There are a lot of pluses.

My favorite positive is family evening devotions. This is something we’ve done on and off my whole life. Like anyone else, we are SUPER inconsistent. Six people in one house, yet we’re rarely all in the same room at the same time.

 There’s something about hard times that sends you crawling to the cross.

Last night’s devotion was especially good. And especially relevant.

The Fruit of Patience was the title.

This was timely for me because I’m growing increasingly irritated with this quarantine. Surely I’m not alone (seriously, I’m NEVER alone!) Staying home isn’t too terrible, but not having physical, face-to-face contact with friends and family is taking it’s toll.

I miss weekly dinners with friends.
I miss going to church twice a week.
I miss walking around town.
I miss laughing and eating tacos on the weekends with my people.

These are a few of the things that threaten to bring me down. I am having to be intentional with my thoughts. I can’t afford to unpack and live in those feelings. 

I need to fill my mind with positive thoughts.

I am not hungry.
I’m not under financial stress.
I have a soft, warm bed to sleep in each night.
I am healthy.
My whole family is healthy.
We have internet access so I can stay connected, virtually, to friends and family.
I am still able to work.

Another devotion talked about how sometimes God puts us in difficult circumstances to draw us closer to Him. I’m not saying that God infected the nation with Covid-19, but I do know He’s allowed it. With all the tragedy that’s accompanied the pandemic, I can  see God at work.

•Parents are spending more time with their children.
•Churches are worshipping together online.
•People are sending and receiving mail (when was the last time anyone did that?!)
•Restaurant owners are donating part of their salaries to pay their staff.
•Whole communities are pitching in to deliver meals and supplies to hospital personnel,    first responders, and truck drivers.The world has slowed down and people are putting the needs of others ahead of their own.

My hope is that once this whole thing is over (and eventually it will be), we will always remember what it felt like to appreciate the things in our lives that truly matter.

Stay Home and Save Lives!!