Connection During Isolation
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
(Psalm 20:7, ESV)
The word of the day for me is “confidence”. What does it mean to live confidently? What (or, hopefully, Whom) is the source of my / our confidence? Particularly in a season of struggle and isolation, of health and political challenge - how can we live confidently and full of faith?
My greatest concern in this COVID crisis is relational distancing. I understand the social (physical) distancing being asked of us, but we must not allow this to translate into relational distancing. Let us stay in touch with one another. Ask God to bring people to mind for you to reach out to. As we all work to establish daily routines for ourselves at home, include in that routine contact points with the people in your life and those you may not normally connect with.
At all times, we must make effort to walk close with God and one another. Now we must work all the harder at it. It is by these efforts of maintaining relational closeness that we will find confidence.
As time wears on, the isolation will turn to loneliness for many. What can we do?
I encourage us to determine to check in with at least two other people each day; express care and see if they need anything.
I encourage us to use our church directory as a prayer / visitation guide; start with the person following your family and call / text / email one each day. This will help us keep us close and may even create new and meaningful connections for us within our church family.
Remember too that relational connections include face to face time - texting and emailing are good, phoning is better, and video calling (like FaceTime) will prove a real blessing as time goes on.
I love hearing how the Italians are singing from their balconies (click on the picture for a video)! I love hearing of street visits … walking past one another’s homes and visiting from street to front door.
This is season to embrace all our neighbours (including our leaders at local, provincial, and national levels). Let us be prayerful.