It isn’t Over until it’s Over.
No matter how hard we want this pandemic to be over it is not. It seems like we are certainly in it for the long haul. Some may feel that the past year and a half has been the long haul and now it is time to put this behind us and move forward. Get back to normal, the way things used to be are phrases I have heard and I will admit I have thought.
Our concepts and understanding of time, determination and perseverance are certainly experiential and individual. Forty days of rain in the time of Noah would have seemed like a long time, particularly being stuck on a boat with a bunch of animals. Three minutes at a stoplight can seem like a long time when you want to get some place. We seem to be in a hurry to move on but really are not sure where we are going sometimes.
Do we really want to go back to “the way things were”? I have found out over this past year and a half that I do not want some of the things in our society to go back to “the way they were”. I want things to be better than they were. I want equal kind and quality treatment for everyone. I was consideration of each individual situation for what it is not a generalized reaction based on prejudice and what it might be. I want myself to look at the world through a more compassionate lens and see the injury and respond in a way that I can help make a difference.
We have not learned the lesson of compassion yet. We have not learned the lesson of supporting others makes things better for me as well as for the others. We have so many lessons to learn as we try to follow Jesus the Peaceful One. The journey is long and it will not be easy.
Joy-giving God,
As a community of those who pursue peace in the name of your Son, we are troubled by the conflict that seems to surround us. We find comfort and joy in your presence. We trust you as the source of peace. It comes to us when we approach you with humility, recognizing our dependence on your goodness and faithfulness. Even as we experience your peace don’t let us rest while there is injustice and conflict around us. Stir us to turn our words of prayer into action in your mission. Make us instruments of your peace. Amen.