Coming up Empty... Covid-19, reflections on the Resurrection
(I began this post April 2020... I never published it. I thought it would be appropriate to share now. So remember this was written at the beginning of the lockdown/quarantine/pandemic. A lot is still applicable. I hope it speaks to you this Easter!)
*******
One of my sons starting crying because he was corrected for receiving an Easter egg from a neighbor boy. Our neighbors were trying to be kind and share.
Now, my husband has told our kids repeatedly please don't touch anything that belongs to others right now. Don't touch your friends toys/bikes/scooter/etc. and don't let them touch yours. Stand 6 feet apart. You can play in the yard but at a distance.
But it seems to be all too much right now, to be corrected for accepting an Easter egg. And so my son started crying. This guy doesn't cry easily. So I held him and told him I loved him. I told him how confusing a time it is for all of us. How it's strange that normal rules don't apply.
We are all going through it. We are all experiencing discomfort and change and unknowns.
These are strange times friends.
How are you doing? Like, how are you REALLY doing?
Is your heart full of panic and fear? Are you overwhelmed? Are you bored out of your mind? Are you creatively exploring interests? Are you reading a ton? Watching tons of Netflix? Cleaning your house obsessively? Schooling your kids?
Are you coping with life right now by trying to eat your way through it? Are you focused on your lack? Are you able to find joy?
So much has changed and yet so much still remains.
We are not in control.
It freaks us out.
We look for ways to gain some semblance of control and order or try to numb and distract ourselves. from the lack thereof. Or a combination of all the things. We beat ourselves up for not being enough, for being imperfect, for all the ways we've "failed". We obsess and fixate on trying to control what we can. We get lost in the news, or the next show, movie, Facebook or Insta post.
I've been trying to wrap my brain around this last month and have gone in a thousand different directions. But I want to share some bottom line truths with you.
I get it if you feel... Afraid.
Scared.
Anxious.
Overwhelmed.
Tired.
Depressed.
Overeating.
Under-eating.
Overbuying.
Can't afford to buy.
But I want you to know God has not stopped being God. He still sits on His throne. He still rules and reigns. He is in control. He is still crazy about you. He loves you infinitely more than you can imagine.
How many of you are coming up empty right now?
Job loss? Financial losses? Worries about businesses closing permanently due to temporary shut-downs. The anxiety creeping in about your health or your loved one's health or someone who you know who is at a higher risk with Covid-19. Or maybe right now you're being overworked? The demands for what you do are higher or more critical than ever... or there are fewer people to bear the brunt right now.
I had a moment where I totally lost it... I reached for the toilet paper and the roll was empty. Never before in my life had an empty roll equalled fierce lack. Insecurity. Worries of not having enough. The question of will God still provide?
Now, my husband has told our kids repeatedly please don't touch anything that belongs to others right now. Don't touch your friends toys/bikes/scooter/etc. and don't let them touch yours. Stand 6 feet apart. You can play in the yard but at a distance.
But it seems to be all too much right now, to be corrected for accepting an Easter egg. And so my son started crying. This guy doesn't cry easily. So I held him and told him I loved him. I told him how confusing a time it is for all of us. How it's strange that normal rules don't apply.
We are all going through it. We are all experiencing discomfort and change and unknowns.
These are strange times friends.
How are you doing? Like, how are you REALLY doing?
Is your heart full of panic and fear? Are you overwhelmed? Are you bored out of your mind? Are you creatively exploring interests? Are you reading a ton? Watching tons of Netflix? Cleaning your house obsessively? Schooling your kids?
Are you coping with life right now by trying to eat your way through it? Are you focused on your lack? Are you able to find joy?
So much has changed and yet so much still remains.
We are not in control.
It freaks us out.
We look for ways to gain some semblance of control and order or try to numb and distract ourselves. from the lack thereof. Or a combination of all the things. We beat ourselves up for not being enough, for being imperfect, for all the ways we've "failed". We obsess and fixate on trying to control what we can. We get lost in the news, or the next show, movie, Facebook or Insta post.
I've been trying to wrap my brain around this last month and have gone in a thousand different directions. But I want to share some bottom line truths with you.
I get it if you feel... Afraid.
Scared.
Anxious.
Overwhelmed.
Tired.
Depressed.
Overeating.
Under-eating.
Overbuying.
Can't afford to buy.
But I want you to know God has not stopped being God. He still sits on His throne. He still rules and reigns. He is in control. He is still crazy about you. He loves you infinitely more than you can imagine.
How many of you are coming up empty right now?
Job loss? Financial losses? Worries about businesses closing permanently due to temporary shut-downs. The anxiety creeping in about your health or your loved one's health or someone who you know who is at a higher risk with Covid-19. Or maybe right now you're being overworked? The demands for what you do are higher or more critical than ever... or there are fewer people to bear the brunt right now.
I had a moment where I totally lost it... I reached for the toilet paper and the roll was empty. Never before in my life had an empty roll equalled fierce lack. Insecurity. Worries of not having enough. The question of will God still provide?
I stopped and thought under normal circumstances coming up empty is not a good thing.
And then I thought about Easter.
I started thinking about Jesus and His death on the cross. Jesus being placed in the tomb. The disciples grieving and mourning and probably utterly confused and devastated. The waiting in agony...And then the women going to the tomb where they too came up empty.
Has there ever been a better thing to come upon empty????!!!
Jesus, had rose from the dead! He conquered death! He was alive. No, death could not stop Him! The grave had no hold on Him! He has risen!
So I rejoice in the empty!
Put your hope in the Lord... even if you feel empty, feel afraid, feel the lack... He will do exceedingly more than we ask or imagine. He will provide beyond what we hoped for... I'm talking more than toilet paper y'all... I'm talking eternal salvation.
Let us rejoice friends.
He is risen.
He is risen indeed!
********
Comments