Disjointed

Many of us are in week three of our quarantine to stop the spread of COVID-19. If you're like me, you have processed and prayed a lot in these last three weeks. Life has a new, disjointed feeling. For instance, it took me five stinkin' hours to vacuum my house today. On a day I have the house to myself, that was a task that simply took 30-40 minutes. But under our new circumstances, I had to help multiple children with schoolwork. And then I had to be sensitive to the phone calls and video chats of my children with their teachers and my husband with his job. Before I knew it, I had to prepare lunch...and the disjointed schedule just continued!!

The ebb and flow of the stream of normal life feels like it has completely disappeared. In fact, much like this stream I recently encountered on a walk:

In one moment the stream is trickling along and the next moment it's completely gone. It leaves a dry and exposed creek bed. My father-in-law has lived most of his life near this land and he tells me the water is occasionally sucked into an underground spring.

One moment we were bumping along through life, perhaps at a rapid pace but also feeling controlled. Suddenly we find ourselves ordered to lives at home, with no "regular" school, work, church or social activities. We take germaphobe to an exponential level, cleaning hands and surfaces often. We avoid people, we mask ourselves, and we isolate. The days feel long and empty with our rapid pace sucked away. We feel open, vulnerable, and exposed as we realize the lack of control we really have over this situation and its resolution. We feel concerned for finances, for health, and for the endless unknowns. 

If you have read my blog since it's inception, you will already know that I started writing to process my need for control. It was causing me anxiety and I knew God was calling me to process my journey through writing. Recently, as the virus events continued to unfold, God caught my attention with a devotional entitled "Releasing Control" through my First 5 study on 1 Chronicles 10. I could identify with the writer's confession that relinquishing control triggers stress for her. In the passage from scripture, Saul succumbed to his fear of being captured and tortured by the enemy, so he took matters into his own hands. His desire for control directly stemmed from his lack of trust in God. He had a bad habit of sabotaging plans by acting rashly out of impatience. The main takeaway that I had was in this: One of life's greatest challenges is fighting the urge to take control and rush God's perfectly timed steps. It will only throw us out of sync with His will.

Oh, how guilty we can be to pursue sources other than God for guidance and comfort! How often do we want to wish away what He wants to teach and cultivate in our lives? What is it that God wants to teach each of us through this experience? May we all slow down and reflect the heart issues that need surrendered, cleansed and recalibrated!

But let's revisit this creek bed visual and take it a step further. There have been many prophecies and signs that the rapture is nearing. I am in no way an expert on the subject but have been tuning into several prophetic speakers and hearing many who have been having dreams from the Lord. The Lord has burdened my heart and quickened my spirit. Here is an excellent video that summarizes the link between Biblical prophecies to the events we are seeing unfold in our world today. Someday, it could be tomorrow, it could be 10 years from now, or 100...we don't know...but Christ will come for His church. We will be bumping along through life and whoosh...those who have professed Jesus as Lord and believe in their hearts will be swept away to Heaven! What will be left is a dry, exposed, chaotic world. It will be dark. It will be evil. It will have unimaginable pain.

I do not want YOU to be left behind. And neither does Jesus! If the events of this virus and collapsing economy has you afraid, confused, and seeking, turn to Jesus. He will offer you everlasting peace, freedom, and joy! Please do not wait until tomorrow because tomorrow may be too late. Ask Jesus into your heart, confess that you need His forgiveness for your sin, and let Him change your life! If you need to talk things out or pray with someone, please don't hesitate to e-mail me or reach out to a trusted friend. If we have learned anything from this situation, it's that we need one another. Isolation brings no hope or joy, but community and interaction brings healing and wholeness!