I saw a funny tweet a few months ago that read, “I’m technically 26, but only 24 in Covid years.” Last night, I lived it firsthand when I went out with a large group of friends, many of whom I’ve only started to recently get to know. During a conversation with one of these newer faces, I was asked my age. I promptly replied, “27,” only to correct that actually, I’m 28…and turning 29 quite soon…
Can y’all believe it’s been two years since the world halted? My phone’s “On This Day” prompted a video posted by our senior pastor in 2020, filmed in an empty, dark sanctuary. My eyes swelled up as he spoke of how much he misses seeing the faces of people who shape this community, how we are facing such strife in being apart. But then he said something that has stuck with me these past two years and frankly saw me through the pandemic:
It’s just a building.
How many times did we realize that what we thought was crucial to our way of living was really just a luxury? Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined spending Easter worshipping at home or participating in a Christmas Eve service on a soccer field. But we did it…how?
Because Christianity is so much more than the building.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
In pausing to reflect on the ways in which God has moved through such dark times, I am filled with a sense of pride and, most importantly, gratitude.
Who could’ve predicted in 2019 what was to transpire? Who knows what any future moment holds? Whatever life throws at us, i pray to take a stance of gratitude, honoring the ways in which God has already bestowed so many blessings…no matter the circumstance.
Food for thought: What has been your biggest takeaway during the pandemic?
Rachel Fisher 