COVID 19: Count it all Joy?

Dear Friends,
  As we walk through this time of isolation together, there have been many different ways of coping with this "new normal".  I would like to call it a temporary normal.  I didn't think it was affecting me as much, because I have still been able to go to work, go to the shop, and we have no worries about toilet paper!  And yet, things are not "normal", and that has caused some odd feelings of unsettledness in my heart.  I know that God is in complete control, and I have nothing to worry about.  But I feel like one of the kids in the backseat of the car asking my parents, "ARE WE THERE YET?"  Perhaps I'm just experiencing fatigue from this new normal.  I know I'm not the only one. 

Fatigue from trials can cause us to act and speak differently than we would in regular situations.  I need to remind myself to be more patient, more understanding, show more compassion, and have empathy for others more often now.  The reminder is for me to continue to love people, and to love them with kindness and gentleness because I am not alone in these feelings of fatigue, stress, frustrations, and changed plans. 

The encouragement for me is, I don't have to walk this road alone.  God knows how we are feeling, and yet, His plan to perfect us until the day of Jesus' return hasn't been derailed as a result of COVID-19.  In fact, He is still pruning us. He is still walking with us through this trial.  My hope is that I will be attentive to what He is teaching me during this time.  I will pray we are all able to walk with each other as we grow in our perseverance.  This time is another example of what the Bible teaches in James 1:2-4

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I ask myself, "Jared, are you 'counting it all joy'?"  How can we count it all joy when we are experiencing trials?  By keeping the end result in our hearts and minds: steadfastness and eventual perfection and completeness.  If I see my trials and say, "Okay.  This is perfecting me as I walk with God through it."  Then I turn my focus to God and ask, "Lord, what do I need to learn from this?  Help me to gain the wisdom I need from this trial.  Help me to use this to encourage others in the future and even now."

Steadfastness means that I am consistently resting in the sovereignty of God, and can have peace because I know who holds the future.  Steadfastness means holding on in the midst of a trial to my Saviour's cloak.  It means trusting my loving Father through it all.

I long to meet again with our entire church all at once,  to shake hands, give hugs, and hear a church sing with a group of more than 1.  But God is challenging me to be patient at this time, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, and to reflect on all the blessings He has given me:  I have my family here with me.  I have a safe home.  I can still go to the grocery store and buy food.  I have all things I need, and many things that are not needed, but are blessings!  This time is still a trial, but I will choose to count it all joy.  I want to develop steadfastness, and I want to be more like Christ in my life.  However, that will only come when I experience trials of various kinds.  

Friends, I hope this encourages your heart.  You're not alone, and together with God, we will make it through this difficult time.  I want to encourage us all to look to the blessings we have in our lives, remember to show extra patience, understanding, and empathy.  God is shaping us and molding us into His image, if we have called on Him as our Lord and Saviour.  We are being daily changed to be more like Jesus, and to grow in a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father through these trials.  So count it all joy! :)