Living Untethered: Relinquishing Control to God

My arms hung limply at my sides. I longed to pull my people close and whisper prayers of encouragement in their ears as I hugged them. But it was forbidden. No physical contact. The authorities called it 'social distancing' so we can hopefully ‘bend the curve’ of this global pandemic. We were still allowed to hold services at our church (which turned out to be our last) but could not even shake hands. Hand sanitizer stations were sprinkled throughout the church building. We did not pass the offering plate but rather had a drop box at the back. Everyone just sort of awkwardly greeted one another. How close is too close? I wonder if so and so is infected. Oh no, did you hear them sneeze?! The next day I started coming down with a head cold. It wasn’t long before my sinuses were infected. This meant not only could I not hug people I could not even go out, except for walks, if I made sure to keep a wide berth between me and anyone I came across. I entered a 10-day isolation p

I don’t like spring. It is brown, cold and damp. It feels like the promise of summer is flirting with me, playing ‘hard-to-get’. It’s as unpredictable as a pre-pubescent crush. Within hours, the warmth of the sun, melting snow and ice, is pre-empted with a howling blizzard. How does one dress for the outdoors in the spring? And then…mud…Argh! No, I’m definitely a summer gal. As I sat contemplating other reasons for not enjoying spring it occurred to me that the buds of the trees and perennials are tucked safely away in their husks all winter. In the spring they begin to crack open, leaving the tender buds vulnerable to frost, disease, pests. Life is not so different. Who wants that?! Who likes to be vulnerable? Who wants their heart cracked open and exposed? It seems safer to put armour around our souls, so we won’t get bruised and battered. Best just to leave that stuff buried deep inside. If others can’t see what’s really going on inside me, I’m okay. Right?!   Here’s the rub

The world is living in fear and panic. Covid-19 is sweeping the globe. There seems to be nothing we can do about it except wash our hands till they bleed and buy all the toilet paper on the shelves. If ever there was a time to show Jesus’ love and comfort to those around us it is now. And we are going to have to get creative as to how to do it in a way people can receive it. Physical contact is forbidden. Large group meetings have been cancelled until further notice. We are no longer free to fly on a jet plane to wherever we desire. If you have so much as the sniffles many places of employment will not allow you to come back to work until you have a note from a doctor saying you are well enough to do so…just a few weeks ago one could not be excused from work unless you had a doctor’s note saying you were not fit to work. Covid-19 is no respecter of persons. It does not discriminate regarding age, race, or position. Some are more susceptible to death from this disease than others

Gideon had gathered an army – 32,000 strong – to fight the Midianites, just as God had asked him to. But… “ The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. ” ( Judges 7:2 , NLT) God is about to take Gideon on a personal adventure of miraculous intervention. (Remember earlier he asked God where all the miracles of his ancestors were). But Gideon needed to go on a bit of a journey before he would be ready and poised for it. Through a series of tests Gideon is left with 300 men to fight a hoard of merciless warriors. Against all logic and military strategy Gideon takes a huge step of obedience, trusting God completely. Not without fear but he obeyed, nonetheless. God does not rebuke Gideon for quaking in his boots but gives him several treasures on his trail. From God’s first encounter with Gideon until the defeat of the Midianites, God