How are you? The past several months have been filled with unexpected, unprecedented, and unpredictable moments. As we approach a new season, we find ourselves reflecting on the past several months, finding joy in the silver linings and the lessons the Lord has taught us during this time. In the midst of so much uncertainty, our team has found some surprising upsides to our time spent at home. We thought it would be fun to share some of those with you!
“Life for me has slowed down, and I’ve been staying with my elderly parents. I have had time to sit and listen to more stories about their lives growing up than ever before. I’m being taught how to can and preserve food by my dad. And our family has started a daily Bible reading, going through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and praying together every day.”
—Leigh Ann Dans, Lifeway Women Designer
“I’ve been learning that faithfulness entails endurance. This summer during quarantine, I’ve been reading Revelation, and as dark as the book is at points, it’s packed with silver linings. At the heart of the book is a call to persevere, to endure: ‘Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus’ (Rev. 14:12, ESV). The faithful endure because they know temporal suffering cannot overcome God’s eternal glory. In Revelation we see temporal conflict overcome by eternal peace, temporal darkness overcome by eternal light, temporal chaos overcome by eternal community, and temporal destruction overcome by eternal restoration. In a time of so much confusion and uncertainty, this eternal perspective is so heartening. Maybe it even transcends silver. I think we could call it the golden lining.”
—Tina Boesch, Manager, Lifeway Women Bible Studies
“My morning routine has included a longer time with the Lord, and I’m not hurried to get ready and out the door for a long commute. I can be at my desk early in the morning, with coffee in hand, and collect my thoughts for the day. I’ve been more consistent with my prayer journal during this time as well.”
—Kelly King, Manager, Lifeway Women Magazines and Devotionals, Women’s Ministry Training, and MARKED Podcast host
“This season has given me the opportunity to be more intentional about setting out practices and routines in my schedule that work for me—things that match the way God has wired my heart and mind, along with things that suit the stage of life I’m in. Because I’m at home more, I’ve been given the space to be still in a way that would have driven me crazy before. I really doubt I would have made the time to hash through these things without ‘coronatine.’ But I hope I’ll carry both of these gifts into life, even when things go back to ‘normal.’”
—Sarah Doss, Team Leader, Lifeway Women Bible Studies
“Forcing relationships into a more digital space instead of in-person enabled me to ‘get together’ with friends I wouldn’t normally see in real life. I’ve participated in multi-state game nights via apps and multi-country catch-ups, and I’ve talked regularly with friends I may not have if I were able to go about a normal routine. I’ve also enjoyed seeing my neighbors more, as we all run or walk outside for our daily exercise. Quarantine has required us to get creative with relationships, which I’ve really enjoyed.
—Elizabeth Hyndman, Social Media Strategist and MARKED podcast host
On a more spiritual note, the quarantine lessons have been many. I know God has taught a lot of my friends about rest—I’ve always been pretty decent at that.😉 But God has been teaching me a lot about prayer. I’ve alluded to this in a few of the MARKED podcast episodes we’ve done recently, but in a season where there isn’t much we can do to help others physically, we can pray. We can pray big, major prayers for God to eradicate this illness miraculously, and we can pray what may seem like smaller prayers for Him to help us be joyful even in our present circumstances, still miraculously. I’ve been learning that prayer, for me, is often a demonstration of trust. In this season when I often don’t know who or what to trust, I am learning what it means to be completely reliant on the One who is in complete control.”
“As someone who had a distinct ‘2020 vision’ for a very long time, the Lord has really been teaching me that it’s not about me at all. Instead, I am learning to put my planner and goals aside and trust Him with tomorrow. While this spring and summer did not turn out quite like I had planned, I think I needed something to stop me in my tracks and force me to reset my focus on things above. God’s timing is perfect in that way.
—Juliana Wilson, Lifeway Women Social Media and Influencer Relations
For me, one of the silver linings of ‘coronatine’ was reconnecting with long distance friends and sisters in Christ through FaceTime. Many evenings have been spent cooking dinner and sipping coffee together via FaceTime while our husbands are on the front lines working in healthcare. I have deeply missed my in-person community; however, I am so thankful for the technology that has allowed us to remain connected. Plus, my husband and I love leading our eighth and ninth grade small group from Zoom in various ‘surprise’ locations. The students never know where we will ‘Zoom in’ from, including the empty church sanctuary, our apartment rooftop, and a kayak. We’ve learned there can truly be an upside to any challenge placed before us!”
What are some silver linings you have found during these recent, uncertain months? What is something you have found yourself thankful for or something you have learned?
