New World - Brave?

I know it’s difficult to think long-range in the middle of a crisis that requires hourly updates and minute-by-minute adjustments to plans. But let’s try for just a moment.

Choose a date somewhere further than six months from now - is it Thanksgiving? Christmas? New Years Eve? Perhaps a big birthday coming up. See yourself there surrounded by your people. Imagine your conversation and activities, the food, the smells, the laughter and the tears. What are your hopes for that moment? How we choose to navigate the next hours, days and weeks will feed in to that moment, and impact the celebration.

What version of you will show up at that gathering? How will you have grown in 2020, living through this global pandemic? Here are some of my hopes:

That I learned to be more compassionate and less judgmental.
That I modeled deep faith undeterred, and that the depth of that faith strengthened the courage of others.
That I acknowledged the anxieties and fears without allowing them to drive my decisions or distort my love.
That I built bridges and connections, and sought forgiveness in the times I failed.
That I surrendered to the inevitable reality that coming through this crisis will involve significant transformation - changes in me, changes in my community, changes in what was normal.

I cannot get to that future gathering of my people without traversing the difficult path between now and then. Bravery and humility are essential for me to arrive there.

There is so much around us that we cannot control. Let’s take heart and give focus to the one person we are able to impact, ourselves. Make choices today that feed into your hopes for the new world post-COVID19. No generation in our lifetime has had such a stark opportunity to rise to the challenge given to us in Scripture:

Isaiah 58:
6 ...Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.

Let it be, Oh Lord.