Let love lead - five practises for the Corona crisis

These are the days of lockdown.

These are the days where toilet paper and other essentials have been hoarded in fear of lacking. Super markets have experienced queues, hand sanitizers and the like are being stolen from hospitals in desperation and selfishness. Restaurants, fitness centres, shopping centres, hairdressers and dentists are closing down today except for takeaway and urgent dentist care. These are the days where no more than 10 people are allowed to meet up. Pregnant women can’t choose anymore if they want to birth their baby at home due to hygienic considerations. People’s non-urgent operations are on hold. The welfare system that is normally so dependable in Denmark is being shaken and endangered.

Everyone has to change up their daily life. It’s the days of cancelled plans, empty streets and coughing in our sleeves. Things are different for sure, and who could have imagined this just a month back?

What a surreal moment in history we’re part of right now of a new virus locking down society! Unprecedented days. I hope you’re safe and your hope is anchored and your faith intact.

It’s so easy (and natural) to panic and get paralyzed by the crisis. But I know I do not want to stay there. When I think about having to tell my daughter one day about these crazy times we lived through, I want to tell a story of how we didn’t stay paralyzed by fear but we moved forward in loving action.

That’s where I want to position myself. You too?

Therefore, I am practising these five ‘S’-words: sow, serve, stir, sabbath rest and spring forth even though they are not natural at all right now!

Wanna join me? Then read along below.

I pray that no plague will come near your dwelling.

When fear tries to paralyse us, let’s let love lead and respond with action.

1. Sow

I heard the biblical teachers John & Lisa Bevere recently speak about Genesis 26 and how Isaac chooses to sow in the land (v.12) even though it is a time of famine: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him”.

It’s not natural to sow now because I know my husband’s job with a blink of an eye just got more unstable, and my job prospects after maternity leave might be also. Nevertheless, we have chosen to sow now financially to an organisation that helps serve the socially vulnerable in Covid-19 because sowing seed activates faith and trust instead of fear of being in lack ourselves.

Also, I love that God has already sown words of knowledge into the earth through His people and given us discernment to know the times and season we’re in. He has already given heads-up’s to some people of what is in front of us right now, like this hope-filled prophecy from Joseph Prince.

2. Serve

Serving is not a natural response either right now. Fear of spreading the virus may want us to stay in our homes completely. I want to do my due diligence and err on the side of caution to not spread the virus unknowingly.

I also want to be on the lookout for those who are more exposed than me. I’ve chosen to offer my help in my local church and also through Red Cross’ help network to grocery shop for elderly and other exposed people. This can be done with all the precautions in place of two metres of distance, gloves, hand sanitizers and so on.

3. Stir up

I want to stir up prayer, conversation and positive imagination.

Prayers of protection (Psalm 91). Conversations about God’s nature that’s unshaken in the midst of shaking times. Positive imagination on how to spend my time creatively – whether that’s to connect with people through FaceTime to not isolate completely, to practice new skills, read books that’s been on my bucket list or whatever else I might be reminded to do.

4. Sabbath rest

With constant newsflashes during the day, I find myself sitting down a lot and checking the news constantly to stay updated, and maybe also to feel a sense of control in the midst of craziness.

But I want to be committed to set parameters on my intake of this so that I’m actually also getting up, walking, praying and journaling instead of mindlessly consuming and ending up in spirals which do not bring any true rest.

“If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health” 2 Chronicles 7:14 MSG.

This lockdown is a great opportunity to ‘return to the garden’ and awaken or reawaken to our first love. We can get still and let God tend our souls. I love how Isaiah 51:3 puts it:

“I, God, will comfort… I will transform her dead ground into Eden, her moonscape into the garden of God.”

5. Spring forth:

What I know about God is that He allows in his wisdom what He can prevent in his power. He has allowed this to play out even though evil is not sent from Him. I know that He works things out for the good for those who love Him and are called to his purpose.

Therefore, I’ll have hope in what will spring forth from this. I know the nature of God and the rhythms He has set up. After Autumn and Winter, comes Spring and Summer. When He prunes and cuts back, a new bud shows up. In pain, a child is birthed. In boredom, creativity blossoms.

I want to pay attention to what might be awakened through this. I pray we will awaken. I pray that with the slow pace comes reconciliation for families that are on the brink of divorce.

I pray we’ll not let worst-case-scenarios spring forth but speak forth God’s promises instead. We know the facts about the situation. But the eternal truth is, that He that is in us is greater than the One in the world… The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy but Jesus came that we might have life to the full… God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind….and on and on His truth goes! Let’s preach it to ourselves and remind each other of God’s promises.

Let’s take this one day at a time. He has got you.

We only know in part now but one day we will know in full <3

/Sandra.

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Picture: Sophie Vestergård (instagram-handle: @sophvest).