Throughout this Covid 19 quarantine, I get these bizarre emotional swings. Do you? We have an incredible team at our church that is producing volumes of content online. They are writing songs, delivering Bible truth in creative ways, and encouraging people through God’s Word in unprecedented ways and speeds. It is truly encouraging.
I am the guy on staff who took care of a lot of “on-site” stuff. Our Groups (Sunday School), some of the conflict resolution and counseling, some of our ministry teams (ushers, hosts, etc.) and the care needs. In some ways, it felt like I was no longer necessary in the new “normal.” I wrestled with feeling my skillsets became worthless overnight. Also, my understanding of social media didn’t help. I am a 33 year-old with the social media expertise of an 85 year-old in the mountains of Wyoming (no offense to the Wyoming seniors…)
Early on, my emotions were all over the map. I knew I still had value and purpose as far as work goes, but it was starting to mess with me. A few weeks back, I was pondering what God was doing and it felt like God dropped a question in to my thought process that jammed up all the gears. The question that gave my mind new direction and traction was, “What is actually being impeded?”
I thought about that all day. Our mission as a church is to: Love God, Grow Together, Serve Others. I started thinking about this through the lens of the then new quarantine.
Can we still love God?
Absolutely! Through online worship, personal time with God, and conscious decisions of faith.
Can we still Grow Together?
Groups didn’t have to meet in a building. They could meet online. Nowhere in our church bylaws did it say “unified spiritual growth can only take place in room 3.”
Can we still Serve Others?
Well, can you think of a more ideal time to reflect your desire to love others the way Jesus did? People are sick, hospitalized, jobless, isolated, worried, and fearful. Who doesn’t need a care pastor right now?
So as a church, nothing substantive was really being impeded by this. Were we forced out of our rhythms? Definitely. Did we have to get creative? Certainly. Is this season foggy? Ridiculously. Bue, can God’s work still go on? Absolutely—it must.
I started reflecting more deeply on this. Personally, why was I discouraged or struggling? I began to see that, perhaps, God was showing me how deeply my identity was tied to my tasks, my title, or my tempo. When those things were altered…I started to think my value diminished. That is a BAD place to be! Gospel-based Christianity is rooted in the fact that God loves us because of our position in Him not our performance for Him. Your calling is not impeded by COVID. Your worth is not impeded by this. Your mission is not impeded by this.
I needed to hit the “reset button” of my heart more often than I realized. I was living in discouragement…it just creeped it’s head up more often than I wanted to admit. My time with God in worship and study, and my perspective on the world needed to be crafted more by Scripture than the news headlines.
I share this because I think we all are there, right? All of our roles have been redefined and reshaped. In many ways this has been a purifying time for our hearts (and some of our churches). Our value and our priorities have to be anchored in something deeper than our to-do’s.
Literally, every story God put in the pages of Scripture points to a Savior who already won the battle and secured our position, identity, and victory. The mission to reach the lost is still the same. The need for our Savior is still the same, the calling and priorities of your life are still there. God is in this, the church can move forward, and so can you!
Don’t let this time define you or destroy you. Let Christ refine you and grow you through this. We will come out of this and have a testimony to share from this season. Make your time one of growth and relational strength with your Savior!