Well, another day, another dollar – well, not for millions of people now out of work because of the government shutdown of our private businesses due to this virus. They tell us it’s for our own good or maybe it’s for the greater good?  Either way, not a lot of good is forthcoming from it.  Increases in poverty, hunger, illness, homelessness, domestic abuse, suicide, depression, alcohol consumption, lack of access to medical care and to education and to safe places with schools, libraries, churches and shelters closed, have resulted from the rising numbers of people who no longer have jobs to go to.

For all of us, well most of us, our circumstances have been in a free fall of everchanging edicts and information which bombard us all day long.  This brings me to today’s confession – I do not like roller coasters, never have.  In fact, I am terrified of them.  I get motion sick in a car, so it is understandable that the motion of even the most tame roller coaster would be something I would not ever want to subject myself to.  I mean, riding roller coasters is considered an amusement, (must be why we find them in amusement parks) something people do for fun.

Riding roller coasters is an optional activity, which would explain why I never choose to ride them.  But now I find myself on a daily roller coaster ride and I can’t get off.  (I don’t remember agreeing to get on, for that matter)  But nevertheless, here I am, along for the ride and I imagine most of you are on this roller coaster with me.

It is the COVID-19 roller coaster and it will leave you hanging on for dear life.  Now I know that not too many posts back I said I was in a dark tunnel.  So which is it? Am I in the COVID-19 tunnel?  or am I riding the COVID-19 roller coaster?  Let me tell you, dear readers, it is both simultaneously!

How can this be?  The roller coaster is in the tunnel!  Yes, it’s true.  Under normal circumstances I think they call this the Space Mountain ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.  People actually wait in long lines and pay money to ride a roller coaster in the dark.  But these are not normal circumstances.  And I did not sign up for this!  I know you didn’t either.  None of us did.

We are on a wild ride and we can’t get off.  Not yet, anyway.  It’s a roller coaster of emotions and of circumstances.  Up and down, up and down, with no level ground in between.  Fear plunges me downward faster than I can catch a breath, then from that lowest point, hope beckons me upward, only to vanish as I reach out for her, plunging me swiftly down again into despair faster than before.

Each time the “finish line” is moved farther from me, another twist in this roller coaster ride throws me for “a loop.”  And there have been a lot of loops already. Schools were going to reopen May 1st, then they weren’t.  Instead of restrictions being lifted, restrictions have continued to be added and increased.   I thought everything that could be closed was closed.  But at my state’s daily briefings, often new closures are announced, such as parks, playgrounds and golf courses.

The Corona numbers change hourly and there are so many of them.  As they increase, fear increases along with them.  Circumstances around me are changing hourly as well, with state briefings and white house briefings and other news briefings in between as the roller coaster ride continues.  Even if I don’t watch the briefings, the changes in current restrictions announced there, still apply to me – where I am allowed to go and not allowed to go, etc.  (I can shut my eyes and hold my ears on the roller coaster, but I am still on the roller coaster)

Who will rescue me from this roller coaster ride?  Psalm 40:1-2 gave me the answer,

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, (off of the roller coaster) out of the mud and mire;  He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

Oh, to stand firm and still!  “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”   (Psalm 143:10)

rescued from the roller coaster by my Heavenly Father, I will rejoice and say –

“My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the Lord.”  (Psalm 26:12)

sincerely,     Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being a self isolator gives me plenty of time to reflect, plenty of time to ponder and plenty of time for the confession of many things.  Today’s confession is no cause for shame, it is just a fact.  I confess, I never really liked math all that much.  I mean math’s all about the numbers, right?  And numbers can be confusing if you ask me.  So I was never very good at math.  Was that because I didn’t like it or did I not like math because I wasn’t good at it?  This is the classic chicken or the egg dilemma, which has no answer.

I also have no answer for all the numbers connected with COVID-19 that I see daily on the news.  Numbers can be confusing.  They say numbers don’t lie. Maybe they don’t, but people do lie and sometimes they use numbers to do their dirty work for them.

We are shown numbers every night on the news (really 24/7), a running tally of deaths due to COVID-19.  Surrounding that are numbers of newly identified cases, numbers tested, numbers admitted to hospitals . . .  where are the recovery numbers?  Even though the death count has been rising, the mortality rate has been going down.  That’s a secret the numbers could share with us if we would look more closely at them.

Jesus said in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  This is true for more than just spiritual matters.  We can’t make good decisions for ourselves and for our communities if we don’t know what is fiction and what is fact – what is true and what is false.

Some truths are harder to hear than others, but that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on those truths and pretend they do not exist.  What are the numbers telling us.  What about the number 46,438?  That’s the worldwide number of deaths from COVID-19 from January 1 through April 1 2020.  That’s a big number right?  No wonder all these drastic measures that have never before been imposed on a population of free people are now being implemented.  Drastic times call for drastic measures, right?

I mean, no one wants people to die, do they?  Something has to be done.  So imagine my surprise when I saw this next number for the same time period of January 1 through April 1.  That number is 121,993 – the number of seasonal flu deaths which have been occurring at literally the same time we have been counting COVID-19 deaths. (and that’s with a vaccine)  Why haven’t those death counts been given to me at every news cast – morning, noon and night?   Don’t I need to know this information as well so that I can protect myself and those I love?

Ok, so 121,993 is definitely a bigger number than the 46,438 COVID-19 deaths, right?  Actually, the flu deaths are more than twice the COVID-19 deaths, but apparently that is not deemed important.  Who decides what is important information for us to know and what is not important for us to know?

Here’s a truth that surprised me.  Worldwide suicide deaths for this same time period (which is this current year, 2020) are 269,076.  I guess you can see for yourself that number is more than five times the number of COVID-19 deaths for the same time period?

The numbers may be speaking but no one is listening.  Here are some numbers I had not heard before, but then the media doesn’t deem it necessary for me to know them.  Traffic deaths for this same time period – 338,715 people.  Alcohol – 627,571 deaths; from smoking – 1,254,352 deaths just in these same months of January through end of March.

Are these numbers speaking to you?  These deaths in each category far outweigh the COVID-19 deaths for the exact same time period.  Yet we are still allowing the sale of alcohol and of cigarettes (they must be deemed essential services/businesses is all I can conclude from this) all the while taxing them to make money.  Isn’t this profiting from something we know without a doubt (according to the numbers, and numbers don’t lie) causes many times over the number of deaths that COVID-19 is currently causing?

How can this be?  We shut down an entire free society in the name of preventing death while continuing in the sale of alcohol and tobacco products, which cause exponentially more deaths than the virus we are claiming to fight.  Something is not adding up here.  I said I was not good with numbers, but some of you are, dear readers.  So see what sense you can make of the following numbers.

Deaths from hunger for this same time period in 2020 are 2,806,314.  How can this be?  Where is the outrage?  Where is the hourly death count on my TV screen? That is a death count sixty times higher than the count from this virus.  I don’t understand at all.

People are dying every day.  From illnesses,  from suicide,  from car accidents, from alcohol, from smoking, from hunger,  . . . the list is longer but the reality is that we have never in the past restricted people’s freedoms, closed their places of worship, closed their places of business, closed their schools and their libraries and forbid them to leave their homes – and yet death and its myriad causes has always been with us as a society.

Why now?  Where was the outrage when people were not getting their children properly immunized against measles, leading to multiple outbreaks after it had all but been eradicated?  This current reaction to COVID-19 couched in concern for the elderly and those with underlying conditions, doesn’t add up – the numbers don’t add up.  Take a look at one last number.

Ten million, six hundred sixty five thousand, one hundred thirty (10,665,130) deaths due to abortion worldwide during this same time period.  I don’t know that I have adequate words to put the magnitude of that loss of human life into perspective.  I will just let the number speak to you for itself.  Hopefully you will listen and hear the truth the numbers are telling us each and every day.

I said I was not a numbers person.  But I have to heed the numbers and learn from them what they would reveal to me.  They are telling me something is not right. Suicide and hunger are killing so many more people than the virus is right now. And ironically, it is suicide and hunger along with alcohol consumption that are on the rise as a direct result of all the shut down orders, closing businesses, thereby putting many people out of work.

We are told it is for the common good.  Is it?  If it were the common good, we wouldn’t allow the sale of alcohol or cigarettes because those numbers are way higher than the COVID-19 numbers.  And at every news briefing we are told we have to wait on the virus numbers to come down.  What about all the other higher numbers?  (including the economic numbers)  Don’t they matter?

Don’t we get to decide that?  If my church is open, I don’t have to attend.  Or if I choose to attend, I don’t have to shake hands or hug someone if I am afraid.  The media has filled us with fear, and with guilt.  If we don’t do what they say, then obviously, we are not compassionate, we want people to die.  We want our own elderly relatives to die, if we don’t do what they say.

Aren’t local businesses capable of figuring out for themselves how to protect their customers, by instituting new protocols if necessary.  If things open back up, I am not required to go there but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be open for people who do want to come.  We can wash our hands, social distance and have our daily lives back again in the bargain.  It is not either/or,  we can do both.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  (Declaration of Independence)

All life is to be valued and protected, including the ten million plus that lost their lives to abortion in the last three months.  Life is of value on both ends of the spectrum.  We can keep our nursing homes closed to visitors and open up our businesses simultaneously.  We should not put people out of work, deny children a public education, deny individuals the right to assemble for worship, close our parks and our museums all under the disguise of saving lives.

We have already seen by the numbers that loss of life is a daily occurrence that has never before been compounded by the additional hardships that forced joblessness brings with it.  At a time when we need each other the most, we are being told to isolate ourselves.  And remember, the newscasters that are telling us it is too soon to go back, they still have their jobs,  their incomes and their daily routines.  They are making rules for the rest of us.

Each local community can use common sense and compassion to guide them in coping with this virus as well as in coping with other challenges, (such as flu, hunger, alcohol and drug addiction, suicide etc.) that affect much greater numbers of our population.

They are telling us to look at the numbers.  If we were truly looking at the numbers, all the numbers, not just the numbers they want us to focus on, we would be deciding differently for ourselves than they are deciding for us.

Life is precious.  No one wants anyone to die.  Which brings me to my final number.  One hundred percent.

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (Acts 2:21)

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-”   (John 1:12)

“For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”   (John 6:40)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s confession is not such a surprising one.  It is simply that I think I am feeling sad.  Why not sure?  Well, sadness has to compete with fear and anger right now, so it doesn’t always get recognized or acknowledged.  Fear has been front and center for awhile now, if the TV is on for any length of time, anyone would be filled with more than enough fear to keep them home and under the covers for quite awhile.  (which fits in nicely with the orders we have been given not to leave home)

Then there’s anger.  Anger is a natural reaction to having things systematically taken from us over a short period of time.  Feeling more and more restricted in where we can go and what we can do has left us angry and feeling helpless.  Once the anger subsides, it is then that sadness has a chance to make herself known. She has been with me all along, but I have been too busy being scared or being mad, to have time to pay her any attention.

But today, I had to acknowledge that I am sad.  I have not spent much time in fear because of my faith.  And anger is exhausting and pointless and for me, passes quickly.  When those two are stripped away, I am finally left alone, face to face with my sadness.  Sometimes my sadness is for myself, most times it is for others that I know and love and for all those I don’t even know but identify with because we are all one race, the human race.

There is a lot of loss going on right now, but no time to grieve as we are still in the process of loss.  The losses are still continuing.  Loss of lives, loss of freedoms, loss of daily routines, loss of work, loss of time spent with others, loss of travel long planned, loss of events long looked forward to (weddings, graduations, sporting events like the Olympics – the list would be endless)

It is hard to grasp, because it is so global.  Loss is being experienced by so many, in so many different ways, that it is hard to know what to grieve or when to grieve or how to grieve.  Do we even dare to grieve when so many are losing so much?  Are we allowed to grieve the lesser losses?  (if there is such a thing?)

Usually, when we experience a loss, whether the death of a family member or a divorce (the death of a marriage) or the loss of a job, which brings with it the loss of income, daily purpose, perhaps status and identity – in all these we have other people to come around us and support us in our time of loss and grief.

Right now that is not possible in the traditional sense.  Funerals cannot be held for loved ones.  Funerals typically provide closure and support for those grieving their loss as others physically come along side them and share in celebrating the life lost and share in saying goodbye.  This shared experience provides an enormous amount of comfort to the grieving family.

So now the loss is double, they have lost a loved one and lost the opportunity to grieve in community, by holding a proper funeral, at the same time.  Their loss has been compounded.

People are wondering when they will be able to return to work and worrying whether or not they will even have a job to return to when this is over.  But underneath the fear/anxiety and the anger lives the sadness that will be revealed when the other two are stripped away.

I am wondering though, when this is over and we are taking stock of our losses, will we find that we have gained more than we have lost?  That would indeed be a surprise, wouldn’t it?  Right now we are told to make sacrifices.  Isn’t a sacrifice in baseball, someone who takes a loss (an out) in order to obtain a greater gain? (the advancement of other runners already on base)

Will our current losses bring us greater gain?  James thinks so, as he says in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Not lacking anything?  Are you kidding me?  This COVID-19 has been all about loss, if you ask me.  What gains could be greater than all I am losing on a daily basis? Paul had an answer to that question which he gave in Philippians 3:8-9 when he stated,

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

“Rubbish?”  that’s what Paul thought of all his earthly possessions and achievements?  Well, he was the one who said in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Job also had some thoughts on the matter when he said in Job 23:10, “But He (God) knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

Job thought his gains would be of greater worth than his losses.  He trusted God that would be true, even though his current circumstances gave him no reason to believe that.  But then, that’s what faith is, trusting God over our circumstances.

As I am grieving my lesser losses, hopefully not guilty grieving, I can realize that (just as in baseball) my losses are the sacrifices necessary to bring about the greater good and the greater gains God has in store for me.

Peter summed it up when he said in 1 Peter 1:7, “These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

My Heavenly Father is not unaware of my sadness as I watch others experiencing loss even as I am experiencing losses of my own.  I have His assurance in Psalm 34:18,

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

“But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”  (Psalm 3:3)

Thank You, Lord, for being the lifter of my head when I am sad.

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

 

It’s Sunday again – and not just any Sunday, it’s Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday has always been special to me, particularly as a child because we literally carried palm branches down the aisles of the church, waving them wildly in a grand procession to the front of the church where we laid them, maybe on an altar or at the foot of a cross, I don’t really remember that part.  But I do remember the novelty of the palm branches.  I don’t think I’d ever seen a palm branch otherwise.

So I confess that on this gray morning, as I set out on my solitary morning walk, I found myself wondering if it was really Palm Sunday at all, because it didn’t feel or look like any Palm Sunday I had ever known.  I hadn’t gotten very far at all when I realized someone must have flipped a switch as I slept last night, because this was a different world than the one I walked in just yesterday.

The sky was gray but the grass had turned a deep green everywhere I looked. Trees were budding all around me and flowering pear trees had blossomed overnight, a beautiful, white lacy look – perfect for a special day like today.  Other trees were budding deep red, in complete contrast to the white blooms.  The forsythia was everywhere, blooming bright yellow against the emerging greenery surrounding it.

Creation knew it was Palm Sunday!  Time to praise the Creator of heaven and of earth!  COVID-19 has no dominion here, I thought, no power to silence.  I thought of what Jesus said to the Pharisees on that first Palm Sunday, when they asked Him to silence the crowds that were cheering Him and praising God as He made His way into Jerusalem.

” ‘I tell you,’ He replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’ ”  (Luke 19:40)

That’s true, I thought, as I continued my walk and ran into (almost literally) the biggest, most magnificent magnolia bush I have ever seen, full of purple blossoms exploding everywhere, from top to bottom and all around.  No way to silence this breathtaking beauty, over ten feet tall and quite wide, she will not be missed. Each and everyone of her deep purple flower blossoms is shouting praise to and showing off the glory of her Creator for all to see and be made glad at the sight!

God is still on His throne.  COVID-19 is not in charge and has not won.  Everywhere I looked this truth was inescapable.  But God was not done blessing me beyond measure yet!  As I continued on my regular route, I came upon a child’s chalk art. It was at the end of the driveway so it wouldn’t be missed, but not on the sidewalk where it would be walked over and therefore fade faster.

There I saw a very large chalk heart with the words “have a great day” written on the inside of it.  Next to that were the words “this is hope” with an arrow pointing to a large chalk cross.  No more words were necessary – the cross said it all!  The cross, the universal symbol of hope for humankind.

Hope is what everyone is seeking more than ever right now because of the COVID-19 crisis.  Hope, more desirable than even toilet paper, is what is needed to see us through this time.  The absence of hope will prove more deadly than the corona virus ever could be.  This chalk artist knew the value of holding out hope to a hurting world and made her/his contribution to that cause.

Thank you anonymous chalk artist!  You were joining in with all creation this morning in making the ultimate confession, the one thing we all need to confess!

“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”    (Philippians 2:10-11)

let that be my confession today and everyday  . . .

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s confession should not come as much of a shocker since I previously confessed to being a closet claustrophobic.  So it should come as no surprise that I confess to my dislike of tunnels and I avoid them at all costs.

There is a reason people refer to, “the light at the end of the tunnel.”  The reason being, there is no light in the tunnel.  It is dark in there.  You can’t see up ahead, so you don’t know what’s coming next.  If you can’t see the light at the end, you have no idea how much further it is, how much longer your time in the tunnel will be. Sound familiar?

We all want out of the tunnel!  Tunnels are dark, unpleasant, confining, scary places that lead  to who knows where? but we hope they lead to something better on the other side, or we would never have entered into them in the first place. . .   or maybe we were forced in   . . .

Often tunnels have to be traveled alone.  They are a part of one’s solitary journey to get to the other side or to the end of whatever it might be.  But this tunnel, built by the COVID-19 virus, has swallowed all of us up and into her cavernous darkness – in one gulp she has ingested our entire globe.  She has taken us captive and dared us to find the light waiting for us at the other end of her.

We may feel like we have been left alone to find our way in the darkness.  But in this tunnel, the tunnel that COVID-19 built, we have plenty of company because no one is exempt from the effects of her presence.  So we are all crammed in this dark place together, trying to find our way out (while practicing our social distancing of course).

However, this description of the dark tunnel doesn’t really ring totally true for me. Yes, tunnels are typically dark places, devoid of all light.  And yes I am in this one along with everyone else.  but –  just as God was with Daniel’s three friends in the furnace – He is with us in this tunnel.  And His presence provides us light.  His presence is light!

How can I be sure God’s presence is here with me?  Psalm 139:7-10 is pretty clear on that subject.  “Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Where can I flee from Your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.”  (this is not the time to be practicing social distancing from God, holding His hand is CDC approved, I’m sure)

In fact, my Heavenly Father reassures me in Isaiah 41:13 saying, “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

So God’s got me by the hand but there’s more. He is also the light in my darkness. He is the light in this dark tunnel we are all in.

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.”   (Psalm 139:11-12)

In John 1:4-5 &9 I read these words about Jesus, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.   . . .   The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

James 1:17 describes God as “the Father of the heavenly lights,”  Psalm 104:2 says, “He wraps Himself in light as with a garment;”.

That’s Who I have in this tunnel with me, holding my hand – the Creator who said, “let there be light!”,  the God who calls every star by name, the Father of the heavenly lights, the One who dresses in light, the One who is the light of the world.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”   (John 8:12)

Today, I do not see any light at the end of this tunnel because I can’t even see the end of the tunnel itself.  But I do not walk this tunnel alone and I do not walk this tunnel in darkness.  The One who holds my hand to guide me through this is The Light!   

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:8)

I have what I need right now in the tunnel where there is work for me to do today – Lord, help me to redeem each day.

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

they say confession is good for the soul and that must be true because I always feel better when I do – confess that is.  And I seem to have no shortage of things to confess – as evidenced by fact that I have not run out of confessions yet.  There is something about connecting over the sharing of confessions that makes me feel less alone and more included with others who also share in my confessions.

If the truth be told, I bet my confessions can outlast any corona virus.

The corona virus may be infecting a large percent of the population, but fear is infecting one hundred percent of the population right now.  Fear is the enemy of faith, hope and love.  Maybe the real showdown right now is between fear and faith – and hope and love which always accompany faith.

This brings me to today’s confession, which is a particularly painful one for me to admit to you, dear readers – one that took me by surprise today.  It is this.  I realized I am not practicing what I have been writing about in these most recent posts, which is faith over fear, today over tomorrow.  Well, I was -but then I wasn’t. Let me explain.

They moved the finish line again – the return to work finish line.  It was April 6th, then May 1rst,  what if it gets moved again?  It did.  I found myself filled with fear at the prospect of schools not reopening this school year.  Had I not read my two most recent manna posts?

God had to remind me again today, that this is what I have – today.  And just like the manna, new every morning, He will supply my needs for today.  No manna was given for tomorrow, just for that day.

God wants me to depend on Him, not on myself.  He wants me to learn to trust Him for everything.  That was the purpose of the manna.  “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:19)  The Israelites in the desert experienced the truth of that statement for themselves.

Now it’s my turn to learn that lesson.  “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”   (Psalm 34:10)

“The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.  The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.  The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”   (Psalm 145:13-16)

I have long loved those words, they are a beautiful picture of a loving Creator providing for His creation faithfully throughout all generations, despite our lack of acknowledgement of Him as our provider.

As I thought about all the unknowns and uncertainties surrounding me today because of COVID-19, I wondered  ‘how is this different truly from any other day in my life?’  School could have been closed at any time due to an overnight snow or ice or an unexpected water main break or a power outage, or because of a tornado destroying buildings, or a school shooting, or a teachers’ or a bus drivers’ strike, (both of the latter happened earlier this school year actually)  . . . the possibilities are endless and most often unforeseen –

but my question, ‘how is this different than any other day in my life?’ applies in general, not just in regards to my job.  I was not guaranteed tomorrow before COVID-19, anymore than I am now.  Nothing has changed.

“The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.   . . .   he said,   . . .  ‘I will store all my grain and my goods.   . . .   Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’  But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.’ ” (Luke 12:16-20)

Before COVID-19 life was just as uncertain, but we were better able to convince ourselves otherwise.  People were still getting sick and dying, people were still subject to losing their jobs without warning, foreclosures still took place, there were shootings and robberies and car accidents  . . .  but still we managed to convince ourselves that we were in control.

Until we had the things that define us, the things that determine how we spend our days, suddenly taken away from us.  Not just our jobs, but our entertainments and diversions, our places of exercise and of worship, our places to shop and to eat out; all places we like to go and things we like to do – in community – are now no longer available to us.

Stripped of all these things, we now must get to know who we are without them to define us.  When we figure out that we cannot make our own manna, will we turn to God?   And if we do, will we find Him there?

” ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,’  declares the Lord.”    (Jeremiah 29:13-14)

” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

In truth, today is no more certain or uncertain than any of the days I have lived before this one.  I am just more aware of it because of current circumstances over which I have no control.  But I had no control over circumstances prior to COVID-19 either.  Maybe I had just forgotten how precious and how necessary my Heavenly Father’s gift of manna is, given to me new every morning.

Maybe I had come to take His daily mercies for granted, or maybe I thought I could sustain myself without His provision.  But I was reminded clearly today, that it is easy for fear to replace my faith when I am relying on myself.  However, when I focus on God’s sovereignty and abiding Presence, I am filled with faith, hope and love.  There is simply no room left over for fear to enter in and make a home.

Fear and faith cannot share a space, neither can worry and trust.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”  (Isaiah 26:3-4)

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?   . . .   Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”   (Matthew 6:27, 34)

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

painstakingly pondering plenty of puzzling pandemic points  . . .  I confess, that’s what I’ve been doing – after all, my calendar has been cleared, I have been divested of all my diversions, entertainments have evaporated, appointments no longer apply (even a dentist appointment is a thing of the past) which leaves me with plenty of time for pondering  . . .

and there is no shortage of things to ponder during this COVID-19 dominated time in our history  . . .   so, (in no particular order)

I’m pondering gas prices – I have never seen them this low!  Normally, this would be wonderful news but at the present time I have no where that I have to be, so I don’t even need gas right now  . . .  interesting timing  . . .

then I’ve been pondering this mystery – with no sports of any kind going on right now, not even horse racing – what are all the sports gamblers up to?  they must be really bored –

next, I want to confess that many years ago I owned a t-shirt with the words “when things get tough, the tough go shopping” on it.  How ironic that when so many are in need of ways to deal with anxiety and/or boredom, retail therapy (a tried and true course of action) is not readily available as malls and stores in general are shut down.  (groceries do not count as retail therapy)  Retail therapy would be a win/win though, therapeutic for the shopper and a boost to the economy at the same time, potentially saving both in the process  . . .

work on a COVID-19 vaccine is underway – I wonder if anyone is working on a fear vaccine?  Fear is also highly contagious and quite debilitating, often crippling or paralyzing its victims.  And fear can be fatal.  Symptoms include panic buying, greed, irrational behavior, lashing out at others, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, hopelessness, (that’s the one that will kill you – loss of hope)  so if there ever was a fear vaccine, it would be in great demand  . . .  I’m just saying  . . .

anytime of day or night that I might happen to turn on the TV, I am given updates on Corona deaths in my county, state, country and in other countries around the world.  It is a running count, continuously changing, shown in the corner of the screen.  I am wondering, where is the running count of how many are recovering from the Corona virus every day?  I am wondering, how many people had it, recovered and never even saw a doctor, so are not included in any numbers about mortality rates of this virus?  Don’t I need to know that as well?  Isn’t hope as important as fear?   (fear filled people are easier to control than those set free by truth and hope, enabling them to think for themselves)

I am pondering how many flu deaths are occurring each day and why there is not a running count of those on my TV screen?  I am perplexedly pondering how we ever got through the pandemic of the H1N1 flu in 2009-2010 without shutting everything down, without people losing their jobs and their businesses,  without stores closing, without taking away churches, libraries, restaurants, gyms, sports, museums, concerts and of course schools and universities?  It makes no sense.  We were told nothing about H1N1, it barely made the news and certainly not the headlines.

I am pondering why the musicians at the Kennedy Center just lost their jobs and their benefits, including health insurance when there was just twenty-five million allocated to the Kennedy Center for the express purpose of keeping people employed, so they can support themselves and their families?

I have become a pondering person  . . .  when things are not making sense where do I turn?   today I turned to Psalm 36:5-9,

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the great deep.  O Lord, You preserve both man and beast.  How priceless is Your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.  They feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights.  For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”

I will trust in my Heavenly Father.  He fills me with faith, not with fear.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”   (Psalm 27:1)

sincerely and ponderously,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

today has been Sunday all day long, but I confess, it didn’t seem like Sunday at all to me.  What makes Sunday – well, Sunday – is different for each person, I’m sure. For me, Sunday means sitting in church surrounded by friends and strangers, all of us singing, worshiping, learning, gathering in some truth from God’s word, some wisdom, some hope and some encouragement to help us face whatever the coming week will bring.

Sunday church is a rest stop along the way, a refueling station, a place to come as I am, be accepted and leave a new creation.  It is a place to lay down my burden and take up my cross – which fills my life with meaning and purpose.  For me, Sunday is about experiencing and celebrating my faith in community with others.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:25)

Unfortunately, at the present time, we are forced to give up meeting together in order to accomplish the greater good of protecting each of us from this current corona virus. Technology has stepped in to fill the gap and that is gallant of her but I am finding her a poor substitute for the real thing.

Now I understand why sports lovers spend big bucks to go sit on hard bleachers to watch and cheer on their favorite sports team, when they could just as easily (and more cheaply) watch the game from the comfort of a recliner in their own home and have a better view of the game’s action as a bonus.  There is no substitute for being there in person, sharing the experience with a community of people who are just as fanatical about the team you love as you are.  The shared, face to face, personal experience is what it is all about.

We are created for connection.  We are created for community.  We do not thrive in isolation.  Isolation is actually harmful to us.  With fear spreading faster than this virus and lingering longer, it is becoming hard to distinguish the ailment from the cure.  They both have a lot of ill effects.

As imposed self isolation and social distancing continue to be the new norm, we are relying more on technology to fill the void.  I am grateful to her for doing her best, from e-learning to live streaming to video conferencing, she is doing all she can do to be all things to all people.  We would be worse off without her help.  But we are also realizing just how far short technology falls in the face of the face to face encounter.

There is no substitute for a hug and a hand shake.  We are finding that out as what we took for granted before – personal interaction – is no longer a part of our daily lives.  Sunday won’t be truly Sunday for me until community is restored to it once again.

So I confess, I am having trouble knowing what day of the week it is, without the schedule that was in place prior to the appearance of COVID-19.  Without a workweek there is no TGIF.  Although, this could be a chance for Monday to lose her bad reputation and become a more popular day of the week.  Time will tell.

In the meantime, I will wait for the day when I can say with David in Psalm 122:1,

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.  Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.”

what a welcome day that will be!

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, dear readers, corona continues and so do its Chronicles.  Every day is a new day, with new challenges to meet and to overcome.  We have always lived in an ever-changing world.  It’s just that right now this virus has necessitated unchosen changes to our daily lives and to our social fabric, that we did not anticipate nor have we had time to adjust to in this new reality.

Now I confess that Technology and I have not always gotten along well.  Which is not a good thing for me since we are all more dependent on her now than ever before.  This is why I am happy to report an unexpected victory I experienced today with technology.

I can confess to you now that I am officially a zoomer!  (isn’t that what someone who uses zoom is called?)   It seems to me that many people are becoming zoomers if they weren’t already one.  And for us of a certain age, we are now boomer zoomers, how cool is that?

I have my oldest daughter to thank for my newfound status as a boomer zoomer, she talked me through the process, step by step.  The true test for me will be whether I can continue in my newfound status by replicating the skills I learned when I am on my own.  (some people wish for a maid or a cook, I would wish for a full time IT person to deal with technology on my behalf, so technology and I would never have to meet face to face)

Today’s other confession is this – I remember the “cocooning” craze.  Does anyone else?  This term, “cocooning” was coined in 1981 by Faith Popcorn.  (could that be her real name?)  In 1996, Time magazine cited cocooning as a major social trend in its “Year in Review” article.  In 2013, a USA Today article stated that cocooning was back and bigger than ever.  This gave rise to terms like “super-cocooning”, “uber-cocooning” and “bunkering.”

Cocooning is the phenomenon of staying home rather than going out to eat or to movies or to other social gatherings.  It has been considered trendy behavior, cool, cutting edge behavior in its time.  But what a difference a name makes!  Call it “self isolation” and suddenly it loses all its cool, it loses all of its appeal.  Of course, surrounding circumstances play a big part in that also.

With cocooning, people were choosing to stay home on their own, citing a desire to disengage from social interactions,  in order to provide themselves a respite from the busy pace of their lives, but the rest of the world was free to go on as usual around them, without them.

This required self isolation imposed upon us now, bears little resemblance to the cocooning that was so popular not so long ago.  Or does it?  Both provide a slower pace, some solitude, some time for reflection and for relationships.  But one was by choice, the other by requirement.  One took place while it was business as usual, the other is taking place while businesses are shutting down and nothing is “as usual” at the moment.

Maybe the news media should have asked us all to cocoon in place instead of to shelter in place and it would have seemed less scary and more like we were just doing those cozy, comforting things associated with the original cocooning.  But a rose by any other name  . . .  the purpose of cocooning was to withdraw from the larger society for a time of rest and relaxation.

But we can’t withdraw from the current chaos that surrounds us.  We are all too interconnected.  COVID-19 is showing us just how true that is.  COVID-19 knows no national, ethnic, economic, or social class borders, she is an equal opportunity virus, equally available to all.

What kind of a response does this non-discriminatory virus demand.?  One in which we all work together to defeat our common enemy.  The question of “who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) from the parable of the Good Samaritan, is more relevant than ever.  And the answer still holds true today. “The one who had mercy on him.” (Luke 10:37)

We are to show mercy, extend help (as the Samaritan did to the stranger he found left for dead on the side of the road he was traveling) to anyone in our path. Everyone has become our neighbor in this global pandemic.  Our interconnectedness is being made manifest as we track the spread of the virus around the globe.

At a time in which we need each other more than ever, when we need our community around us to help us navigate through this turbulent time, we are being asked to draw apart in order to protect one another from this virus.

And so we must continue to run this race which has no finish line to the best of our abilities.  We must run with hope, with courage and with perseverance.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Hebrews 12:1-2)

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

a manna mentality is what we need to see us through this COVID-19 crisis.

“Our Father in heaven,   . . .   Give us today our daily bread,”   (Matthew 6:9,11)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you.  . . .  and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord.”  (Exodus 16:4,7)

“The Israelites ate manna forty years,   . . .   they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.”   (Exodus 16:35)

The Israelites received manna new every morning, just what they needed for that day, no more and no less.  (post – “manna – a message of mercy)  They could choose trust or they could live in fear that tomorrow would be the day the manna would run out or would cease to appear.  I wonder if they asked themselves as they lay down to sleep each night  . . .

will there be manna in the morning?  like the dew upon the ground-

will there be manna in the morning?  will it be enough to go around?

will Your mercy rain down from heaven?  as You reign over all from above-

will there be manna in the morning?  the proof of Your unfailing love.

 

will there be manna in the morning?  or will Your mercies run dry?

for without Your manna in the morning, we all will surely die.

the manna manifests Your glory, bread of heaven come down to earth,

freely given to us each day, greater than gold its worth.

 

there was no more manna in the morning, when we entered the Promised Land,

we fed ourselves, forgot our God, and the manna we received from His hand.

would the manna never fall again?  heaven fell silent and still –

till the miracle of the Manna in a manger appeared, sufficient the earth to fill.

 

the Manna was broken on a cross one day, multiplied a thousand fold,

enough to feed a hungry multitude, with leftovers abounding, untold.

Manna rained down from heaven once again, revealing God’s mercy, love and grace-

food for hurting, starving souls, they looked Manna in the face.

 

“the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me.’ ”  (1 Corinthians 23-24)

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves.  Then He gave them  . . .   They all ate and were satisfied, the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.  The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”  (Matthew 14:19-21)

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me will never go hungry,’ ”   (John 6:35)

 

manna, God’s broken bread for His broken people, God’s gift that makes us whole.

manna fed the Israelites in the desert each day,  bread of heaven sustaining their souls.

yes, there will be manna in the morning, it flows freely from Calvary –

there will always be manna in the morning, God’s provision for you and for me.

 

God’s mercy rains down like the manna, new with the dawn of each day,

Ours but to go out and to gather it up, to lift up our hands and to pray.

thank You, Lord, for the manna – new every morning like dew,

refreshing our souls and reminding, the One who sustains us is You.

 

there will be manna in the morning, I can sleep well tonight –

knowing God’s provision awaits me, His manna – a beautiful sight.

there will be manna in the morning, heaven’s mercies poured out while I sleep,

raining down blessings from heaven, sufficient my soul to keep.

 

thank You, Lord, for the manna, the evidence of Your care.

thank You, Lord, for reminding me, You are always there.

thank You, Lord, for giving, just enough to see me through today,

thank You, Lord, for teaching me to trust, using manna as the way.

 

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning (like the manna); great is Your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

we don’t need to hoard, we don’t need to panic buy, we don’t need to make decisions driven by fear, we don’t need to live full of fear- there will be manna in the morning!

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”   (Matthew 6:34)

sincerely,     Grace Day