Dealing with the pandemic

How do we deal with the coronavirus and tall the changes to our lives that it has brought?

Here are my suggestions:

1. That we pray for peace of mind and that we might see all the blessings the Lord is showering on us and our families during this crisis.
2. That we go outside every day and enjoy the spring that is here in the south and that is coming in the rest of our country. I am watching the flowering trees and the leafing of the trees happen before my eyes. I am reveling in the beauty of this earth which is unchangeable.
3. That we spend time with our families, real, relaxed time. Just use the extra time that is given to us without the daily commute, for example, and see what is really going on with the people we love and be in the midst of it with them.
4. That we give up escape mechanisms and distractions to really look at the reality of our lives and to evaluate the way we’ve been living and to see if it was really serving us.
5. That we spend time in quiet, to see the truth of where we are in this moment which is unlike any other moment in our lives to date. And to acknowledge that truth, even it is filled with guilt and shame. If we lift the truth about ourselves to the Lord, then He will help heal us and restore us to our truer selves.
6. That we see through the eyes of gratitude all that we are grateful for in our lives. And that we thank God for all of it.
7. That we connect with the people across the world that we love, who have accompanied us on our journeys, who really mean something to us on Facetime or Zoom or other media.
8. That we see ourselves as a part of the great species of human beings across the earth, all facing the same kind of challenges, and identify with all who are human. And then see the plants and animals that sustain us and even entertain us as part of our world, too. That we learn to care for them and for this earth.

We will get through this, but we have no idea what life will be like on the other side of the coronavirus. But that is actually true everyday of our lives: we have no control over what happens; it is our job to do the best we can in responding to each new thing that comes.