I’m sure none of us could have predicted six months ago, or even less, what is happening now in our Covid-19 life. The impact and the reactions that the pandemic is causing are obviously unprecedented. The medical, financial, social and now political ramifications are not small, and we are yet to see the fuller picture of the impact on our mental health.
All that said, I thought it might be helpful to share some of my thoughts on a few of the challenges many of us are facing in this new world we find ourselves in and also some of the opportunities it is presenting.
Two core challenges:
1. The Challenge of Invasion
One of the biggest challenges we face in this new era, is Tech Invasion. It seems our days are ‘filled’ with contacts, messages, requests, calls and meetings of every imaginable form. Of course, this is how we need to function in these days, so there is no complaint in that regard. However, the constant download of content, requests for connection and pressure to be viewing some form of social media is at an all-time high!
One of the great advantages of life living in today’s world is the access to communication technology. Years ago (over 31 to be precise) when my wife and I moved overseas to start a church, the internet was not in use yet. The world-wide web became publicly available in 1991. There was no Facebook, IG, Twitter, email, zoom, WhatsApp or even text! We ‘connected’ to home with written letters (and sometimes accompanying printed photos) and the occasional phone call using a landline. Phone calls home to Australia were $7 per min, so we didn’t make those calls too often!
Oh, how life has changed. We can now connect via endless forms of tech platforms and if your life is like ours, you are using several platforms a day and sometimes all at the same time!
It is definitely an ‘Invasion’. I’m sure many of you are like me are finding this new way of communicating a little overwhelming at times. Carey Nieuwhoff said it like this: “It’s like someone tapping you on the shoulder every fifteen minutes!” So, it is paramount in this season to protect some semblance of normal routine and maintain healthy boundaries and priorities. Here are a few simple tips (not too many as I don’t want to overwhelm you!):
Start your day with prayer, Bible reading or reflection time and not social media or news content.
Keep up (or maybe begin) a regular exercise schedule. This will help kick in those wonderful endorphins as well as keep you healthy, strong and physically and mentally agile.
Try to start and finish work schedules at a predetermined time.
Get up and walk around more often. This helps clear your head and helps you physically. Too much sitting and screen time won’t do your posture or back health any good. I’ve needed to visit my Chiropractor several times in the last few weeks!
2. The Challenge of Intimidation
The second challenge in this current season is a knock-on effect of the first. If we are being invaded by content from every media platform that exists, the resulting impact can be ‘Intimidation’. Someone else is doing it better, bigger and bolder than you. This can push us into the trap of comparison. The results of comparison can be negative and, in some cases, lead to feelings of inadequacy and discouragement.
Sometimes people have had to exit all forms of social media so they can recover, not just from the bombardment of content overload, but primarily from the temptation to compare and compete in an unhealthy way with their assumed peers.
There may be a couple of simple answers to this challenge: Firstly, spend a little less time watching and scrolling through other people’s feeds, particularly first thing in the morning. Try and get yourself into a space where your own thoughts and creativity can come to the fore.
Secondly, stay in your lane. Remind yourself that you have a unique race that the Lord has marked out for you and its worth fighting for. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Two core opportunities:
1. The Opportunity of Intimacy with Those Close to Us
As much as there are challenges in this current season, there are also some pretty unique opportunities. It’s like a giant PAUSE button has been pressed, and the message to us is, “STOP! Go home, slow down and be still.”
The opportunity that now lies before us is rediscovering intimacy. Whilst physical proximity to those in our immediate family or household can present some interesting challenges, this is perhaps a season of finding a new level of close connection again. Dads and mums actually spending time daily with their kids. It’s been amazing watching where we live, a procession of people, often whole households, walking and conversing together.
Maybe it’s time to find the table again. Turn that table, that has become your workspace back into a place of connection around food. Remove the laptop, the piles of paper and the books and set the table for dinner.
2. The Opportunity of Intimacy with Christ
We will emerge from this space soon. Let’s not miss this moment to go a little deeper in our connection to Jesus. Great prayer is often found in great pain. In this season many have experienced loss - loss of loved ones, jobs and finances. People are experiencing personal health challenges, all in the midst of isolation. Many times, in the scriptures, it was during imprisonment or captivity that people found a connection with the Lord that had not been known previously.
I will give you hidden treasures,
Riches stored in secret places
Isaiah 45:3 NIV
This is such a great promise, that in these places of isolation, we can discover some of the greatest riches! It’s in these secret places, or as one version of that verse tells us, ‘Treasures of darkness’ are found. In darkness we can’t see clearly, where life and direction and answers are not obvious or illuminated. It’s in these hidden places, isolated places that we can find a level of intimacy with the Lord, not found elsewhere.
It seems to me the clarity of the voice of the Lord in our hearts can come alive again. Now is a great time to discover those secrets that are hidden behind the veil of our busy lives!