On Being Royal

I don’t know about you all, but I did NOT plan on giving up THIS much for Lent.  We are in week four of our study, He is Alive from Becky Kiser, and at the same time, COVID-19 has ushered us into social distancing, home school, work at home, eat at home, and in many cases, self quarantine.  . It reminds me of the verse, “Many are our plans, but the Lord directs our steps” (Proverbs 19:21). Okay, Lord — What are You trying to teach us? 

In the past week or so, my world has become much smaller. I have only been to work and home, but at work, there were only a few people there, and the focus was solely serving food.  We did not have church service as usual. My husband went to the store for us once. That was all. I have learned that I have allowed other people’s opinions to crowd my time entirely too much.  Because I have only been around essential people, I have to tell you, Mamas: I do NOT miss a great deal of the folks I have to deal with usually. Not. One. Bit. So, when this is over, I believe God is reminding  me to remember how good it feels to take the weight of their opinions/looks/comments off of my shoulders. 

One thing that struck me from the third week of our study was 1 Peter 2:9: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”  Did you know Corona means Crown in Spanish? There seems to be a connection here for us. I feel challenged by this verse; instead of focusing on God, I feel like sometimes I am in a contest of who has it worse during the pandemic.  I know I have to work from home while homeschooling, but there are others who are on the front lines in the medical field. I find myself more interested in funny memes than teaching my son his identity in Christ. In that moment, I have to extend grace to myself.  We have done some dinner devotionals at least! 

But, here’s the thing. We can rise above our feelings of defeat with help from each other and the Holy Spirit. We can focus our eyes on the good that is happening.  There have been SO many more instances of bonding with my son than in a typical hustle week. We have done devotions at the dinner table and enjoyed so much laughter and snuggles and quality time outside. Has it been perfect? No. Am I still overwhelmed? Yes. But that verse does not say we have to be perfect or unstressed…it just proclaims we are ROYAL. It’s talking about our identity not our behavior. 

 Lord, I pray Corona helps all of us straighten our crowns as your daughters instead of worrying and hustling at home. So what about you? How has God used the Coronavirus to teach you things about yourself or your motherhood? 

Air hugs, 

Jo

#Coronavirus2020 #truthformoms #straightenyourcrown

God Is Our Safe Place to Hide

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Last week my husband and I were out of the country for a work event when the President declared the travel ban. You could feel the tension and panic spike to a new level for all of the people needing to get home to their families. All I could think about was reuniting with my girls and making sure we were all together during this world crisis.

My husband and I thankfully had a flight already scheduled for the next day so we could get home for a family wedding. Our flight took off on time but not long after we got to 10,000 feet, the pilot told us we were headed into rough air. The next hour and a half we bounced up and down as if our airplane was a car on a bumpy road. 

At first I took it in stride, albeit a little nervous. But then after a while, the fear started to rattle me. Loud noises from the wind and people’s reactions as we hit the bumps only exacerbated the worry. Before I knew it, I was entertaining worst-case scenarios in my mind. I was replaying the last moments I had with my girls and wondering if those would be my last. I was legitimately scaring myself. 

I tried some deep breathing but that didn’t settle me. I prayed and asked God to give me some peace. It was then I knew reading something from the Bible was what I needed. I reached in my backpack and pulled it out. I had a verse rolling around in my head but couldn’t remember the exact wording and knew I needed to lock my brain in on some truth.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” Psalm 46:1-3 

I literally repeated that first line over and over in my head throughout the rest of the flight. God is our refuge. Our strength. He is a *very present help* in trouble. 

I also looked up the Message version – “God is a safe place to hide. Ready to help when we need Him.” I needed a safe place to hide.

I closed my eyes and pictured myself hiding under wings as big as eagles. Totally protected. Totally safe.

It reminded me of another of my favorite verses and one that comforted me during another scary time a couple of years ago:

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.” Psalm 91:4

Even when things feel out of control, God is reminding me that in Him, I can find my safe place. 

Thankfully all was well with the flight and we finally got back onto solid ground and home to our girls. But as I’ve thought about that situation since, I feel like God was preparing me for these overwhelming times ahead.

I admit, this coronavirus has frightened me a bit. All of the what-ifs have been popping into my head about this virus. I have felt overwhelmed by everything that has changed so quickly. And watching the news and scrolling my newsfeed have brought up more panic than peace. 

In these unsure moments when life feels out of control, I have been reminded where I must put my thoughts, emotions, and plans: Firmly in God’s hands. No one saw this pandemic coming but amazingly, God is not surprised. He is already there. And He has been there in so many other scary moments and will be there in the future ones too.

So mamas, what about if we together hold onto the truth right now that “God is a safe place to hide. Ready to help when we need him”?  Whether that’s in keeping your cool when you’re home with your kids 24/7, navigating homeschooling, or trying not to worry about the unknowns, God is there and ready to be of help. May we rest in that truth in the coming days.

~Michelle