Back to Blogging

It's been a wild ride since I last posted. This past May, I remarried. Most people know my new husband as Pastor Bob. I call him Robert since we live near his family's home farm and all his family call him Robert. So much has changed it seems like a good time to sort it all out, hence my return to throw some thoughts into the cloud.

 Robert and I just returned from 2 months in Florida. We hurried our trip home a bit for fear of being told to stay in place in a strange place. The world has changed, and one comfort is to be in our own home. I have a new respect for those whose world changes because of war. Many not only find everything in their lives akilter, but they are forced from their homes as well.

Staying home has become a new phenomenon for many. We Minnesotans seem to have less angst about being confined in our homes for long periods of time. It's called winter. But here we are, with time at our disposal, longing to find some meaning in this experience.

This morning I came up with a list I'll call "A Christian's Rules for Living in an Epidemic." My rules for me.

Rule #1: Fear Not.

Someone once said that there are 365 times God says "Fear Not" in the Bible. I have not verified that count, but I know God says "Fear Not" repeatedly. Therefore, I chose to do as Proverbs 3:5 instructs:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

Rule #2:  Be in the world, but not of the world.

For me, that means stop being obsessed with the "news". Turn off the news. That means on the TV or the computer. This is a hard one, I know.

Rule #3: Love your neighbor as yourself.

This is the basic principle behind social distancing.

I love myself and do not want to contract the  Corona virus. I love my neighbor and refuse to pass this disease on to someone else. Stay a safe distance apart or stay home.

Rule #4: Forgive as you have been forgiven.

Living in close quarters with family members can lead to short tempers and frustrating
situations. If I am to put the best construction on everything, I need to monitor my own behavior and always give my husband the benefit of the doubt when we "rub each other the wrong way."

Well, that's my list. What's yours?