GOOD PEOPLE: Must Haves for Living in the Unknown
As we made a cross country move in the face of COVID, one of those loose – loose situations we had to face was a schooling decision.
Have you ever had one of those, where you felt darned if you do and darned if you don’t? I know, stinks.
So back to the schooling decision, we had a choice between in-person and remote learning for our four precious cherubs. (Sorry to all my friends that had no choice and are dying in remote learning. I will be joining you within the week.)
But the schooling thing felt like a darned if we do and darned if we don’t decision. Darned if we do remote learning and they don’t make friends in a new community. Darned if we send them to school and they bring COVID into our home.
Loose. Loose. You see?
But we felt we had to take the risk and send them to school so we could get to know our community.
Fast forward to last Sunday night,we get the emaill from the school and were told we have to quarantine our oldest son as he was exposed. Shoot.
Oh man, poor Cole. He gets to stare at the four walls of his bedroom and only dawn his door to use the bathroom. His parents, who haven’t entered this century, haven’t even given him a phone. And he doesn’t have a TV to distract his wall staring efforts.
This might be a complete dream for an introvert but his extroverted parents felt like this was a death sentence. (Okay maybe that was an exaggeration.)
But have you felt sequestered in your home? Is the isolation getting to you? As we shelter in our homes sometimes it doesn’t feel like we are really “safer at home”, emotionally speaking.
There is a tension right now between our physical health and our emotional wellness and it just seems we can’t get it right. And I don’t believe we will.
So if we are going to make it through this unknown, we must get some good people around us. Maybe not in person but on the phone, thru Zoom, via a text, a drive thru parking lot party. Anything.
It doesn’t have to be an army but it has to be someone from outside of your confines. Someone that you can know is thinking of you and praying for you. Someone who you know could run to the store if you had a need.
When we have those kind of people in our lives, they keep hope alive in our souls and our hearts fueled forward by connection.
Just last weekend, I had the priviledge to open up Hebrews 10 and uncover God’s blueprint for keeping hope alive in our souls with the women at Ascent Church, our new church home.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25
I love the invitational language of this passage. It invites us to hold onto hope and hold it out to one another.
Why do we need good people, right now? Because they help keep hope alive in us. Why do we need to be good people, right now? Because we keep hope alive in each other.
So quarantining your son due to exposure to COVID isn’t something you want to announce on a megaphone these days. Don’t want to feel like the lepers of society, if you get my drift. But we did share it with our friends who had been letting Cole help out on their ranch.
Fridays after he finishes his school work, Cole has been pitching in with the horses and he loves it. He dregs pastures, feeds the horses their evening meal, corrals the dogs, climbs on hay bails, and has to suck it up when he gets to drive a tractor or the ATV to do his chores. (Hopefully you are hearing some sarcasm there.)
So we spoke with our friends and mentioned Cole wouldn’t be out this week and to be cautious.
To my surprise, our friend showed up with a present for Cole because she felt bad for him.
Can you imagine the look on Cole’s face when I opened his door and gave him a beautifully wrapped present from Tara?
He. Lit. Up.
“She thought of me? This is for me? What?” he said.
His eyes grew big. A smile spread from ear to ear. And joy washed over his whole demeanor.
That is the power we have to hold onto hope and to hold it out to one another. We get the opportunity in this dark moment to be good people and light up the world for our families, our friends, and beyond.
Got good people? Either way, just start being one. It’s contagious. And when you do, they will find you!
How can you light up someone’s life this week? Coffee? Card? Blessing basket? Ask God to bring someone to mind and find a way to encourage them this week.
Need some connection? Call up a friend and tell them you are lonely and need them. Schedule a time to talk or connect. Find a way. You are loved and you are wanted but sometimes in our busy world even good friends forget to tell you or show you. Help us be a good friend!
Prayer
Father, we are made in your image and you live in connection and community with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Help us in this challenging time find the same connection with you and each other. Help awaken hope in our lives through the good people around us and use us to awaken hope in each other in these dark times. We love you and need you. Help us find our tribe. Amen.