A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN QUARANTINE-HOOD
Here we are, three days into our coronavirus quarantine. Let me bring you up to speed. On February 21, we sailed on the Grand Princess to Hawaii, accompanied by our daughter, son-in-law and three grandkids. Homeward bound, coronavirus was discovered onboard. We were confined to our rooms for six days. Tuesday, we disembarked and were quarantined at Travis Air Force Base.
When I first envisioned "quarantine," I pictured a POW camp. Cold barracks, no windows, bread and water... Instead, we're in a comfortable apartment, served catered meals, by caring people. We enjoy walks on groomed lawns, provided we wear our masks. Sure, we’ve experienced challenges (such as sitting in a parked bus for three hours, waiting to be processed). But we're enjoying amazing blessings in the midst of difficulty:
Accepting what is- We may not like our circumstances, but God is in charge of reality. When we accept this, we step into heaven on earth. Fighting it, keeps us imprisoned in living hell. We can't always control our circumstances, but we can control our attitudes (Philippians 4:11). One man on our bus "waved" at a CDC official with "half a peace sign." That doesn't bless anyone, to say the least.
Opportunities to Testify- We've been interviewed by television, radio, newspaper— even The Today Show and Good Morning America. Some of our "God talk" was edited out, but our non-anxious message came through.
Gratitude for Simple Things- Arriving at our room at 2 AM Wednesday, we discovered our apartment was void of many basic necessities... most importantly, coffee. After snoozing for a few hours, we explored the grounds, scrounging in the supply room for possible provisions. We congregated with neighbors, and shared our "treasures" with each other: instant coffee packets, powdered creamer, shampoo. When we traded some Styrofoam cups for coffee packets, our neighbors were as thrilled as if we'd given them the Hope Diamond. When was the last time, any of us ever got excited over a Styrofoam cup? I realize I need to appreciate the little things in life.
Forsaking Fear- We live in fearful times, coupled with a victim mentality. If we buy into everything the media feeds us, we get swept up in this tsunami of fear. We can rise above the fear and faithlessness of our culture. Let's model lives of faith, knowing God is in charge of our universe. Let’s stay focused on the bigger picture and remember, “fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:5).
Our presence in this situation is no accident. God sovereignly placed us here to represent Him to those around us. It's a huge calling, upon all of His servants. Please pray we can be worthy of this task. In the end, that's what really matters.
