Recalculating

Greetings from Kenya. We trust that you are yours and staying safe and well. Here in Kenya, despite a curfew and border closures, many coronavirus cases are being identified daily. Until a week ago, the numbers were relatively low. But more testing is yielding a very different scenario. May God have mercy on us, not just here in Kenya but around the world.

And now time for reflection. If perhaps there are two kinds of people in the world, those who thrive on doing and those who thrive on being—I am a hopelessly off-the-charts ‘doing’ person. That means life is generally full of to-do-lists, pressure and – let’s be honest – constant denial for the need for rest. Then came coronavirus. It has taken weeks to release that tightly wound-up cord that was somehow defining daily life and personal purpose. But gradually, God is getting through to me. And if the pandemic were not enough, my laptop went ker-plunk several weeks ago, our email was down for a while, and power has been going off frequently.

When we took a 3-month sabbatical in 2002 (yes, another one is overdue), we were told over and over: don’t go back to life as usual. That is similar to my prayer for all of us, when—big question mark as to when– restrictions are lifted and life returns to some semblance of normal. What does that mean for you? For me?

• If God has shaken off some things and we now realize we didn’t need them, let’s not pick them up again.
• If God has realigned priorities, let’s stay re-aligned.
• If God has changed the way we do church, and perhaps those changes should be more than just temporary, let’s go with the flow of a new wineskin.
• If life is now less hectic, let’s not resume the rat race. (“The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.” – Lily Tomlin).
• If relationships have become deeper, let’s keep them deep.
• If we have built a greater sense of community with neighbors, friends or those half-way around the world, let’s fight to preserve it.
• If our awareness of life as a gift, not a right, has heightened, let’s keep that awareness in the front of our hearts.

More than a “divine pause,” I sense we are in “divine recalculation” mode. May we not miss our Master’s voice or fail to obey His instructions.

Stay safe and well!

~ Diane