The Unknown
I was chatting with my friend the other day and she shared that she is angry because she can’t plan her summer – there are so many unknowns. For many, this time of COVID-19 has been a time that has felt out of control. Our lives have been changed, halted, and we have been asked to abide by what our government authorities are guiding us to do – to work as a team – for the good and health of all.
This morning my pastor was sharing about how things might look when our church is able to meet and worship as a congregation again. We don’t know what it will look like. It will start in phases. Cautions and guides will most likely be in place. Probably no more than fifty people will be able to meet. For those who are hungry for social meeting again – this is a sigh of relief. But, he ended his time with – when will this happen? I don’t know.
My parents were supposed to visit our home in Illinois in April around Easter and this has been on hold to err on the side of caution. I miss the regular, what I was used to. If I’m honest, I have found beautiful things during this time, but my human side doesn’t like not knowing. If you think about it – this is connected to control. Needing to know benefits you now so you don’t have to hope or wait for however the circumstance will unfold. This should challenge our faith.
There is so much in the unknown of life that actually allows us to embrace life and perhaps the intangibles. I’m a firm believer that the waiting required in so many of our lives translates into a growing; a preparation for something that is to come; an internal building of some sort. Our response to the unknown, the waiting, the lack of control and the uncomfortable is where the bulk of our transformation happens.
The unknown brings about so many unique emotions for each of us. How have you been dealing with the questions COVID-19 has brought up for you? Has it taught you important things about you, your life, your relationships? Have you found beauty in what some are calling a struggle? If this has been a time of conflict with the unknown, take some time to reflect to see why. Important truths in our lives are rising to the surface as I believe this has become a contemplative time for many. Life has changed and will be changed in a new way from now on. This will be a time we all will remember and can one day tell stories about. Wouldn’t it be a waste if we didn’t learn from it? Struggles and conflict reveal so much about our soul. Is it at rest or is it yearning for control? Next, I would ask why. Your why will show you how you’ve been impacted by the unknown. Today, I pray peace over our uncertainty. I ask that our needs and fears are revealed. So that we can surrender them to the One who is ultimately in charge.
I don’t know what my summer looks like. I don’t know when I’ll be able to go to church that isn’t online. I think we’ll need to cancel our yearly anniversary trip to Mexico that we so look forward to each year (especially Aaron!). We’re healthy. We’re growing. We’re in a holding pattern. God is transforming the way we do life. And he’s asking for attention. That’s probably a lot more important than not being able to fill out the planner in the long run. We are learning about our why. We have to stand on our “certainty” in life instead of grasping for what we’ll never be able to hold because it’s not ours to hold. Our security rests in Another – someone who loves us very much. Can we rest in that?