By Cyndi
About a week ago I tweaked my back a little. It was the last day before the beaches were closing here in Jacksonville due to the Coronavirus, so knowing this, I surfed until I could hardly move. I let my body rest for about a week, but then I started feeling better, not all the way healed up, but enough to work in the yard a little. Well, you guessed it — my back went out again. Bummers. Gotta rest it again! I do not like not being able to do anything physically; I love to exercise, walk, be outside, be in the water — anything to be moving. I’m a doer.
Here I was once again stuck not able to do much of anything. I needed to let my body rest and heal. Funny thing, our nation, along with so many others right now, are all supposed to be staying home to stop the spreading of this COVID-19 virus. Many are even quarantined and entire cities are locked down. (As of this writing we are not yet.)
I think Father may be trying to get a message to me. And maybe not just to me, but to His whole body world-wide during this crisis.
He’s not calling us to DO something. He’s calling us to BE something. Be the church. Be His hands and feet. And be at rest!
It’s very easy to get a feeling of helplessness with this pandemic going on. Everyday we see the numbers and statistics change — mostly for the worse at this point in time — but it will eventually get better. We just have to wait and be at rest in Him.
The Lord never guaranteed us that we will not have trials and tribulations. In fact, He flat out says we will! But He said He’ll be with us through them, even in the midst of them. In John 16:33 Jesus tells us that, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
So what things did He tell us previously before this verse? That going through these troubles are hard, but on the other side of them, it’s so much better:
- Jesus had to leave so He could send the Holy Spirit;
- Jesus left His disciples so they could go directly to the Father;
- A mother goes through travail to give birth, yet afterwards has the joy of a child.
My friends, I believe on the other side of this it’s gonna be worth it. (Great song from Rita Springer.)
Rest, my friends. Breathe deeply. This is a time to invest in your families. This is a time to reveal to strangers the Hope we have. This is a time for the fruits of the Spirit to grow and develop in us if we allow them to.
Let us be the Father’s love expressed here on this earth — right here, right now!
Stop doing and start being. Rest. Rest. Rest.