Breathe
Put your hand upon your chest
Feel the beat of your unrest
Breathe
Lay yourself gently on the bed
Calm the storm inside your head
Breathe
Sing your favorite song to sleep
Remind the heart it’s okay to weep
Breathe
Fill your lungs with brand new air
Warm the frozen soul with care
Breathe
Let it go deep
Just Breathe
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
Today is Sunday (at the time of writing), and I’m now on the 7th day of my self-quarantine having traveled from a country with confirmed cases. I’m not showing any symptoms so don’t worry! It’s a little bothersome for me that I’m holed up inside our house, mostly staying in my bedroom, with the occasional trip downstairs to eat meals and use the bathroom. I know, this will be the new normal for me, for everyone, as long as the worldwide quarantine is still being enforced – we better follow!
Life was fast paced for me as the calendar rolled from February to March. I was living from responsibility to responsibility, and worry to worry with all my plans lined up in front of me. I was in execution mode, hyping and constantly reminding myself of my “to-dos”.
“Ok man, here’s what we’re gonna do today:
Quit procrastinating!
Prepare training materials!
You need to deliver your tasks today!
Attend that important meeting this afternoon!
Leave early else you won’t make it to your weekly prayer meeting!
You have choir practice in the office AND band rehearsals at the studio tonight!
Attend Bible Study!
Keep yourself healthy!
Get ready for an upcoming talk!
Ready the script and documents for the retreat!
Reach out to people, keep them in the fold!
Pack your bags for your trip outside the country!
Eat!
Sleep!
Sanitize!
Exercise!
And, oh! before going to bed, Overthink! And overthink about overthinking!”
A sudden change of pace happened as I started my self-quarantine. After a very busy month, I was able to pause and breathe as the whole city goes into a community quarantine. I don’t want to discount the negative things this disease has done to the world but with all the hope and optimism I have, I choose to see it as a gift.
It’s a gift that’s hard to appreciate (-having disrupted and taken many lives) but it has allowed, for most of us, to slow down, stop, rest, and listen. It has also given us back time to do the things that we want to do but can’t in our regular lives. It’s as if mother nature pressed a reset button so the world and everything in it can put itself back together and heal.
We are now given more opportunities to reconnect with our loved ones, eat uninterrupted meals with our families, and reach out to old friends. We now have more time to rest and let our bodies heal from lack of sleep, stress, and fatigue. We can now listen more intently to your heart’s desires, to the thoughts that bothers you, and to events happening around you, and put things into perspective. Most importantly, we can now set aside more time for prayer and rekindle our relationship with God.
Taking a moment to rest is good, but rest should always be followed by action. We may not be allowed to go out of our houses but we can still move in ways that will help people, especially the ones risking their lives in the front lines.
What can we do?
These are only some of the ways we can extend our help outside our homes. Let’s do our best to flatten the curve.
We are all in this together. We are now healing together. We have been cooped up in our houses for so long with little to no human touch that I can’t wait for that day when we hear from the morning news, the words “Last case of COVID19 has recovered”. I can only imagine the joy of people running out of their houses all over the world, celebrating outside, hugging the first person they see so tight, tears streaming down their faces, feeling the warmth of a person’s touch.
What’s happening right now can be overwhelming. To take it all in and deal with the uncertainty of not being able to know what’s gonna happen tomorrow can cause a lot of doubt, confusion, and anxiety. It’s ok to feel this way. Wherever you are right now, and whatever you’re feeling I can assure you, it’s all going to be ok in the end we only need to be still.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him according to His purpose” Romans 8:28
Friend, may your faith increase today. Allow yourself to be held. Trust that no tear, no worry, no sigh, and no struggle is left unheard by God and everything you’re going through is not wasted. God is close to the brokenhearted and hears the cry of His people. He hasn’t turned His back and left you, but He is with you, beside you, above you, behind you, and around you. He is blessing you right now with peace beyond understanding.
We don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow because he’s already been there. He has seen the healing take place. There’s no need to be afraid for He already knows what’s up, He’s not shaken, He’s not surprised. We will be able to see each other again, we can do hi-fives again, and interact with people again. No more hiding inside our houses as the day of breakthrough comes.
Right now is a time for us to fix our eyes on God and lean on him for hope for his promise of his faithfulness, joy, strength, and peace.
I believe this will be over soon and I’m so excited to see you!
We are all in a season where we can rest and take action on things that we can control. We have been given many gifts and opportunities this season and the only thing left to do is open them with gratitude. Remember that you’re not alone, the whole world is in this together. It’s OK to be overwhelmed, but don’t be discouraged and put our hope in a God who never fails.
What other gifts are you being invited to open during this quarantine? (Did you receive the gift of forgiveness? The gift of time? The gift of rest?)
See you on the day of breakthrough!
Let me end with a blessing from Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you
The Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace “
Amen
Kalvin Five 