Many people may not know that I am an introvert, and I can feel quite cozy in my home. Amidst this pandemic my home’s role as a place of shelter has taken on a deeper meaning. I have begun to realize that in many ways I have come to prefer this paradigm and I don’t like that. In my soul I am a people person (not an extrovert; there is a big difference) and yet zoom relationships only partially satiate my need for connection. I miss the handshakes. I miss the pats on the back. I miss the hugs.
In Grief Recovery we talk about conflicting feelings. I am conflicted between following the CDC guidelines and my need to be around my tribe. I have been praying about that. And God takes me back to the picture of the cicada shell. Like that amazing insect, I feel like I am buried in the ground with a stirring that it is time for a change. And yet I know that I cannot rush God’s plans. I have learned that the hard way several times in my life.
I sense that we are beginning the climb out of the dirt and up the tree in anticipation of shedding this restrictive shell so we can spread our wings, fly off into the “Sonrise”, singing God’s praise. The Holy Spirit continues to whisper to me a sense of preparation; to mentally rise-up out of the dreamlike state we are in and get ready. Exactly for what I do not know. But it is big, it will be life changing for many, and it is coming. I know I must patiently make this a time to seek clarity.
James 1:5-8 NIV
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Covid numbers continue to rise and we must all be safe and seek wisdom comforted by the fact that the Lord wants to help us understand. As part of that process, I believe God is calling all of us, even while we are physically apart, to seek his heart and guidance in preparation of what is to come. I am certain it WILL yield ETERNAL RESULTS in the broken lives in our community left in the wake of the Corona Virus.
I hear you Lord. “Stay the course, Mike. Stay the course”.
Mike's Mission - Finding my place in the Son 