Easter is Coming!!!!
Suddenly every newscast feels personal. Covid 19 is impacting my life and yours. It’s not news that is happening to someone else somewhere else in the world. There are empty shelves in my local grocery store. My grandchildren have three weeks off school. My trip to Vancouver is cancelled. My province is shutting down. My feelings keep swinging between disbelief and fear.
In some ways, we’ve been thrust into a situation resembling a giant snow day that will last weeks, maybe even months. Let’s take a moment to think about that analogy. What happens on an extreme snow day when two feet of snow has fallen?
Schools close. We can’t get to work. We are forced to stop, take a deep breath and look around us. For a short time, usually just twenty-four to forty-eight hours, the frantic pace of life stops. And in the midst of our frustration or, if we’re children, delight, we know that tomorrow will bring normalcy. There is hope.
Like a snow day, Covid 19 is stopping everything. Unlike a snow day, Covid 19 frightens us. We can’t see the end. We don’t know the final effects. We feel helpless, so what can we do?
My faith draws me to the Bible. St. Paul says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV) How do we find hope? Where is the silver lining on this dark cloud?
For me, signs of God’s hope are with us. Here is my list.
- Our public health system has given us some important instructions: “Stay home. Wash your hands often. Don’t touch your face. Keep a six foot social distance. Keep connections in other ways.” As a nation we’re doing it. We’re pulling We’re doing something. There is hope.
- Our government and businesses are promising financial help to carry us through this crisis. There is hope we’ll survive financially.
- Already the good effects of being still are happening in our household. We are spending more time on SKYPE and Facetime with our family in B.C. Our young neighbour has offered to get groceries or anything else we need. We’re responding as individuals.
- Increased funding for scientific research is already producing significant results.
- People of faith are praying. Panic is under control.
- My grandson reported that people are recovering in China. This too shall pass.
There is hope. We can trust that the tide of infection will abate. Our economy will recover. Make your own list. Find the signs you need. Remember. Easter is coming. We are not alone. God is with us. Thanks be to God.