By BECKY SIEWERS
Connecting Faith and Life
Jesus asks us to believe him even though he speaks of many deep spiritual mysteries. He wants us to believe in the existence of eternal life. He wants us to believe in all his teachings. We may not always understand some teachings, but we believe them because the Lord is speaking.
In the past weeks we have been bombarded with news about COVID-19 – including what we should do and what we should not. Stay at home; go out, but protect yourself with distance; wear a mask and gloves. Stock up on things, but do not hoard. We are not all “house people,” although we may enjoy our houses or apartments. But staying home to be safe, we have been challenged to be creative. We have to learn to accept that home is many things. We can listen to the things shared on TV, the internet or from books. Sometimes we have to realize to pay attention to an all-important word or sentence. We hear the words but do not listen closely enough to have the true message. How can we know who to believe?
We are a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and opinions in this world. But we have come together in this crisis to help us to stay healthy, occupied and challenged. Our spirits have been lifted with all the time given by the medical field; with the fun coming from music, words and dancing on the internet; with prayers and good wishes; with promises that we will get through this time of challenge.
We may wonder how it will all turn out, but we know when we see it in the faces of people; it is with God’s love that we will survive. We can believe in him. We all long for more closeness to God; for healing, for peace and for becoming better, holier people. The truth is that in tough times like these, there is a message we can believe. Taking the time to see what we can do, not complaining about what we cannot.
No matter how smart or strong we are, life presents us challenges like those we are going through now. We can’t overcome them by ourselves. Sometimes, he will come to us in quiet times; and sometimes, it may come through the words of others. God will respond to our needs in his time. Our faith will be put to the test, but God wants the best for us even when we think it takes too long for him to answer! In times like that, God gives us the strength to trust in his love. And then our trust will become our peace because we believe!
“My destiny is in your hands” (Psalm 31:16). Everything is in God’s hands – our earthly life, its challenges, its circumstances and everything that happens whether good or bad, its trials and events. Our life is in good hands with God, who will protect and guard us; who will give us wisdom and love, with lasting faithfulness and mercy. Let us put our trust and belief in God, and we will survive, and hopefully become better than who we were before.