It has been over a month now since our church last gathered. It hasn’t been the most fun. I get to sit in my office alone much more than I’d like to. I don’t get to talk to people anymore. Instead, I speak to a camera, and it’s weird. I’ve been told that I am getting better at it; I’m not sure if that is a good thing.
We have all had to give up something. Some of us have had to change the way we get groceries. Some have had to give up going for coffee with friends. Others have had to give up seeing friends at school. And some have had to give up having the personal support of a teacher. Life has changed. But there is hope.
There is hope because this too shall pass… but not before some difficult times. As I ran an errand for a self-isolating couple a few weeks ago, I received words of hope. I heard the idea that maybe this will be good for our community. That perhaps we needed to be shaken up a little. Maybe along the way, we had lost focus on what is valuable in life.
Maybe we do deserve a pat on the back, for we are seeing positive numbers. But maybe we also need to be shaken up. Maybe it was time to do something collectively for the good of our community. Maybe it was time to cut back on the hours at work and spend more time with our families.
This sits well with me. It is the picture we see of God through the Bible. It is not a God who is happy with suffering, but of one who is willing to endure suffering for the better good of everyone.
-Pastor Tim Falk, Wynyard Gospel Church
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Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer.
