Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” King James Version ( KJV )
Ever think about the amount of distractions we encounter during a day? I just had to do a quick load of laundry. Before I could walk to my laundry room-the phone rang. “Mom, how are you? I need…” was the voice on the other end of the line. A husband, Mom or child certainly takes priority over laundry, so, that went on the ‘to do later’ list. Sitting down to dinner with my husband and it looks like his great ‘spinach sausage farfalle’ dish that I love, and the door bell rings. A neighbor with a health need asking for prayer. Dinner can be reheated, ministry cannot wait.
Sometimes the distractions are very short in time, so you can return quickly to your planned job. Some, not so much! But before we think that the distractions have all been very bad, (though many of them have been) let’s take a look at the distractions that have been beneficial for us.
Last March the St. Patrick’s Day revelry was cancelled! Since this is really not a celebration about the very Godly man who brought the Trinity to the Irish people and illustrated it with a three leafed clover, it was a blessing to have it cancelled. Many vendors and restaurants do make a lot of money on this day, but it also becomes a day of drunken celebrating and hung over workers the next day.
Easter was different last year, and will be again this year. There will be no bunny in the middle of the malls! There will be no parade, no egg hunts or other pagan rituals that we as Christian’s have embraced as our own traditions. Instead, maybe this year we can focus on the true meaning of the Easter celebration; Jesus suffered as the sacrificial lamb to pay for for our sins and sickness. He died on the merciless cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Three days later, on our Easter Sunday, He was resurrected from the dead. He lives in Heaven now, praying for us and our Salvation. We kind of loose sight of some of the power in that truth when we are eating chocolate bunnies and searching for eggs!
At the end of last year, Santa Claus did not come to town! He stayed up in the North Pole where he was protected from all the homes he would have to visit on Christmas Eve that certainly had covid-19. We were not distracted by the fictitious jolly old elf coming to town and we were able to focus on the very real birth of our Savior in Bethlehem.
Of course we know that there are some very bad consequences of covid-19, we also know that the Lord will take the bad things and turn them around for our good. We found alternative activities to going out to the malls or restaurants. My cousins began walking on trails. They got outside, enjoyed fresh air and exercise, and did something they would not have done before covid-19.
My husband and I house cleaned, painted, collected things for a yard sale, sewed masks and items we sold for a ministry. With the money we saved we got new carpeting and flooring, and even gave more to ministries we support!
Do a review of your past year. What did you do that was beneficial that was a direct result of the changes made by covid-19 restrictions? Let me know, ok?
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