All of these emotions are okay, and we need to acknowledge how we are feeling.

What we cant do is let our emotions rule how we live. Acknowledge how you are feeling but don’t get dragged down by your emotions!
Take a deep breath and realize God is still on the Throne. His goodness has not, and will never change. He is not surprised at any of this and He is in control.
Rest in the knowledge that He is Sovereign, and He is King.

I am filling my mind with Scripture upon Scripture because no matter what I am feeling, there is a Scripture to combat that!
Here are just a couple I found:

Isaiah 41:10
2 Tim 1:7
Phil 4:6-7
Psalm 94:19
Psalm 56:3
John 14:27
Joshua 1:9
Matt 6:34
Luke 12:22-26
Psalm 55:22

And the beautiful thing is, we have a whole book of promises and reassurances from God.
So my encouragement to you during this crazy time is to draw close to God. Rest in Him. Read His word and know His promises. That’s what I’m doing.

And also, please be kind!
Reach out to those who you know will need some extra encouragement during this time. Look up from your own world and see if you can help someone else. We are all in the same storm, and just because it’s not face to face, doesn’t mean we can’t connect. And to those you are in isolation with, be kind to them too! They have to put up with you for 4 weeks!