I have to meditate on the fact that his promises still stand, despite what we see in the media and going on around us, promises of Hope, Peace, Healing and Faith over fear.
Christian and I were on vacation separately, when the world stopped. The momentum of Corona's seriousness had only been on the uptick a few days prior to our departure. Before we left, last Wednesday, we stocked up on potential supplies needed to sanitize during our flights to be on the safe side. Gloves, Emergen-C, (which we had begun taking the prior Saturday), any remnants of name brand cold medicine left on the shelves, and clorox wipes (which were completely sold out, so we had to use what we had at home). We took spray hand sanitizer that I had gotten from my job, and made sanitary bags for the plane.
We were on our last roll of toilet paper just before we left. I literally used the last piece the morning before catching my 4 am Lyft to the airport. I had no idea that by the following week I would have to be concerned if I would be able to wipe my own butt when I got back home.
As I waited, an hour before boarding my flight the continuous stream of news syndications and briefings of this virus were overwhelming. Just the sheer amount of times they said the word “Corona”, (which I did not count, but I should have) baffled me. Let’s just say if it were a drinking game I would have been blacked out drunk. It baffled me because as someone that believes in the power of words, I refuse to call the name of a sickness more than I ever would call the name of Jesus (the only name that heals), but also disappointed in the level of "journalism" or the lack thereof, that only served to heighten the hysteria, fear and the politicization from the public office. After an hour of forced fixation (because it was on every screen), I boarded my plane with no further understanding or facts about this virus, but I definitely knew what celebrities had tested positive, how many times Trump has flubbed the facts and the current death toll. All of the true facts on the matter, I had to get from "trusted" sources of information.
I landed in D.C. with a heaviness in my body, not so much because I was scared (I know I am healed by his stripes), but because I knew the world was and rightfully so, afraid of the uncertainty, potential job loss, lack of supplies and resources, and the overall economic downturn we were facing. There was just a heavy feeling that I was having to push through despite the circumstances.
It was also frustrating to process that the dissemination of information was so full of fear-based propaganda that was influencing angst and erratic behavior, such as stock-piling a year’s worth of toilet paper. My mother and I made the best of it and I am glad we did. We were trying to move our return flights to a day earlier, but it would have cost more to move it than the entire ticket alone, so we didn’t and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable days we had together. Christian on the other hand was able to move his flight because it cost him nothing to do so. This was a relief because it allowed him to grab whatever was left in the stores to get us through the week and of course, TOILET PAPER (we scored one pack of 9- and I am thankful)!
Two days before I was scheduled to return home, I was informed that I would be working from home for a week and like many others, who were fortunate enough to have this option, was ecstatic, still am (but this is only Day 3). The call to quarantine did not bother me much, Christian and I are already to an extent homebodies and always around each other anyway, so “Quarantine and Chill” really just sounded like another day in the life for the Perry’s.
After arriving home I found it difficult to meditate about my mindset. “Meditate about what exactly, I’m not going anywhere?”, I thought. So like the rest of the country, I too began to self-distract by binge watching trash TV, catching up on past due chores, and confirming that my internet connection will be strong enough to work from home indefinitely. I planned to get ahead on blogging, but I started to feel a little guilty about potentially putting out a blog post that was unrelated to the issues of the current climate. I still to a degree feel the heaviness from the amount of fear people have surrounding this virus, but have since regained more peace, since seeing more clearly God’s position in all of this.
I find it to be divine irony that the only real remedy to this is to stay at home. On the surface, stay at home to avoid the spread and because the medical staff and treatment is severely limited. More importantly, stay at home and get alone with God, let him heal you, let him fill your cup, just let him rid your fears and give you peace, without the constant influences and distractions of the outside world and all of its misinformation.
I now know that I have to meditate on the fact that his promises still stand, despite what we see in the media and going on around us, promises of Hope, Peace, Healing and Faith over fear. This virus may be big, but our God is way way way bigger and if we have ever struggled to grasp the brevity of his greatness, he is about to show us. Philipians 4:6 is STILL true, Matthew 6:34 is STILL true, Proverbs 3:21 is STILL true, Matthew 6:25 is STILL true, and Isaiah 53:5 is STILL true. We were built up all of 2019 just so we would be equipped to withstand 2020. We got this!
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