My social media accounts have been flooded with “Breaking News” about school closings, event cancellations, warnings, facts, and opinions. And I’m okay with that. If nothing else, I have been reminded that we grieve, react to fear and disappointments, and handle the unknown in varying ways and to differing degrees. That knowledge in itself is a gift, because if we can learn from it now, our future selves will be all the better equipped to handle the realities of life that come in the form of both joys and sorrows.

As a woman of faith, writer of Bible-based devotional thoughts, and member of the “immunocompromised” age category, I woke early this morning striving to balance the realities of my nation’s “new normal,” however long-term or temporary it may be, with my belief that God does not create evil but allows us to be impacted by its realities and devastations. God Himself tells us that it’s not a matter of if we will face difficult times, but it’s a matter of when. But as He graciously prepares us for these realities, He wraps us in the promise that He will be with us in the midst of them.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2, ESV, emphasis mine

It was then, at 4:42 a.m. today, that it hit me: We have been entrusted with a gift. We may or may not get to choose whether or not we become infected with Covid-19 or Coronavirus, but I believe that we do have the privilege of choosing what our actions and reactions will be to the pandemic in which we currently find ourselves. We get to choose how we will view this new uncertainty: Will we see it as a curse to be endured or as a gift to be utilized?

The gift of selfless thoughts and actions.

Disappointments abound right now. College seniors are heading home to complete their semester via online instruction instead of getting to enjoy traditional activities, celebratory traditions, and perhaps even the ages-old accomplishment of a public graduation ceremony. It hurts. It’s difficult. It’s not what anyone would have chosen.

School-aged children are facing the major-to-them disappointments of cancelled field trips, long-awaited vacations, and the absence of comfortable routines and certainties.

But how will we as experienced adults guide them through these? Our words, our actions, our reactions will be their source of instruction right now, and we must not fail them.

1. Don’t belittle their sadness, their fears, or their natural emotions. Their loss is real, and validating that will help it to find its proper place in their learning process.
2. Don’t compare their loss with someone else’s “greater” or “lesser” loss. Each person’s loss is his or her own, and that makes it the greatest loss in his or her world at this moment.
3. Do remind yourself and those you get to impact that each person is feeling the impact of these changes in ways that are abnormal to what feels natural. Reach outside of your comfort zone and outside of the world in which you live and empathize with the losses of dreams, opportunities, and memories that others are walking through.
4. Encourage someone with a card, e-mail, PM or DM via social media, or a phone call. This is one of the most practical ways to demonstrate to ourselves and to others that we are not the only ones walking through the uncertainties of altered routines right now.

The gifts of fear and faith.

I found myself feeling guilty yesterday when I became fearful of attending a public gathering this weekend. After all, I’m a woman of faith whose life is focused on knowing, learning about, and sharing the love of God with others. Friends on social media were posting Bible verse regarding the sin of fear, and their posts were only exacerbating my shame in not fully trusting the God I say I believe in so deeply.

But fear itself can be a gift. I need to fear the consequences of a pandemic on my health. I need to fear its impact enough that it causes me to eat wisely, clean thoroughly, and practice selfless behavior on behalf of the immunocompromised, disenfranchised, and health-challenged around me.

While my fears can guide me, protect me, and encourage a proper respect for the unknown around me, they cannot and must not control me. My faith must be greater than my fear.

That’s a great little cliche, but what does that look like—for faith to be greater than fear? For me, it means that my knowledge of a loving, present, comforting God keeps my fear in its proper place—a place where it protects me but does not stand as a barrier between the realities of life and my belief that God will never leave me or forsake me (see Hebrews 13:5, ESV), even when the fears of the unknown seem to be turning into realities.

Both fear and faith can be gifts from our gracious God. We get to choose which one will receive our focus.

The gift of choices.

How will you use your time now that your routine is facing mandatory closures, postponements, and cancellations? Here are three options that I hope you’ll consider.

1. Choose to get extra rest. Mind you, there is a fine line between being lazy and getting needed rest, but your body needs the physical, emotional, and spiritual rest that will help you to fight the mental, physical, and spiritual changes you’re being called upon to walk through. So don’t feel lazy if you embrace a slower pace during the mandatory social distancing that we are being encouraged to follow right now.
2. Choose to learn something new. While your mind is undistracted from the routines of your “normal” life, use this time to read more, to learn to use your computer, smartphone, or tablet more efficiently, to do a personal, online, or family Bible study, or to try some new recipes with the ingredients you have on hand. Just think, if we each set aside just fifteen minutes each day during our extended time in our houses to learn something new or to become better at something we already know, this pandemic really could be a gift!
3. Choose to reach outside the walls of your comfort zone. In whatever way you are able to do so (time, resources, a listening ear), help others in their time of need. The gift of time, the gift of an encouraging note, word, or deed—these are choices that will matter long beyond the effects of a pandemic.

So how will you use the gifts you’ve been entrusted with during this pandemic? We’d love to hear your ideas and thoughts in the comments below!

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