Week 1 - COVID19

Has any one else noticed how quiet the world feels? As I was hanging up laundry yesterday, a result of attempting to deep clean my house, I felt this silence consume me and the mundane task I was doing. Foreign, unnerving, almost threatening, the silence crept through the air altering life as it passed by. I have had my share of reality checks, but this was quite like nothing I have experienced before. 

I am fairly certain that this past week has been the longest week of my life. The abrupt changes and disruption this pandemic brought to our world were challenging to accept. Our comfortable lives were blindsided by the COVID19 amtrak. Some may say fear, media, political parties, or the Russians are driving this high speed wrecking ball. To me, it is a moot point. We need to focus on the trajectory and potential destinations this track has. I have heard a couple of weeks, to months, to a full year before we go back to "normal life". And instead of normal, I would like to say back to a life where we can exercise our freedom, experience a functioning economy, attend a worship service, engage with one another. 

I have yet to sort through what the COVID19 pandemic actually means. I understand the physical symptoms of the Corona Virus, and that immune compromised and elderly individuals are considered high risk if they contract the virus. I understand like any virus, it is highly contagious and there are no treatment options if infected, other than to ride it out. From a health standpoint I feel aware, however the social, financial, economical, and psychological tentacles associated with COVID19 are so immense I cannot stretch my arms wide enough to grasp them. This defined pandemic has rocked our social lives this past week, but there will be significant lingering impacts for years to come. 

In some ways, this pandemic feels like our life since Chasens diagnosis: 

Blindsided by shocking news. 

Attempt to sort through the facts. 

Adjust to a new normal. 

This loop was on repeat for our family for almost 3 years, but this feels so different. This time I am going through this loop with my friends, family, teammates, and neighbors but I still am not able to relate. Maybe I am looking at COVID19 through the wrong lens.

To me, it is no surprise this pandemic is raging through this country during the Lenten season. I pray that by the Monday after Easter (when Iowa schools are to resume) we all experience a resurrection. As we experience the effects of COVID19 in our homes, in our personal, social, and professional lives, I would ask for all of you to look for opportunities. Look for ways to reflect, to find purpose, to make progress. Let the silence consume you. Settle, fast, and pray. Pray for our medical community, for those that are ill, for the family that has $10 in their checking account, for the farmers that watch the markets plummet, for our elderly that fear to leave their home, and for our future generation. If we focus on the fear and the unknown, COVID19 will continue to cause havoc. 

In every struggle there is victory. Let's make the pain of this experience count.