How will we get back to "normal"? (Angie Gibbons - May 27, 2020)

Observation, Perspiration or Inspiration: 

After months of careful hand-scrubbing and hiding out, we are being asked to poke our little heads out of our shells and try to get back to “normal”.

Who here feels totally normal?

It makes me think of the Apollo 13 movie, when they made it through all of that craziness up in space. Stuff was breaking, warning lights were flashing, they had to make spaceship parts out of spare parts, and that one guy got sick.

Finally, they are falling back to earth and flames are shooting all around the capsule. They are sweating and you are just hoping their heat shield will hold up. The radio signal goes out. And everybody’s quiet in Houston. What is going to happen? Will they survive and come out the other side of re-entry?

(If you don’t know the story, they did, and so will we.)

This is our re-entry period, and the way we approach it is important. There are a lot of opinions and emotions flying all over the place. How will we respond?

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” I’ve heard these words so many times, but recently I heard them differently. In this verse I find that God is BOTH a good place to hide out, and also my strength when hiding is done.

Option 1 on hard or uncertain days is take refuge.
God is my best mental and emotional safe place, where I can seek comfort, process, and heal. There will be days when that is absolutely the best thing for me to do.

Option 2 is take on his strength.
He is also the strength that my heart and my limbs need when I have to push through and get out there and fight. Those are times of practicing faith before I see the results. There will be days when THAT is absolutely the best thing to do.

Take comfort in the fact that there is not a right way to feel about this season. God is not judging our weakness or uncertainty about the future. He is cheering us on, and He is fully sufficient for wherever we are at today.

Prayer:

"God, more than anyone else you know what I've been going through and what I need. You know every thought and concern today. Please direct my thoughts and my steps. Amen."

An Idea:

Ask God to show up for you in the way you most need it. What is one thing weighing on your mind today? He is both refuge AND  strength. Whatever space you are in, God is ready to meet you there.

(no pun intended)