Be Still
March 19, 2020
Often, when I was overwhelmed, I wished that the world would stop and give me time to catch my breath. Now, it seems as if I have gotten my wish. Although the world is not completely at a standstill, it feels like it has slowed down. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we are required to stay home. Church and school have to be done online. The ICFES, which is the state exam required for university admissions in Colombia, was postponed. Many school events I was looking forward to, such as the mission trip to Chocó, are stuck in uncertainty.
At a time in which life simultaneously feels like chaos and peace, it is increasingly more important to rely on God’s unchanging Word. Without the traffic that plagued my everyday life, I now have extra hours in the day to do things I have always wanted to do, like practice piano, or work out every day. Despite the fact that those activities seem so appealing right now, the best thing is to be able to spend more time with Jesus and with my family. Before, I could never wake up and watch the sunrise with Jesus, and it has brought me so much peace. Even though a pandemic is not the best situation, I am so thankful for the opportunities it has given me, such as spending more time knowing God.
Seriously, if you’re not spending more time with Jesus in this situation, your problem was never time, it was priorities.
As you stay home these days like a responsible citizen, I want to encourage you to look at this time as a chance to spend more time with God, to appreciate and love your family, and to do things you always wanted to do but never had the time to. Depend on God, knowing that He has the world in His hands and He is working, but we must be still. Know that even in the midst of this situation, He is in control, and He is sovereign.
My prayer for this coronavirus quarantine is that God will give wisdom to our leaders on how to handle this situation. I pray that people will take it seriously and love each other by being responsible with self-isolation. Finally, I pray that this time will be a blessing for people and that this will cause them to grow in many ways.
I encourage you to rest in the fact that God has everything under His control, and He will work out everything for the good of those who love Him. Take advantage of being close to your family. Give thanks that you are safe. Take this time to dive into His word instead of complaining of boredom or opening your social media apps once more; I promise, He has so much to say.
Yours truly,
Isa