Do It

We won’t be able to take effective action if we haven’t identified the problem. You can’t treat what you don’t see. 

The stresses throughout our nation and the world have multiplied with the pandemic. We already had enough trouble without it, but now sickness, death, isolation, unemployment, losses in retirement funds, mounting bills, kids going stircrazy, and disruption in the delivery of necessities have given us plenty of reasons to feel the burdens of painful certainties and fearful uncertainties. We need a plan. We need to do the things we’ve always known to do, but now we need them more than ever. I’ll offer a number of suggestions, but please, start small and build from there.

1. Connect. Whatever you do, stay connected. Make the call, send the text, see the faces and hear the voices on video calls, and talk to neighbors. You need it, they need it, we all need it. (Psalms 133:1)

2. Deepen the connections. At this point most of us don’t see as many people as we did before the coronavirus, but we can have deeper, richer, more meaningful connections with the ones who are still in our orbit. (Proverbs 27:9)

3. Find something to make you smile and laugh. We need to laugh, we need to have a sense of wonder, we need thrills. And we need these especially when life is hard. (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

4. Establish healthy rhythms. When we’re under stress, we need good, workable rhythms more than ever. Set your alarm for the morning, buy only healthy foods (with maybe a few indulgences to keep life interesting), and create a schedule that works for you and those in your home.

5. Keep a journal. When we’re anxious, our minds often race from one worry to another and back again, making loops that make us even more frantic and hopeless. Keeping a journal encourages clear thinking and good planning.

6. Worship. Whatever the circumstances, we need to fill our hearts with the wonder, majesty, and kindness of God. That’s what I mean by worship. We certainly need to connect with Him in our private devotional times, but families can pray together and talk about passages of Scripture, and small groups can join on video platforms to study, pray, and encourage one another. (Psalm 8:1)