Peace in Transition

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not overly fond of change. Routine is comfortable. Unpredictability is unsettling. Once I cross the divide into new territory and set up shop, I adjust and establish new routines. But while I’m on that narrow bridge between the old and the new, I’m hanging on for dear life and being ultra-vigilant for loose boards, fraying rope, and anything else that could send me plummeting to the rocks below.

As you know, change is everywhere these days. Everything is in transition. Work. Family. School. Church. The way we eat. The way we shop. Even the way we communicate with each other. I’m having to get very creative in remaking familiar routines so they fit into this new existence.

For example, after our university gym closed due to government restrictions, I moved my noon exercise outside to a trail that winds around the perimeter of ACU. So I still take a lunch break to exercise, only instead of walking on a treadmill and watching a show on my phone, I’m now walking outside and enjoying nature. (Thankful to God that spring has arrived and the weather is temperate.)

Change, while uncomfortable and sometimes terrifying, can also be beautiful. My favorite thing about walking the Lunsford Trail is reading the scripture embedded in the path. Some verses are etched in stones on the path itself. Others are found in limestone pillars positioned to the right or the left. This photo shows one of my favorite collections. One scripture reminds me to commit my ways to the Lord. Another in the circle at my feet reminds me that it is the Lord who enables me to accomplish the tasks set before me, not my own strength. But it is the pillar to the left that holds the verse that has become my theme for getting through Covid-19.

Three such simple lines, yet they are the exact prescription I need to get through this crazy, uncertain time.

Be joyful in hope. Don’t allow discouragement and fear steal your joy. Hold onto hope and the promise that our God will never leave us nor forsake us. And share that joy with others. People are afraid and grouchy at being cooped up and stressed about losing their jobs. Spread joy and hope to the people around you, inoculating them against the true disease Satan is trying to spread.

Patient in affliction. Stress and patience don’t coexist easily. Tempers flare quickly in times of affliction. Things that used to be little and easy to ignore grow into giant eyesores. Dig deep for patience. And if you have to lock yourself away with chocolate and a good book for an hour in order to find it, well, that’s just what must be done.

Faithful in prayer. This, of course, is the key to it all. The more connected we are to the Father, the easier it is to endure our trials with joy. And the good news is . . . nothing has changed in the way we communicate with our Lord. He is still as available to us today as He was yesterday. And He’ll be there for us tomorrow as well. Thank heaven that in a word so full of uncertainty, we serve a God who does not change.

What verses have you found most helpful in dealing with the pandemic?

Are there certain pieces of your previous routine that you’ve been able to salvage and continue on in spite of everything that has changed?