Peace amidst the chaos

Anyone else feel like the world is kind of spinning out of control right now? I'm constantly going back and forth in my mind between, "this isn't that serious...people are overreacting" to, "WASH YOUR HANDS! NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE AGAIN!". I'm naturally a worrier, as you may have seen from my post This is for you...the worrier, so crisis like this tend to cause a whirlwind of emotions in my mind. And while that's completely natural, it's important that we find a way to cope with those emotions...otherwise we'll eventually lose it.

During times like this, it's important not to lose sight of why we were put on this earth to begin with. I don't believe that God put Corona on this earth to teach us a lesson. But I do believe it gives us the opportunity to gather together (virtually), to lean into our faith, and begin to, once gain, discover our purpose. We have the duty to live fearlessly, but not carelessly. And by fearlessly, I don't mean continue to go about your normal life before Corona...to continue to go out in public, not caring about catching or spreading anything. NO...don't do that. But live in your new, contained atmosphere, without fear of the unknown. Because you know what? God has it.

Living carelessly means you don't even try to control the things that you CAN control. You go about your life as if nothing has changed. This is careless. And for the sake of our elderly and/or loved ones who may not be in perfect health, STOP. Stop being careless. Don't live your life as if you're immune. Even though God has it under control, he cannot control your every move or the spread that you may cause. We have to help each other out during this scary time. We have to do as much as we can to keep ourselves and others healthy.

While we don't want to live carelessly, we also shouldn't live fearfully. Living fearlessly, though, doesn't mean we can go back to being careless. Living fearlessly means you trust that God has it under control. That He is taking care of us and is with us every step of the way.

You can live fearlessly and also NOT have everything going your way. You can be sick, have loved ones who are sick, have lost a SH$$ ton of money in the stock market, etc. and still live fearlessly. Because, once again, living fearlessly means handing everything over to God and trusting in Him. Living fearlessly just means that you can take a deep breath and trust that He is in control.

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This is the subject that Pastor Jeremy at North Point Church discussed in Sunday's virtual church service. He and his wife had literally just gotten off the plane from their canceled sabbatical trip (he was wearing a long-sleeve t-shirt he had to buy at the airport). He got up there and spoke for 30+ minutes about not losing faith during this crazy, unprecedented time. He talked about how this tragedy can become an opportunity for those trying to grow in their faith. We have the opportunity to spread joy and love during this time.

"Arrows pointed out."

This is the phrase he loves to use when talking about spreading love and joy to those around you. Arrows ALWAYS have to be pointed out. Think of ways you can help those around you and be willing to offer that help. While we may not be able to gather together right now in the form of a church service, we have so many other opportunities to spread love. Offer up your services to those around you who may need it. That, my friend, is being more of a Christian than showing up to church every Sunday morning could ever be (IMO).

It's going to be a rough/odd/strange/uncomfortable/etc. next several weeks (or months). A lot of people are already stuck at home for at least the next two weeks, and the status of things after that point is still very much up-in-the-air. We received word today that all meetings of 4+ people at work are now to be done virtually, the gym is closed indefinitely, and only prepared to-go options will be provided in our cafe and you are to eat those options at your desk. I'm writing this stuck at home from a little head cold. I semi-jokingly asked my boss if I should stay at home because of it and he responded with, "absolutely stay home...".

People are taking this very seriously, as they should be. If you're not, please consider those your carelessness could impact. This is not a time to be selfish.

Live FEARLESSLY, not CARELESSLY.

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Pastor Jeremy challenged his virtual audience to write down a list of things they're currently worried about. Write them down on a physical piece of paper. Once written, put them in a box. Tape that box up nice and tight. And throw it in the garbage. Preferably not the garbage in your garage where you can just go grab it right back out. No. Go throw it in the dumpster behind Walmart. Or Casey's. Or wherever. This is the moment where you just surrendered your word, your destiny, to God.

Here's mine (yes, I actually did this):

When you really sit down and think about those items that are causing you stress, and then physically hand them over to God to handle...that can feel like a giant weight is lifted from your shoulders. We have to do what we can to help others during this time and also not stress about the things we cannot change. That isn't doing yourself, or anyone else, any favors.

Hand those things over to God of which you CANNOT change. Pass the baton. Find peace in the knowledge that He has it under control. If you do your part to help, then everything else will fall into place as it was meant to.

I hope this brings you some peace of mind; that your heart is now able to rest a little more easily after reading this. Pastor Jeremy's service is linked here if you'd like to catch the whole thing. Let's do what we can to help each other out during this crazy time and give everything else to Him.

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A place to be #unapologeticallyme.