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During the pandemic, God taught me...

Cheri, Northville, MI

I saw a mom and two young kids in the grocery store a couple weeks ago. It was at the height of the fear around COVID but they weren't wearing masks and the mom wasn't wearing gloves. I overheard her say the kids were just wearing gloves because they thought it was fun. They weren't really social distancing either -- just doing their own thing, seemingly oblivious to the whole virus world. Most other people in the store were decked out in all the recommended gear and giving the mom a look of disbelief, sometimes even shaking their heads to each other as they passed her.

When I saw this family, I wondered too. I ran through various scenarios -- single mom, no babysitter, no one to shop for her, maybe a medical reason not to wear a mask or gloves, or maybe disbelief or even disdain around the whole virus thing...there was really no way to know. I considered asking if there was a way I could help her family but she didn't seem too approachable.

And that's when God reminded me that I will never know all of the things that are happening or have happened in a person's life to bring them to the moment we cross paths. Not just in this weird virus world but always. It's not my job to try to figure it out either because it's more complicated than I'll ever know. But God knows exactly what each of us needs in each moment. And instead of me trying to figure out people's stories, He reminded me that my job is to listen to any prompting He has for me about interacting with them or simply to be praying for them.

That's what I want to take forward from this pandemic time.

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
Psalm 147:5

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During the pandemic, God taught me...

Marnie, Canton, MI

Just two weeks before the Covid19 virus began to make news here, God urged me to find counseling for issues that had begun interrupting the quality of my life. He led me to a wonderful Christian counselor at the perfect time to get me started learning some ways to overcome, heal, manage or deal with depression and anxiety. “Nick of time” action allowed me to be much better prepared for the drastic, abrupt change life took in March.

Even with new tools and a counselor, however, after a few weeks of sheltering in place I began to experience a darkness, a heaviness of my soul. I craved fresh air and outdoor activity. My motivation to do even small tasks diminished so much that I wondered what was going on with my mind. As I began telecare conversations with my therapist, I found that what I was feeling was actually grief. Grief for the life I lost due to the complete distancing from family and friends; grief that I was in the age group deemed most vulnerable to this nasty virus; grief that my normally active and social lifestyle was lost.

I’ve experienced many losses in my life and I’m not unfamiliar with the grieving process. I know all the stages of grief. Still, this situation hit me unexpectedly hard. But God doesn’t want me, or anyone, to be struck down and rendered helpless. He provides strength when we are weak and direction when we are stuck. So while out walking one day to distribute neighborhood announcements, God placed the one woman, known as the most difficult neighbor of all, directly in my path. She hadn’t spoken to me in many years except to accuse me of giving her Christmas bread that was no doubt poisoned. Yes - that’s the accusation. And God told me to be friendly. So I greeted her cordially, asked her how she was faring in this time and we had a conversation. She was friendly. I asked if she’d like our neighborhood prayer group to pray for the concerns she’d mentioned to me about health and family. Her answer was an emphatic yes, and she became tearful. We would have parted with hugs if that wasn’t now taboo.

As I walked home I realized my mind felt lighter, even happy. By giving my neighbor just a few minutes of conversation, I received a more joyful spirit that allowed me to see my day differently. We had talked about a bakery we both enjoy. I thought it would be a nice gesture to strengthen our fragile friendship by taking her something from this shop. Then on Sunday Mike closed his sermon with the directive to do the thing God had called us to do, but that we’d left undone. Immediately my neighbor sprang to mind so I ordered some pastry and left it on her porch that afternoon.

I received a very gracious thank you note later, saying she knew I was her “bakery angel”. The lesson I’ve learned through this experience is that when I get outside of my self-focus and do even a very small kindness, my mental state is much healthier and life returns to my body, mind and spirit. God brings healing in remarkable ways, proving that Christ > Covid!

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During the pandemic, God taught me...

Carrie, Canton, MI

My story goes like this! I was working full time in home care as a physical therapist. I love my job and I love my patients but I had to make a decision to love my family more! My children were trapped in the basement for two weeks on autopilot trying to navigate this new at home learning while dad tried to work from home and run conference calls. It was difficult for everyone. My 9 year old took it with grace and taught his sister her work! Each of them grew up instantly but that wasn’t the path that they were supposed to be on! Mom was supposed to be there getting them thru this weird and trying time! That was it ... I called my boss and said I need some time off and I’m not sure how long that will be! Thank you Jesus for guiding me thru that call! The last 7 weeks have been Amazing!!! My family reconnected! My husband and I are stronger than ever. My kids became best friends. We have tons of family time. We are creative ...we are goofy... we cook together... and I do believe this is a time that they will look back on and say those were the best memories of my childhood! This is not to say that I am forgetting what is going on outside of our home because it is heartbreaking and horrifying and I wish nothing more than for the coronavirus to go away and stop devastating the world. I am just simply choosing to find the positives for now!

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During the pandemic, God taught me...

Eriona, Westland, MI

I’m a hairdresser, a very busy Hairdresser. I have 4 small kids. I love what I do but my job was taking over from my time with my family. More than anything I love being a mom.

Last year I opened up a small salon studio And the growth was fast and amazing. But it took all my time. Almost a year late I felt overworked and overwhelmed and I started missing my kids so much. I would come late form work and just go lay on their beds as they were sleeping. Because I missed my kids so much I didn’t want to go to work anymore. I just wanted to see them more that 1 day a week. I started thinking how long I would do this for.

When the virus hit and my salon got closed and the kids didn’t have to go to school. I was very exited about that. Everyday we found things to do that we couldn’t for a long time. Homeschooling is great. It’s like I was asking GOD for some time with them. And I got it. I Slowed down and realized. What brings me joy was not what I do or my career. It’s my kids. It’s where everything feels right. So I decided to slow down. I won’t continue doing hair after my lease is up. I’m giving up my studio for my family.