I travel in various “churchy” circles: committees, men’s groups, online retreats, etc. Each has had plenty of opportunity to discuss Covid-19 and its impacts. Impacts on the Church, on the economy and on daily life. Many times, a meeting will begin with about five minutes in response to, “how are you doing?”
Surprisingly, one often hears a cheery perspective on the pandemic. It goes like this:
this is a blessed time
I’ve never had more time in the Bible than I do now
books are fun once again
no commute = more time for prayer
cherish this time because we’ll never have it again
“You can advance farther in grace in one hour during this time of affliction than in many days during a time of consolation.”
Each of these is familiar to me in some way. I can relate to them. Part of that is due to the blessing I have of being able to work from home. I am very, very fortunate. Many others have no choice but to leave home each morning, hoping for God’s protection and for good health.
Surprise, Surprise
I was one of the cheery ones up until recently. Here’s a surprise that I’ve uncovered- monotony. As the days blur together, the kids remain at home and life trudges on, things feel heavier. If before Covid-19 I would have one “off” day out of seven, these days, it’s more often.
How about two or three off days out of seven…surprising but true.
This isn’t spiritual dryness or your typical aridity. This is more of a cocktail of tiredness, uncertainty, too much news and a sense of isolation. Heavy.
Strategies
A two-fold response has helped. First, when you enter into prayer, take stock of how you are feeling. Overwhelmed? Tired? Bored? Stressed? Place these before God and name them. Call them out. I know for me, I can’t pray much when I’m totally stressed. Better to acknowledge this than beat ourselves up over it. Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and admit that you’re not 100%.
Second, remember that tomorrow will likely be better. This isn’t a guarantee. Think of it more as a safe bet. Believe it or not, the contextualization of your current angst is actually a powerful ally.
Keep going. Keep praying. God is right there with you, especially when life feels heavy.