Coping With Ms. Rona: Holding Onto The Good

In a world where everything is temporary, how do we determine what's important enough to hold on to?

Within a matter of seconds, almost every single persons' life in this world has been flipped upside down at some point within the last month. The coronavirus, or this new strand of it referred to as COVID-19, has swept almost every nation, sending many people into an unfortunate frenzy, and whole countries into a state of emergent panic. People have lost jobs, loved ones, and their faith in the consistency of day to day life. At five weeks into the breakout reaching the US, there is no certainty in what tomorrow could look like, and that, my friends, is what has come to be our new normal.

With this change, it has also become very apparent how companies feel about customers and employees (good and bad), and what this country sees as "essential", or "worth" putting people and their lives at risk for. The temporary things in this world have become clear for many people in the US, and around the globe, who are feeling the effects of this outbreak right about now. So, back to my initial question: In a world where everything is temporary, how do we determine what's important enough to hold on to? And, the response to this question is quite simple actually. When everything is put at risk...who, where, or what are you longing to run to? Take a moment and actually ponder it if you haven't already in all this time of quarantine (and if God isn't one of those answers and you say you're a Christian, please reevaluate).

Thinking of memories outdoors also gives me hope for the next time I'll be able to enjoy time outside of my home <3

Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." There are so many things that could technically fit the bill for what this scripture is saying. So many lovely things, so many admirable people, to think of or to allow our hearts and minds to dwell on. But at the end of the day, as it is throughout the ENTIRE bible, it's a matter of where the heart lies. Are these things being thought of with the world in mind, or with Jesus in mind? Because let's be honest; there are plenty of people who know good morals, but have never given themselves a chance to know the Lord *shrugs*. In order to find out what is truly worth holding onto, we must first posture our hearts so that we would have the discernment of Holy Spirit. Then, the things listed in this verse, the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable will be without a doubt the same exact things in the eyes of the Lord.

So, I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that, this is the perfect time to put these questions underneath the microscope. Get to the bottom of them y'all! In this time, where we may be physically isolated from others, be intentional about putting time aside to reflect. To truly think on such things with a heavenly perspective, if you can. The joy of all of this is, when you do it often, you begin to be mindful of where your thoughts wander. Then this mindfulness becomes a habit, which would then become effortless, natural, and part of your subconscious. This is ultimately the goal, because once it becomes part of the way you actually think and go about processing, the problems and stresses of this world (like I don't know, a pandemic or an economic crisis or something), don't bother you as much, if they do at all, because your mind is already thinking on the things that reflect the goodness of God. Furthermore, even in these tragedies, you'll have that heavenly perspective. One where even if something the world perceives as bad were to actually happen, because your mind has been trained in such a way to "think on such things", perhaps you'll be able to identify the goodness in the midst of these tragedies. The goodness the world tends to overlook.

Hold on to the good y'all. Hold onto it tight. And if you try hard enough, I promise you'll be able to see so much more of it than you do now.