Continuing to Cope With the COVID-19 Crisis

Several months ago, we all began dealing with the implications of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. As the people of God, we pivoted quickly to responding in amazingly practical ways, especially considering we were responding to a threat none of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes.

I sense that we are now transitioning to a different season of needed response. The social isolation and other precautions are wearing on many of us mentally, and the changing dynamics of Christian formation and church life are challenging us spiritually. Whether one outwardly acknowledges these as accurate or not, I believe these are concerns we all need to explore and address proactively as it looks like we will be addressing this virus for a lengthy period still.

First, let us explore social isolation. The Mayo Clinic offers the following advice to address social isolation in an excellent article title COVID-19 and your mental health:

1. “Make connections. If you need to stay at home and distance yourself from others, avoid social isolation. Find time each day to make virtual connections by email, texts, phone, or FaceTime or similar apps. If you're working remotely from home, ask your co-workers how they're doing and share coping tips. Enjoy virtual socializing and talking to those in your home.

2. Do something for others. Find purpose in helping the people around you. For example, email, text or call to check on your friends, family members and neighbors — especially those who are elderly. If you know someone who can't get out, ask if there's something needed, such as groceries or a prescription picked up, for instance. But be sure to follow CDC, WHO and your government recommendations on social distancing and group meetings.

3. Support a family member or friend. If a family member or friend needs to be isolated for safety reasons or gets sick and needs to be quarantined at home or in the hospital, come up with ways to stay in contact. This could be through electronic devices or the telephone or by sending a note to brighten the day, for example.”

The Mayo article is very helpful, and I encourage you to read it in its entirety by clicking HERE.

Second, let us consider our spiritual formation during this COVID-19 challenge. There is no doubt that there have been a lot of changes in how we are engaging and experiencing spiritual formation as the Church, the people of God. That word “change” is critical. We are experiencing change at hyper-speed. It is all too easy to lose our spiritual grounding in these conditions… if we are not attentive to our Spiritual Disciplines. The changes can create a myriad of reactions. Some I have unfortunately noticed are unusual levels of nervousness, anger, impatience, inflexibility, confusion, shutting down, checking out, sadness, hopelessness, and I could go on. The more the sand shifts beneath our feet, the more we may feel like we have no control.

Therefore, if there ever was a time to personally invest in your Spiritual Disciplines to a deeper degree… now is that time. Spiritual Disciplines are timeless, immersed in God’s grace, baptized in God’s steadfast love, and are a lifeline, when practiced, to true life… even an abundant life during a Pandemic.

Richard J. Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth,” offers a wonderful metaphor that highlights the value of Spiritual Disciplines, “A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain...This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines - they are a way of sowing to the Spirit... By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” [7; the “he” could be a “she.”]

Are you using the Spiritual Disciplines as “a way of sowing to the Spirit”? Something can be done about the challenges of rapid Change, COVID, and this this Crisis – we can faithfully engage in our Spiritual Disciplines and deepen our connection to the Heart of God.

If you would like to learn more about Spiritual Disciplines, please speak with your clergyperson.

As I close this, the most important thing I can write is that God loves you, God is faithful, and God journeys with you through this Pandemic and the other many challenges of our time. Thank you for your faithful ministry and witness on the Winchester District and across our Connection. You are appreciated!

In Christ's Peace,

DS Steve