My thoughts on Covid + 5 ways to cultivate the health of my heart
“I will just be happy to talk about something other than Covid!”
Ha. That was my friend’s text responding about our upcoming book-discussion group. Oh man, seriously. Hands down, this has been the hardest ministry season of our lives. A couple days ago in my morning Bible reading I read an interesting Proverb:
“A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”
(Prov. 18:14)
That pretty much sums it up. In the last six months, I haven’t had a single person in my life who has been crushed due to physical illness. I actually don’t know anyone who’s been sick beyond a mild cough or cold. And yet, an overwhelming number of people have and are battling crushed spirits.
Please understand this isn’t a political statement. I’m not saying that wearing a mask is crushing someone’s spirit. I’m happy to wear a mask. In fact, yesterday I forgot my mask at Papa Murphy’s so I wore a diaper on my face. We need some humor, people! We’re dying from a lack of laughter!
“A joyful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones!”
(Prov. 17:22)
I’m also not saying the physical symptoms of Covid aren’t a real concern. I know they are. I am saying that the atmosphere right now seems toxic to our souls and that’s what concerns me most. That’s what has made me cry myself to sleep and sometimes want to move out to the woods (Wait, we live in the woods–well, farther out into the woods) and avoid all contact with people for the foreseeable future.
I was telling a friend the other night, everything feels happy-sad right now:
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