Divine Disruption: Holding on to Faith When Life Breaks Your HeartSample

What Matters Most

Priscilla

The pace of our lives has always been fast. Mom would remind us over and over again, “Slow down. Take time. Stop and smell the roses before they’re gone.” She could see from the outside looking in that if we weren’t mindful of our schedules and commitments, we could easily be overrun by them. Her wise counsel continues to help me make decisions about the pace and priorities in my life. Balance is tough, but it’s an ongoing pursuit.

I don’t minimize the hardships we’ve all been through, but the pandemic did present an opportunity to be still. Enjoy time with my husband and kids without a 6:00 a.m. cross-country flight hanging over my head. Even in this tragedy, there have been so many moments of tiny grace. Little opportunities to breathe all the way in and all the way out again. I don’t want to miss that or take it for granted.

Life is so short. Eight months after Mommy, my mother-in-law passed away, another major loss. Another long process of grieving. We didn’t have time with Jerry’s mom like we did with my mother, though. She passed suddenly. I don’t want to take any of my loved ones for granted. I want to appreciate every moment, best that I can, and invest in things that give joy, have eternal value, and build a good legacy for generations to come.

Tony

When the Lord disturbs something, it serves to highlight the spiritual over the physical. We have allowed our spiritual lives to fracture and go stale, going through the motions of Bible study and prayer. When our efforts are mostly surface, God becomes an afterthought.

I’m not suggesting God unleashed a plague to teach us a lesson, but in the broad sense I feel He has said, “I’m closing the church doors for a while. I am going to change the paradigm. I’m not going to let you do things like you used to do because you have valued religion over relationship with Me. So let’s tear it down to the foundation and start over again.”

The pandemic forced me to reorient my priorities—to reconsider what matters most and how I can focus on those things intentionally. Some of those old things we did out of habit and routine were undone in an instant. In the light of all this loss, I was reminded that relationships are what matter. Not routines. Family matters. I don’t have to fill a sports arena and preach to be content and feel a sense of purpose. Time with my grandkids is just as fulfilling, and even more so. I can’t go back to the way things used to be. I don’t want to. God has brought me and my family a new normal, and we are pressing on.

We want the coronavirus to disappear, for racial harmony to arise, for dignity to reassert itself, for unity to be magnified and manifested. But there must be a resetting of priorities. We must define our lives by kingdom standards. God desires to give us another opportunity to embrace humility, realign culture, and return to Him. As a nation, we are too divided, and we have strayed too far. The solution is to return our hearts to God and lead by example.

Respond

How can disruptions become opportunities to get your priorities straight?

In what ways can you invest in things that give you joy and have eternal value?

In which areas of your life do you need to apply God’s kingdom standards to your priorities?

Prayer

Lord, You hold all things together. When I feel overwhelmed by life, help me to place Your priorities first and to invest in what matters most. I rejoice in the opportunity to live according to Your kingdom standards and to align my heart with Yours. I praise You for the relationships and opportunities You provide and for the joy and hope that come from living for eternal things. Amen.