Those Who Are Wise

Are you tired of hearing, “This is the new normal”? Me too. I want the old normal back… or do I?

I mean the notion of toilet paper and soap in my store again is terrific, and how about going back to church? Amen to that! But can the new dance of our lives move to a wiser beat? I pray so.

When I chose wisdom as my word of the year, of course, I knew nothing of the coming pandemic. How could any of us know when the calendar turned to the fresh year and decade, that our world, our country, our towns, and much of our lives would shut down? That people we know (or we) would fall ill from this menace and loved ones would pass from its force.

Therefore, my quest for wisdom intensified while I looked for meaning as I’ve stepped into each abnormal day since March of 2020.

I jotted down some ponderings for us as we embark on the journey in the altered world. Join me here, feel free to write down your thoughts.

What do you miss?

Stuff? Probably not.

A few weeks ago, my pal, Kimberly, and I traded texts about the fallout in each of our lives from COVID. She asked the question, “What do you miss the most?” I replied with a sort of top-five list and then asked her the same question. Later, I realized that in our musings, neither answered with material missings. It was all about people.

What are your top five?

What will you leave?

Somethings from the lockdown are best left behind – like gray roots and pajamas until 4:00 PM among them.

So, I examine myself and considered what no longer serves me, what has never served me. In the fire of the first weeks, fear’s shackles often grasped me as the what-ifs slithered through my anxious brain.

How I wish I could bury fear in a hole along with the virus. Yet, God’s strong hand guides me as we defeat this fear-foe step by step.

Is there a spiritual struggle or character defect you long to throw in the Corona trash bin? Talk to God about it, seek help, and begin to lay it down to leave behind.

What growth do you see in yourself due to this time of refining?

What will you remember?

The check-ins with friends? The family Zoom sessions? The stories of loss and hope?

Despite the sorrow and strangeness, I will carry this season fondly in my mom-memory because my children were living under my roof once more. We laughed, played, shared in deep conversation, cried, and argued. I collected mental snapshots and wrote in my journal about days I never dreamed I would experience again.

Take a moment to record memories – lovely and not so lovely – to look back on.

Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.

Daniel 12:3 NLT

What will you carry?

Novel insights? Changed priorities? A refined faith?

When we open our doors in anticipation and take our first uneasy steps into a peculiar pandemic planet, a world beyond Walmart or the gas station, yes, a realm of humankind once more, what will we carry? Who will we be?

My prayer is that as Christ-followers, we will shine brightly. That we will carry the wisdom and depth of insight we gleaned in a not-so-normal season and sparkle like stars for our Savior.

May we step close to the hurting and lead in righteousness. May we be peace to the polarized. And let us carry love as never before as we dance to a wiser beat.

PC: Jeremy Thomas