Jeremiah 6:16

As Covid-19 continues its march across our globe, through our land, into our homes, conforming our lives to its harsh realities, I’m learning to allow my mind to rest on the ancient paths and walk on them. In the process I’m discovering soul rest.

Like the Israelites, we’re standing at a crossroad. We have choices. What is the good way?

God is offering an opportunity for transformative resetting. The prophet Jeremiah is offering wise counsel.

Be still; quiet my heart; what might God want me to hear today? All this before I open my Bible or journal. It’s been my key to listening to God, my standing and looking.

“The secret of living in a busy world is not at the circumference (merely reducing our activities), but at the center (refocusing our hearts).” Leighton Ford.

God took care of reducing our activities; for me it is refocusing my heart.

In March when stay-@-home became the new reality, we received a letter referencing that popular phrase from a few years ago, What would Jesus do? The writer suggested changing it to, What is Jesus doing – in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for part one.

Caring and kindnesses that were happening in March — and still are.

And my question, though still the same – What should I be doing? — has a different tone.

In March, God led me to five answers. As the restrictions of stay-@-home were relaxed (in Colorado, our governor is now saying safer-@-home), God continues to define how I think about my question. My answers this month, although similar, are not the same. I’m finding these answers not only tell me what to do, but how to live leading to soul rest as well. Ahhhh, a good thing.

1. Stay engaged with God. I’m yielding to God to lead the discussion as I spend time with him in the mornings. Each day, I quote from memory Psalm 23, and then ask, What would it look like to trust him with these truths today? God, how are you showing yourself as my shepherd today? God, in the midst of this pandemic, how are you restoring my soul? God, how can I trust you with my anxieties (my fears)? Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weights him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Last week God’s good word came to me from Philippians 4. In the first nine verses there is only one do not (have no anxiety). There are seven dos. And two wonderful promises: God is near; he is with us (verses five and nine). And God’s promise of peace is repeated in verses seven and nine. Trusting God’s nearness and his offer of peace lead me to soul rest.
2. Stay informed, but not over-informed. The abundance of news available can lead down a path of depression and fear. Trying to understand all the confusing statistics leaves my mind spinning. Yes, I scan the news, both local and national, almost every day; it is a scan not an in-depth reading. My husband, Bill, stays more on top of the news and I ask him about once a day, “Is there anything new I need to know?” Trying to understand all the news does not lead me to soul rest.
3. Both limit and use technology. Communicating is greatly dependent on my cell phone and my computer these days. I am thankful for this technology. I also realize that if I take advantage of every invitation coming my way, screen time will dominate my life and I will squander the opportunities and purposes of God for that day. Soul rest will suffer. More than ever, I need to discern the good from the best. Or as C.H. Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong, it is the difference between right and almost right.”
4. My ministry in the “cracks”. We live on a dead-end street with 11 residences, each surrounded by five acres of Ponderosa pines. We don’t naturally run into our neighbors. I have a different relationship with each. My extroverted personality makes it easy to reach out.  But what is the best way to reach out to each individual neighbor? So I ask, This week, where are the cracks in their front doors? I’m praying to be sensitive.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

5. Masks, blueberries, and wine. Several weeks ago I resurrected my sewing machine to sew masks for our family. I emailed the neighbors and asked if I could make them masks as well. I was surprised and thrilled when I received five orders for masks.

I’m learning that my neighbors want to help me too. One called to say she was on her way to buy groceries and asked if she could pick up anything for me. “Yes, blueberries”, I responded. Blueberries are certainly not essential, but we enjoy them. When my mask-wearing neighbor dropped the blueberries on our front porch, she also left a bottle of wine. Community is a two-way street. I too need to practice the humility of receiving. We have each other to lean on.

Allowing community to do its good work, invites me to exhale. It offers soul rest.

What offers you soul rest in these restless days?

As I’m practice these habits, I experience the reality of Jesus’s words …

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Copyright, Sue Tell, May 2020