Vision Beyond the Storm

At the beginning of 2020, exhortations about VISION were everywhere. 2020 vision exemplifies clarity, so the year 2020 seemed like a good time to catch a new vision or refine an old one.

Honestly, our family has been working on vision for over a year; trying to anticipate and project the work we would do once we arrived in Belize. For awhile we had a clear vision and plan of action, but ultimately we felt something telling us to let that vision go. So we did. We came to Belize without a clear vision, but feeling confident that it would emerge as we prayed and began to partner with Belizeans.

Enter the COVID 19 tornado. Virtually all talk about 2020 vision is gone from the public vernacular. How can we possibly forecast our tomorrows when we never saw this coming!? We don't know what toll COVID will take on our health, families, economy or global culture. What were once givens (family gatherings, school and work) have been picked up and flung into the void. We are in white-knuckle survival mode.

Is there place in this storm for looking beyond? Is there value in imagining a new normal? I think so.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

There's no way we can know exactly what our future holds, but that was true even before Corona reared its ugly head. Now, more than ever, we have a chance to seek God's vision for our lives. How can we experience internal peace? How can we extend love to others? What can we build in service to our fellow man? We can build our future in faith even now. We can align ourselves with His vision for us and then watch God move mountains to see it realized.

Puzzled

This global situation with Covid 19 has the world reeling. I can sense my brain trying to make sense of things; trying to put my current reality into a category that I recognize. Maybe you're experiencing the same.

On TV and social media, there are scores of platitudes and heartfelt "silver-lining" memes circulating. There are sceptics, critics and denyers. There are environmentalists saying the earth is pushing back from all that humanity has done to damage it. There are religious pundits saying God is using Covid 19 to push this agenda or that. It all makes for a confusing and alarming time to be alive.

Weeks ago, as Eddie was praying about the life and ministry we will eventually build here, he saw a picture of a 3D puzzle. He sensed God telling him that while we are making plans and strategies on a 2-dimensional plane, God's perspective was completely different.

Remembering this picture has helped me in the past 24 hours to give myself a break. My brain still kicks into problem-solving mode and tries to make sense of what is senseless. When it does, I remind myself that my perspective is limited, that there's no possible way I can solve the puzzle on my own.

Isaiah 55:9 says, "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Sure, there are lessons we humans can learn from this disaster. Lessons about how to connect, how to prepare, how to take care of ourselves and our community. The action of reducing a global catastrophe to pat answers and soundbites is not helpful to our collective psyches. In my opinion, it's more productive to meditate on how big God is and how much we need His peace in these times. We can't individually control Covid 19, but we can learn and practice being at peace in the storm.

Don't just isolate- consecrate!

The world has been turned on its head in the past week. Once hypothetical scenarios of closed borders, pandemics and global chaos are suddenly very real and affecting the lives of millions. Plans are being changed, normal routines are being questioned and, ultimately, thrown out. There are no easy answers or silver bullets. There is a global sense of uncertainty and even impending doom.

Here in Belize we have, thus far, been relatively untouched by Covid 19. There are, so far, no confirmed cases. With such a low population (less than 400,000) in the country, limiting large crowds of people isn't too hard. For those in the village, social distancing is a cinch. But with a limited and undeveloped medical system, and low access to clean water and sanitation, Belizeans are very much concerned for its spread if Covid were ever to breach our boundaries. Add to that Belize's dependence on tourism and imports; the situation is serious.

There's something that happens to us spiritually when faced with uncertainty, sickness or even death. The spread of fear, greed and panic can be just as debilitating to a society as an outbreak. These spirits will attack and dismantle our emotions if given access to them. So what do we do?

Over the weekend, Eddie felt God was telling him to "consecrate himself." Consecration means "association with the sacred;" to set oneself apart, for God. I find the part of setting oneself apart to be fitting in a time of social distancing and quarantine. This distancing is more than personal isolation; its drawing away from in order to draw near to God.

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

As we create new norms, I invite you to investigate what consecration might look like in your own life. Maybe it's taking time to meditate on, or memorize scripture. Maybe it's availing yourself to serve your neighbors, the poor or disenfranchised. Maybe it's spending time outdoors with a heart of gratitude for God's creation. How many of us have said we'd do more of these things if we just had time. Now's the time and despite how it feels, it's a gift. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.