A COVID-19 Response

This is no doubt a difficult time for all of us. The Coronavirus has not only shifted everything around us, but it’s also shifted our personal schedules and routines.

Some of us are working from home, while some of us may not have work right now. Some of us are sick, and some of us know others who are sick and have been physically impacted by this virus. Many of us find ourselves alone at home, while some of us are surrounded by the chaos of the kids not being at school.

There are many scenarios happening right now. People are hurting, anxious, and fearful. People are seeking and searching. Yet even in the midst of all these things, there still remains hope and purpose!

Here are three things that we should all prioritize during this time:

Seek the Lord!

For Christians, this is something that should be happening on a daily basis. But now, perhaps more than ever, God is saying to us, “Seek me!” It’s in these times that we really should seek God’s face. We should also examine our hearts, asking God to expose any area in our lives that are not aligned with Him.

Whether we have extra margin right now or not, this is a great time to seek the Lord with everything we have through prayer, reading His Word, fasting, and drawing near to His presence. Let’s draw closer to the Lord than we ever have and allow the Holy Spirit to grow and strengthen us!

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:9–10

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46:10–11

Vintage Church is currently in a Lent Bible reading plan that you can jump into if you haven’t already!

Stay connected to others.

Right now, we are all supposed to be social distancing. Perhaps we should re-phrase that to physical distancing. Although we shouldn’t be around others that are outside of our household, we should still be social with others and stay connected.

God’s design for us is to be in community with others. Isolation is dangerous and can really bring us down. While we are staying home right now, we need to be extra intentional to check in on each other and foster community. This means text messages, phone calls, FaceTime, Zoom, social media, and more. Thank God for technology!

We can also check on our neighbors from a distance, and really be the church during this time. People around us are seeking and searching for hope, and we have it in Christ! Let’s be creative with technology and the tools we have to spread this hope to others.

Slow down but stay productive.

This is a great time to slow down as we are able. This means cherishing the time with our families, thanking God for what He’s given us, doing some extra projects around the house that we’ve been putting off, getting some good exercise, reading a good book, cooking, watching a Netflix series, and much more. Everything seems to be put into perspective when we slow down!

As we slow down though, we must also stay productive. Keeping some type of routine will go a long way. This could mean getting up on Sunday mornings to watch church, maximizing your mornings, afternoons, and evenings to get certain things done that you have too! It’s possible to do both: slow down and be productive!

Let’s all do our part to stay home and pray for those that have been impacted by this virus!

My prayer is that when this virus passes, we will confidently step into a new season of true joy and thankfulness. We won’t take anything for granted and we will truly live our lives to the fullest with Christ! Hang in there everyone. This too shall pass. In the meantime, let’s seek the Lord, connect with others, and slow down but stay productive!

Love you all!