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We have to find a time and place of quietness if we are going to be able to hear God’s gentle, calming voice. While social distancing has created many difficulties for us it has also created some unexpected opportunities: quietness and isolation to be alone with God and listen for God’s gentle, quiet voice. Have you taken advantage of these opportunities?

The days spent in exile had to be some of the hardest days imaginable for the Israelites. When the Babylonians invaded their land and brought them back as captives to live in Babylon, fear was all around them. Families were split apart. Jobs were lost. Food was scarce and all their plans for the future were suddenly gone. Even their ability to be creative and dream was compromised.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned was from a lay person in a church I served in Mineola, Texas a few years ago. I learn invaluable lessons everywhere I serve but this particular lay person taught me something that transformed the way I look at the world, my circumstances and my life. He taught me the lesson that being thankful does not have to depend on my circumstances.

This morning the sun rose. The cat meowed at my door demanding love and fresh water. My five year old asked for cartoons and cuddles. All the things that mark a very normal morning in the Stephens household. It didn’t take long though for my conscious mind to remember that in many ways today is not normal and that we are all collectively living under a new normal. As much as I would like this not to be true it still is true. Now I and all of you could allow this new reality to drown us in a sea of anxiety and grief. We could allow fear…

Like Jesus, our struggles can be opportunities for us to deepen our faith and relationship with God in ways that our successes cannot. In success, we tend to focus on ourselves and our accomplishments. In our failures and struggles we become poignantly aware of our frailty and limitations and we have the opportunity to shift the focus outside of ourselves to God.