Everywhere I turn, everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is about the coronavirus. My initial reaction when all this hit the news was to ignore it. A couple weeks ago I went to Costco for my normal shopping and unexpectedly encountered a sea of people buying up bottled water. Then the county next to mine canceled school for a day. A week ago karate black belt testing did elbow touches instead of high fives. What is going on?
And then everything seemed to tank over night. March Madness canceled?! A church canceling services?! Travel ban with Europe?! Universities sending students home?! My stable world turned upside down and I was left floundering wanting simply to crawl into bed and not face this new and very unexpected reality.
But God used a friend to strengthen me. A simple text. I expressed my struggle. She responded with wisdom and insight. I felt better. Clarity gained.
Then I faced feeding my family. Walmart canceled my pickup order. I went inside and the shelves were bare throughout the grocery area. I walked through the store overwhelmed trying to process what I was seeing and attempting to adapt. Again, God used a friend to strengthen me. A simple text. I expressed my struggle. She responded with wisdom and insight. I felt better. Clarity gained.
When my pastor announced on Live Stream today that his message was “Making Sense of the Coronavirus,” I was anxious to hear the wisdom and insight he had to share with our church body all spread out in our individual homes. Once again, I felt better. Clarity gained.
Viruses spread throughout the world but so do words of strength and encouragement. We might be isolated now for a time striving to stop the spread of a deadly virus, but may we continue to pour into each other sharing our struggles and strengthening one another and in the process spread unprecedented amounts of encouragement!
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Elizabeth Grace Neal 
It’s amazing how fast things changed that as of today, most congregations should be limited to 10people or less. Our Small Group is planning a to “meet” via online conference style tomorrow night. Who could have imagined that even last week? It has reminded me that we are just a vapor, things can take a serious turn and we’ve never seen it coming. Been thinking on Psalm 20 and other verses. We trust in God to protect us.
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Thank you for your comment! Thank you for sharing Psalm 20!
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I too have been shocked by the uproar that seemed to come out of nowhere for me (I’m not on social media and until this, have not been watching the news.) My prayers these days are for the lonely people, the elderly and for the many people who are affected but whose stories we may not hear for a long time. Take care ❤️
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Thank you so much for your comment! You take care as well!
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