Across the globe, people have been affected by the pandemic and there are so many different opinions on every part of it. I know a lot of people have taken the stay-at-home order especially hard. However, no matter what your opinions are on the topic, I firmly believe that there is so much to learn in quarantine. Whether you are already out of quarantine, or you are like me and have to stay in quarantined to make sure that your loved ones stay safe, COVID has defiantly changed everyone’s daily life. As most of society claims to never have time, we suddenly have had A LOT of time on our hands! There are three things to learn in quarantine and keep after quarantine as a new priority:
1. Daily time with God
2. The Hustle- learn something new!
3. Stillness
#1-Daily time with God. If you didn’t walk into quarantine with it, there is literally zero reason for you not to walk out of quarantine with it. Whoever just read that and thought it was a roast…. it was meant to be a roast. However, it is the truth. I love you, but I have to be honest with you. Daily time with God is the most valuable thing in my life. Here’s why: As Christians we are called to be like Christ. He is the goal; He is the best role model of all time. But if you don’t really know Christ, how can you emulate him? If you are not intentional with him, how can you live an intentional life?
As Christians, we can look to this amazing book that God gave us (the Bible) to help us through life. If we aren’t striving to understand God’s word, we are missing out on the opportunity to learn how to live a Godly life from the believers who have gone before us. We are missing out on looking more like Jesus. We are missing out on the peace the Lord freely gives us. Why miss an opportunity to live your best life when the Bible app is free? Why miss an opportunity to live your best life when God gave us a whole manual on how to live it? Why miss an opportunity to live your best life when you NOW have the free time to do so?!
That said, I know that reading isn’t everyone’s strong suit. The bible can also be complex. There are many reasons that you may not have a regular time with God. How about we start slow?
Step 1: If you haven’t been to church Sundays in a while, start there. There are so many different churches to choose from. I know of like ten off the top of my head. DM me on Instagram and I will send them to you a link.
Step 2: If you have only talked to God on Sundays, try to work your way to three times a week. Sundays and two other times try to read anything you would like. If you are confused on where to start, I, personally, suggest the gospels. This applies to everyone who struggles with where to begin in the bible. Read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Getting to know Jesus is our first priority. What could be a better way to do that then read his story from four different points of view Another idea is to start with a proverb a day to keep the devil away. Get up right now, look at your phone, and open up the bible app to Proverbs
Step 3: To my last group of people who is pretty regular in spending time with my guy, Jesus: add something. Maybe you start practicing Sabbath. Maybe you start reading a new Jesus book. (I suggest anything by CS Lewis or Emotionally Healthy Spirituality) Adding new things to your relationship will deepen your connection to God.
#2- The Hustle
This is a funny title, but I am all about the Hustle. I love multi-tasking and doing a million things. The day that I am leading bible study you already know that I have gone over every verse, looked at a bunch of commentary, and could write a whole blog and then some about it. Now, while not everyone lives by The Hustle, that’s ok, but in the context of quarantine, I mean pick up something new to try. I started reading again. I know cooking is a total trend of quarantine, but I LOVE IT. Try something you have always wanted to. Learn how to play the guitar. Learn how to paint. Do you love to travel but can’t because quarantine? Make a budget for the next place you want to go after this is all over. Want to start working out? There are so many workout ideas all over the internet. Want to start a blog? Start a blog 😉 There are so many things you haven’t tried because you never had the time but now, you have the time! Use it wisely.
#3- Stillness
As I said, I love The Hustle, so stillness is…. especially hard for me! I love the Lord, but teaching myself to be still in his presence is hard. If quarantine has taught us anything, it is to slow down. I won’t lie to you- it’s a challenge, but it’s worth it. In quarantine, with the extra time you have, I encourage some of it to be in silence. If you are really cool and disciplined, allow even some of your time to be in complete stillness.
The reason that stillness is a hard practice is because we are always busy. This, in turn, makes it incredibly hard to hear God. How are we ever going to really meet with our creator when everything in our life is so loud? Silence, stillness helps us to re-center. It can also bring up things that you need to talk to God about. Past hurts that need to be healed, new ways he wants you to grow, and a deeper connection to God can all be found in the stillness. I am hoping to attach a link to this post; however, if it doesn’t work, look this up on Spotify: Episode 26 Silence from the Carrie on podcast with Carrie Lloyd. Amazing stuff.
Life in a pandemic can be crazy, but the important thing is to come back to what is important. We will get through this together! Let me know if you have any prayer request. Thanks for reading. Much love and God bless -Isabel 🙂