On social media, the fighting is so intense that, each time I put my phone down, it's as if I've shut the door on the trading floor on Wall Street for a moment. So much cacophony. The bitter rancor has leapt into my soul. I see posts and comments that simultaneously make my blood boil and send fear coursing through my veins. How could anyone believe that? Why can't they see the larger picture? Do they not see where we are ALL headed? These thoughts have dominated my mind for several weeks.
At first the "shut-down" felt like a vacay. People were excited about it. I myself enjoyed cooking and relaxing without any pressure to leave my cocoon. Weeks later and faced with the prospect of a world that is opening so slowly (and this is not a comment on that, as I am not a doctor or a scientist) that businesses are being ground to powder, I am not enjoying much of anything anymore. What we thought we had, as a nation and, via domino effect, the world, is no longer in place. We are left with a large bag of uncertainty. It's like getting the "mystery gift" at a flea market. Could be a cruise for two, could be a vacuum cleaner of questionable origin.
Churches are, as yet, unable to meet in any meaningful fashion. The body of Christ has relied on phone calls, texts and video chats. They are great, but I want to see people again! Who doesn't?
I've always known that God is my source, that the world is uncertain. But it seems as if, on March 15th, the uncertain world went into freefall. We haven't hit bottom. I would be happy to see us land somewhere, anywhere, even if we're balanced on a precipice. Everywhere I turn, people of God are issuing prophecies and proclamations. Some hit my spirit as right-on, others just scare me to death.
The only way that I know how to navigate this horrific mess is to unplug from the 24-hour news cycle. Rest my phone for a few hours a day. Walk in nature. Pray. Control what I can. Live one day at a time. We may be smack-dab in the beginning of sorrows that Jesus talked about. Could very well be. Scripture teaches us to live ready for the second coming of Christ. Am I? Are you?
