You may or may not have seen a few of my FB LIVES this week, but with the onset of the Corona virus, I am taking opportunities to connect with people despite the call for social distancing.
This is new for me.
You see, I have a confession.
Not too long ago, I used to be so jealous of others that I would refuse to come along side and celebrate them or support their efforts–no matter if they were in the same space as me or not. I would get angry that they were successful and I was struggling to get by. (Do you think there is a correlation to my attitude?! #smh)
I used to get mad, “Why is this happening for them and not me?” (Can you say victim mentality!?!?)
Imagine little 5-year old Frannie, full of salt and vinegar, stomping my feet, arms crossed, fire-engine red cheeks burning with anger, furrowed brow, pouting.
But I was 40+.
For real tho.
But man alive–has God has done a doozy on me.
By His grace and mercy, I have a newfound attitude and approach to others who are “doing it!”
I am going to kick the devil and his divisive ways in the teeth and cheer and support others in any and every way I can!
In a time of unrest and uncertainty, now is not the time to get angry or stingy or greedy.
Now–especially now–is the time to come together and help one another.
More than ever our world needs love, care, kindness, compassion, mercy, generosity, grace, patience…I could keep going, but I think you get it.
Also, now is not the time to sit and binge watch Netflix or wallow in your fear.
This very well may be the Selah God has planned specifically for you. (Note: “Selah” means pause.)
So while you are not seeing your coworkers everyday, use this newfound time to connect and perhaps reconnect with people on social media. Your college roommate; your former boss; your friend from summer camp; your great Aunt Hilda.
Maybe this is a time to get your fitness on. And even though the gyms are closed, you have no excuses–I have lots of friends that lead online workouts, Frannie. Here are a few to follow on Instagram: Sandra of Faith 2 Fitt, Joe at Joetivation, Kirsten at Kirsten Quick Fit, Vicki at Barre3 Solon or my friend Bethanne of RalaBala.
And perhaps this is the time to learn a new skill or hobby. YouTube has a ton of DIY videos. Learn how to play the guitar, a new language, or how to code. My friend Stephanie Sutton has an amazing website that teaches kids to code; log on and start there! (You can find her at Easy Code for Kids.)
Or maybe this is the time to clean out the old and welcome in the new. After all–spring has officially sprung! Organize your garage, purge your “I haven’t worn this in five years” gear from your closet, or venture into the pantry to find expired Bush’s Baked beans from 2017.
And one of the ways I am using this time is with friends for online Bible studies. I have a group that meets in the morning and one that meets at night. How you can you take your faith to the next level? Listening to sermons, reading your Bible, or writing in your gratitude journal are all excellent ways to spend some quality time with God.
So, now is not the time to spend worrying or fearing.
Now is the time to learn new things.
Push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
Create commUNITY by using your technology resources by using these amazing virtual platforms.
As always, I’d love to hear from you.
How are you spending this time at home? Simply hit reply to this message and let me know. And of course, if you have a prayer request, I welcome those ANY time!