I haven’t been blogging lately as I’ve stepped back to see how this whole virus thing unfolded. In a time of international pandemic, sharing with you my journey to get a book published seems so frivolous and non-important, and it’s the last thing I want to fill up your inbox.

Yesterday, while on a walk with my kiddos to get some fresh air, I asked God “What in the world is going on in the world right now?” I’ve seen all kinds of responses in my newsfeed to this virus from this being the end times to this just being nothing more than an over-exaggerated bad cold. I know all of us have so many questions we need answers to about the bigger picture of this pandemic. And while God was silent with me when I asked my question, what He was not silent about was that I must keep choosing faith over fear. That our family must keep walking by faith not by sight. And if there’s anything any of the valleys we’ve already been through have taught me, it’s that even in the lowest points of life, He is still there, and He is STILL GOOD.

A song from my childhood keeps replaying in my head as I read each new daily headline: “He’s got the whole world, in His hands, He’s got the whole wide world, in His hands, He’s got the whole world, in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands.”

So when my anxiety wants to flare up with so much uncertainty of what’s ahead for all of us, I revert back to that childhood song. As my restlessness stirs with all this social distancing and not even being allowed to take my kids to the playground a block away from us, I revert back to my childhood and spread out an old school slip-n-slide slathered in dish soap in the backyard for them, and give them my gardening tools to play in the dirt sandbox style. And when my worries want to take over my brain, I think back to when I was a kid, and it wasn’t my job to worry, but my parent’s job on how to provide for our family in the toughest of times. And I know I can lean on that same certainty with my Heavenly Father.

The beautiful thing I have seen come out of this social distancing change in our daily lives is this… Jesus is bringing families back together. In an over-distracted busy world where everything pulls at our attention and distances us from those we love most, I see families outside taking walks. I see families outside gardening together. I see families in my feed homeschooling. I see families in my neighborhood loving thy neighbor and helping to provide things that are gone off the store shelves. I see families in my feed cooking together and eating around the dinner table again. Even my own family… because we are far too guilty of not eating together as often as we should. Just the other morning, after making homemade waffles, Bara Faith asked to be the one to pray over our breakfast we were sitting down to eat together. And her prayer was sweet and simple and pierced my heart: “Dear Jesus, thank you for my family. Amen.”

So my faith chooses to dwell on the good that has come out of all of this. My faith chooses to trump the fears and pray for all those I love.

And because of everything swirling around in the world, I’ve decided to put my book adventures on hold indefinitely. Maybe when all of this is over, I might be inspired to write again, but right now, there are more important things on the forefront of my mind that need my attention, like spending time with my family.

May you and your own family stay safe.

2 Comments