This is not how I expected spring of 2020 to go. If we are honest, I don’t think any of us expected the world to come to a halt as we fight together as a human race against an invisible evil we call the Coronavirus. I had plans to go to school events, conferences, graduations, and fancy dinners that are NOT going to happen. People are canceling and moving weddings. Depression and anxiety are running high.
However, this forced time at home has given the opportunity to slow down, evaluate what is truly important, and RESET your life. One of the great things about “reset” is that it allows the chance to reclaim what we have lost. Now is the time to “take back” what we have forgotten through the busyness of life – find what is truly important to us and make it a priority.
Part of my normal routine has been going through the Precepts study of the book of Numbers. Recently, I read chapters 13 and 14 when the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land but refuse to take the land due to a false report from the spies. I couldn’t help but feel like this was more applicable than it would be under normal circumstances. When the Lord found out about the Israelites refusal to take the land, His first response was to destroy them with a plague. Finally, He has a message for the people saying, “But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you” (Numbers 14:32-34). Since the Israelites were not willing to follow the Lord’s commands, they were sent back into the desert. They had reached the Promised Land but were sent back to wander simply because they were unfaithful. How many of us have been unfaithful? Is this ordered time at home a message from the Father calling us back to Him?
Regardless of what has brought this pandemic to the world, we should all be using this time to renew our minds and spirits through Christ. For me, I have decided to reclaim some of the good things that I have lost over the years. While I am a designer, I am an artist first and foremost, so this extra time at home has given me the chance to work on some personal projects that I would not otherwise have time to do. My creativity levels are rising every day and I am using that to make things just because I want to rather than I have to.
MOVING FORWARD
How do we move on from such a weird dystopian event? What can we take away from this that will improve our lives from now on? Time. Time is such a precious thing that we often waste without even knowing it, but what we need to all be reminded of is that time is limited and valuable. That being said, I have learned to get up earlier, walk more, watch more sunsets, set time for creativity, and most importantly, make time for the people I love. Some of my best moments so far have been made through spending time with friends and Facetiming my family. My encouragement to you is to find what you have lost because of being too busy and TAKE IT BACK! Reclaim family time. Reclaim the time you used to spend outdoors. Reclaim your health. Reclaim that hobby you gave up a few years ago. Reclaim whatever has been lost and make into a new joy that you can give over to the Lord.
While this is a particularly trying time in all of our lives, I am praying that we all see this as an opportunity rather than a burden. May we all BOLDLY reclaim our time, BRAVELY try new things, and JOYFULLY praise the Lord for this opportunity for renewal.