Chaotic. Off kilter. Out of balance. Stressful. Uncertain. That’s just a few of the words I would use to describe my world at this point in time. Nothing seems right. I don’t know what to expect. Everything as I know it keeps changing. Just when I think it’s gone as far as it can go, it moves just a little bit further in a whole different direction. This goes against my “let’s keep a plan together” mindset. In fact, that plan has been totally thrown out the window. That plan was gone a long time ago.

So here I am in the midst of a world I didn’t choose. I didn’t sign up for any of this. Much of my day is dictated by laws and those in authority above me. I don’t get to set the rules. Appointments I need to keep get cancelled. No longer do I get to enjoy the company of others thanks to the lovely social distancing decree. Shopping is no longer something I do for fun, but rather something that consists of only the necessities that quite possibly won’t even be available. Shortages of things we once took for granted have now become the norm. We dare not sneeze or cough in public because those around us automatically think we are nothing more than a warm body of contagions. Don’t stand close to anyone. Give them their 6 feet of space. Patience runs thin. Tempers flare. That pretty much sums it up.

Never before have I lived through something of this caliber. In fact, none of us have. We’re all navigating uncharted territory. That’s what makes it so difficult because there really was no way of preparing for what we didn’t understand. We have questions of which no one has an answer. We listen to the news only to be more confused than we were to begin with. We’re all on edge fighting our own personal battles. It’s affected us all in some way. Some more devastating than others. If we’re honest, we are all hurting. We’re all grieving the loss of something. We’re all wishing we could wake up from this horrible nightmare, but it keeps going on and on. The end is nowhere in sight.

Even though things are nowhere near what they used to be…Even though none of us like the way things are…Even though we remember what life was like before the Rona…Even though we long for life to get back to normal…We all have so much to be thankful for. We must purpose and start our day with a spirit and attitude of gratefulness. We can’t allow what’s not right to steal what we do know is right.

This is a season where we must be rooted and grounded in what we know to be true. Everything as we know it is being shaken. This is no time to be weak in our faith. We better know what we believe or we’ll cave under the pressure that bombards us each day. This is the perfect opportunity to shine for Christ. People are looking for truth. We have exactly what they need. Love people right where they are…even in the midst of their mess. Be a conduit of God’s love, hope, and joy to others whether you think they deserve it or not. The ones you think deserve it the least are the ones who need it the most.

So we trudge on in this battle also known as life. We want to give up, but we can’t do that. We’ve come too far to turn back now. At times we feel as if we’re sinking, but we get up one more time and keep moving. We’re not traveling alone. We’re not standing by ourself. When we don’t think we can take one more step, that’s when God steps in and picks us up. He will carry us through to the finish line of victory. We’re going to make it. We may get some scars along the way, but those scars will tell our story. The story of a warrior. The story of a champion. The story of determination. The story of a winner. That’s who we are. That’s who God says we are, and that’s all that matters.