“Re-Opening” Our Lives

Monday, April 20, 2020
Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.  1 Samuel 12:24

“Re-Opening” Our Lives
As we have been through these past weeks of quarantine, many of us have realized that there are a lot of things in our lives that we can and want to live without.  It seems like we may be on the decline of the virus and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It has been hard, but in many ways, it has been a nice break from the real world.  I think the question that we all need to ask ourselves is What is the takeaway from my personal experience during this pandemic.  In the weeks ahead we may be re-emerging into the world.  It is time to think about what you want to do differently.  How has God changed you during this time, or have you let Him work on and through you during this time?  Or have you grumped your way through every day, missing the blessings and lessons?  It is true, perspective is everything. 

Transformation or change rarely happens in calm circumstances.  It is the test of faith that turns us to our Heavenly Father more than ever and in these tests, we seek so earnestly, desperately.  Our eyes are wide open, and our hearts are exposed and raw.  These are conditions that God can work with.  We don’t always allow Him to transform us when we think nothing needs to change.  We don’t seek so desperately when everything is stable and certain.  Often when we are pressed, we surrender without resistance and gladly lay it at His feet asking Him to fix it.  And we wait.  During this suspension of time is usually when transformation happens.  It is easy to quickly forget what has changed in our relationship with God when things go back to normal.  If we want the very best God has for us, we will take the transformation that happens in our heart and keep it when it is time to move forward.

We can all start now thinking about how we want to “re-open” our lives.  This is the perfect opportunity to start over for many.  We will begin letting things back into our lives in coming weeks and we have control over what we choose to pick back up or leave out.  Don’t give up the changes that God has made in your heart, life, and family.  Leave the idols.  Leave the thieves that have robbed you of your time.  Leave the busyness.  Leave all the things – all the things that have kept you exhausted, distracted, beat down, and feeling completely worthless.

God uses every second of our lives and there have undoubtedly been some lessons learned and some revelations made since mid-March.  As you think about getting back into the swing of things, be intentional about these things:

·         Priorities – Make God first and your family second and don’t let anything creep back in between you and this goal.

·         Get Back Into Worship – Most of us can’t wait to get back to fellowshipping with our church body but, let’s face it, lazy Sunday mornings – snuggled up – watching church in PJ’s - we have all enjoyed it.  It will be harder to not turn off the alarm when we have the opportunity to come together again.

·         Remember What You Have Gained – Don’t throw away the good things that have happened.  Maybe a family relationship was mended.  Maybe your kids found out they really enjoyed spending time as a family instead of always going somewhere or engrossing themselves in social media.  Maybe you have found new hobbies to do together like biking, or hiking.

As we “re-open” our lives, we should be very careful what we re-open them to. I can promise you that Satan is not happy with the good things that God has done through this crisis.  Hold tight to what you have gained because he will be on the prowl trying to take back what he has lost.