Towards the end of 2019, and going into 2020, I was DONE!!!! On a physical, mental, and emotional level, I was feeling run down and stressed. There were days where I seriously struggled to get out of bed. We were facing massive medical bills and other things I won’t mention here. I have heard from so many other people that 2019 was tough and they too were happy to see it end. After a January that seemed to last forever and now into the COVID-19 Global situation, I think I can safely say that we want 2019 back. Or do we??
Meanwhile, many of my friends have been talking about their word for the year. I used to have one every year and got away from it, but this year I wanted to get back to having a word or a theme to focus on. I kept thinking, and waiting, and praying and I wasn’t hearing anything. Nothing was clicking.
In early January I had the opportunity to go to a women’s event in Redding with Havilah Cunnington. It was a game changer for me. I felt like I was just barely on the edge of something and everything she spoke was exactly what I needed to hear. On top of that, her sister Deborah was giving words of encouragement to people in the audience that day as God led her to. Suddenly she came to my section, and my row and called out the girl with the short blonde hair. Yep, that’s me.
She talked about me wearing a lot of pressure, almost like a backpack on a long hike. She acknowledged I had been a prolonged season of pressure, but that God was coming to lift it off. She said that (at some point) I would suddenly feel the weight lift off as if someone was coming to take this metaphorical bag of rocks off my back. She then spoke life and encouragement in saying that I was a powerful person with a powerful voice and that God was bringing a new season with new things and just to trust Him that He has given me everything I need in this time. I don’t have to worry about what to say or do, and that He has already given me everything I need for this next season. This is obviously an abridged version of what she spoke but it was so life giving to me. It was direct confirmation of everything I was sensing. I left that day feeling hopeful and ready for this new season and lightness she spoke of.
Lets just say that the next month or so catapulted me into a busy season of being gone multiple nights of the week and the same craziness I had been in…I wasn’t feeling this “lighter load” at all.
And then March happened…
As we all know, recently life came to a screeching halt for the majority of people across the world because of the Corona Virus or as we also call it COVID-19. Within a week, our schedule changed multiple times and then stopped completely. Volleyball was cancelled. Then school was cancelled for 3 days. Then it was cancelled for 3 weeks. Now, we don’t know if they will even go back for the end of the year in June.
Don’t even get me started on the great Toilet Paper heist of 2020…
Non “essential” businesses are closing and most people are now working from home and homeschooling their kids. Insert wide eyed emoji here _______. In the course of a week or so, life as we knew it just stopped, unless of course you are an essential worker like a healthcare worker or grocery worker. In that case, you went into overdrive to help those who are sick and those who are stockpiling. “Social Distancing”, hand washing tips and memes about toilet paper are dominating the internet. We are hoping and praying that this time is used to protect the vulnerable in our society. At first we thought it was just the elderly, but it turns out, anyone can struggle with this virus.
As the reality of life coming to a complete halt started settling in, I had a variance of feelings and thoughts about it. There was a lot of “WHAT IFS” and unknowns, mixed with a little fear and to be honest, a little excitement. Volleyball, fine arts, school, etc…was all cancelled or postponed until further notice. I instantly started thinking to myself, “the rat race is done. Families everywhere, including mine have NO choice but to slow down. This could actually be something REALLY good.” Sure I was slightly fearful of all the money and all the hard work my kids have put into their stuff not coming to fruition. It’s my youngest’s first year playing volleyball and she was SOOOO excited. My other two have been practicing for months already for their fine arts competition and it is still in the air how all this is supposed to work out. Camps, trips, and everything else hangs in the balance at this point. My job? It’s on pause and I am praying for my boss who started her own business this year to come out of this on the other end!
Church services including youth services have all moved online. It’s amazing and we are all super grateful to live in an age of technology which allows us to stay connected in new and creative ways.
But lets be real. I.MISS.HUGGING.PEOPLE. I am a hugger to the core and social distancing is like a curse word in my vocabulary.
But…
This night after night of being gone? That’s done
This rushing from here to there? That’s also done.
This family time and down time that I have been craving and missing? It’s HERE!!
This chance to dial back and re-adjust our lifestyle and our priorities…. It’s HERE!!
And if this is the reality for my family, it will be like this for ALL families, everywhere!! Depending on how you look at this, we were just given a HUGE gift of TIME. Time…it’s something God has been challenging me about lately in various ways. How I spend it, who I give it to, etc.
So here is where this all connects for me…
Over the last couple weeks, as I have been praying about what this means for me and my family, I have started seeing it on an even broader scale. What does this mean for our culture? What does this mean for our church or THE CHURCH globally.
During my prayers and thoughts about this, I kept hearing the word “RESET”. On top of that, I kept seeing a picture of a reset button in my mind. Not sure what it meant at the time, I tucked it away mentally until I stumbled onto another conversation with others on social media about a similar theme. Suddenly I started seeing a theme and I knew this word wasn’t just for me personally.
I started researching the word and the concept of RESET and once I did, I got really excited at what I was seeing.
“Set anew, restart, restore…”
What does hitting a reset button do exactly?
Wikipedia describes it this way…
“In electronics and technology, a reset button is a button that can reset a device. On video game consoles, the reset button restarts the game, losing the player’s unsaved progress. On personal computers,[NB 1] the reset button clears the memory and reboots the machine forcibly. Reset buttons are found on circuit breakers to reset the circuit. This button can cause data corruption so this button often doesn’t exist on many machines. Usually, in computers and other electronic devices, it is present as a small button, possibly recessed into the case or only accessible by a pin or similar thin object, to prevent it being pressed accidentally.”
Essentially, A RESET button…
resets a device
restarts the game, losing the player’s unsaved progress
clears the memory and reboots the machine FORCIBLY
resets a circuit (as in electrical circuit) which supplies power to buildings
is often recessed so it can only be accessed when needed.
DID YOU CATCH THOSE?????
Right away, a couple of those jumped out to me.
“It restarts the game, losing the player’s unsaved progress”. Ok let’s sit with that for a minute. Now for any Christian (regardless of our denomination) we are familiar with the concept of “do overs” and fresh starts every day. Why? Because the very foundation of our faith rests on Jesus giving us the ultimate RESTART when He willingly died for all of us, taking on every sin, every mistake we would make. This RESET secured our eternity in Heaven should we choose to accept this gift of Salvation. The Bible reminds us that “because of God’s great love, we are not consumed…and this His mercies are new EVERY MORNING.” We get a RESET every day.
“Unsaved progress” was a fun concept. Whatever progress (or eventual mistakes or times you get stuck) that happen in a game, it goes away once you hit RESET. It doesn’t save it. For some that’s amazing news, for others, maybe it’s frustrating. A RESET wipes away the good and the bad.
Secondly, “it clears the memory and reboots the machine FORCIBLY”
So what does that mean for me? For us as a society? What about the good and the bad things that have taken place? Does none of that matter? Of course it does?!?!?! IS it possible to truly start over? I think it’s safe to say that regardless of where you fall in the spiritual or the political spectrum, we live in a time that is deeply divided with multiple mindsets and views competing. We have another election coming up and this last few months/years have been tense to say the least. Beyond that, for any who follow up with the behind the scenes stuff going on in our culture, there have been countless reports of trafficking, abuse, and corruption in many levels of the entertainment industry, government, churches and institutions we hold dear. The curtain is being pulled back and exposing the dark things happening.
What about the Church as a whole? Not just our individual houses of worship, but the collective Body of Christ? What does this mean for us? In America, we are blessed to have the freedom to worship as we wish with little to no persecution or hinderance. Other countries don’t have it as easy. What is God saying to the American Church? Are we listening?
Is it possible that a global pandemic could give us a MASSIVE and FORCIBLE reboot?
Do I believe God sent this virus? NO. Do I believe He will use what’s happening to bring good? ABSOLUTELY.
Furthermore, what is God saying to the CHURCH in this time? Does He want us to RESET how we approach Him? Does He want us to slow down and change how we as believers spread His Word and His love to others? Does He want our worship to adjust? Does He want us to re-adjust our attention to the marginalized and the “least of these”?
Are we asking these questions, and are we ready for the answers??
Does He want us to RESET our priorities or how we approach how we use the hours we have in each day?
For me, it is a resounding YESSSSSSSS
I can’t help but feel that this word of encouragement I received in January directly ties to where my life is currently at. That backpack, and the heavy load I was carrying; does that represent all the pressure and stress that I partnered with unnecessarily and that He wants to suddenly lift off so I can move towards the things He has for me? Is He giving me a FORCIBLE REBOOT?
As we have sat and talked as a family over the last few weeks, especially about all the “cancelled things”, we have asked each other this question. “What does this mean for you? When all the things have been stripped away and all that’s left is simply US, what does that mean? Were the things we invested in meaningless? Not necessarily. Was some of it important? Yes. But at the end of the day, what is most important? IS God enough? It’s a challenging question for me. Any activity we participate in, however good or even Godly, is not the same as our identity, but how often do I/we get that mixed up? Do we need a RESET to remind us that our value does not rest on anything we DO, but who we ARE as a child of God? I did.
Even if everything we were doing before life stopped as we knew it was GOOD…is God RESETTING the circuit to provide more efficient power to something? Maybe it’s not that we are supposed to stop something, but maybe He just wants to give it more “oomph”?
I started hearing this RESET word a couple weeks ago, and then this last Sunday morning, I was watching our church service online, and I heard it. The word RESET was said repeatedly and my eyes got all big and I got so excited. Our pastoral team was talking about being ‘addicted to busy” and what that looks like in our culture. Then at the very end, our pastor talked about the “reset button”. I knew in my heart, it was confirmation, not just for me personally, but collectively. Before the online service even ended, I texted my Pastors and told them what I had been sensing.
God is speaking. What is He saying? Are we listening??
For me personally, I needed this time. I needed this RESET. I needed for everything to be stripped away both literally and figuratively. It’s not comfortable, but I am determined to use this time to the best I can. I want to listen more. I want to actually REST more.
Even as I write this, the scripture I keep hearing is Ezekiel 36:26. “I will give you a NEW heart and put a NEW Spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” At first I just thought it was one portion of it until I started to read the whole chapter and my jaw about dropped. I felt it addressed so many things happening in our world today and possibly what God is wanting to do during this time.
Is what we are experiencing in our world an Ezekiel 36 moment? Maybe… I would love to know what you think!!
The final concept of a RESET button that came to my mind is this. Whether it’s a computer, or a game, or circuit breaker, RESETS take time. Sure, with newer technology, it could mean a difference of a few extra seconds or minutes, but it’s rarely quick. When I have to “restart” my computer to update it, it literally takes anywhere from a couple minutes to a few. It’s not instant, as frustrating as that could be in the moment. I know many of us here in the U.S. have been in quarantine for up to 3 weeks. I China, it was for weeks. For many of us who are suddenly in a new way of life, it can feel like an eternity. Let me challenge you with this though…don’t rush it. Whatever it is that needs to RESET, REBOOT, or RESTART, give it a chance to do it’s thing. This time WILL pass, and it may feel slow, but how many things of value happen instantaneously? I don’t personally want to look back on this time and wish I had used it more effectively. Thankfully Pandemics don’t happen that often, but what do we want to cultivate during this time? What great things does God want to do in and through us? What books, songs, inventions will come out of this?
Whether you are a Christian or not, what does this slow down in life look like for you? Do you find yourself also needed to slow down and take a look at your life differently? In what areas could you use a RESET? As an individual? As a family? As a Church, and even as a Nation? We have a unique opportunity to have this, to start over and hit the RESET button.
The Peaceful Patriot 