We see our biggest problem today as social distancing, or is it? All of us feel separated, lonely, isolated and out of control. We hear of the horrific deaths of our senior citizens and fear leaving our homes or get within six feet of another person. We are now being told to wear protective masks and gloves, sanitize our hands to avoid contact with delivery drivers. The question is, what do we do about this problem which is causing an isolated America? Are we just looking at the problem we are being told we have or should it should focus us on what we can learn and accomplish from our new knowledge?

If we see only the problem, all we will see is fear, heartache, depression, hopelessness, anger, anxiety, stress just to name a few as our uncertainty just continues to grow. Yet, if we see this problem of uncertainty during this strange time in our lives in a different light, our new understanding will help us overcome the symptoms which arise from our lack of faith and knowledge. Ask yourself, what could I do differently? How could I make a difference? Is my fear justified? Do I have my eyes open, relying on my faith and understanding to help, or am I just sticking my head in the sand or closing my eyes in fear? Ask yourself, is there anyone who by my being stronger and reaching out to help could help others see more clearly?

We have all been scared in our lives. We have all faced a loss in some form or fashion. We have all experienced things we don’t understand, but does that give us the right to close our eyes, hide in fear and listen to an enemy who wants us to fail?

If we only focus on this COVID-19 virus, we will miss great opportunities placed right in front of us. When we listen to the media, they remind us of a narrative that they want us to believe. We lose the ability to think for ourselves and we lose focus of who is really in control of our day-to-day lives. We grieve what we lost and what we thought our futures held. We as a culture do not know how to grieve well. Today, many are grieving the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, loss of gathering to worship, loss of graduation ceremonies or celebrations, canceled weddings, vacations, loss of routines, loss of normalcy as we knew it, loss of our savings, playdates, business meetings, social gatherings, just to name a few.

I was reading the story of Lazarus in the New Testament Book of John, chapter 11. You will know it as Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, which is a mind-boggling event. But instead of focusing on Lazarus, let us focus on how Jesus interacted with others at the site. You remember that Jesus was four days late (by design) in arriving after they summoned Him to come to help His sick friend. Upon arriving, He was told that Lazarus had died and Mary and Martha were upset and quick to let Jesus know just how they felt. They told Jesus if He had been here, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus did not rebuke them, instead, He helped them in their grief. The Bible says Jesus wept for His friend. In His divinity, He was showing His humanity and showing us how to grieve. Many times all we can see is limited. Jesus knew and showed us how to appreciate and experience the present while understanding that something better is planned. The people could only see the death of a friend and not realizing within minutes, this same Jesus would raise Lazarus back to life. Something better was coming which shows us that even in our loss, God is not far away. His plan will always be successful despite our circumstances.

All we can see is what we have lost, our freedom, our routines, our income, our canceled events, etc, but there is another plan in the works. All we have to do is believe and trust because we have a Savior who stepped out of Heaven in our sinful world to save us from our sins. Sometimes we experience loss, but there is a new day coming. Sometimes we lose our income, they cancel an event we were looking forward to attending, many even experience the loss of a spouse, yet out of our pain and grief, God has a plan. Our job is to have faith and trust. There is a new day coming which we don’t see because of our lack of faith. Sometimes the pain of grief is so severe that it clouds our vision, but as the pain decreases, our vision clears, and our strength and belief returns.

Stay strong and take courage. A new day is coming for America and for you.