What Have You Gotten Used To?

 There are many things in our lives that we tend to take for granted.  We have gotten so used to these things that we don’t realize just how fortunate we are to have them or have access to them.  Before the Pandemic (BP?), there were many things, I’m sure, which we discovered we had taken for granted when they were no longer as easily accessible.

Think how easy it was Before Pandemic to get your weekly groceries.  Think how automatic it was.  Now, there are many extra considerations involved with just going to the store.  Can we afford a certain item this week?  Do we really need it now after all, or is it something that can wait?  Think how automatic it might have been to send the kids to school each day.  Now, it could be a mess of deciding who needs the family computer the most at any given time for home-based learning, or it could be an added item to the checklist to make sure that everyone has the required mask among their other materials for school.

Life has changed.  Things we took for granted are no longer certainties.  Things we thought would always be there just aren’t anymore.  Even seemingly mundane tasks are no longer quite so simple.  How are we reacting?  And who, in our immediate circles, is watching how we react?  We can be certain that the ever-present and all-knowing God is watching us.  And yes, He knows why we are reacting the way we are.  He knows what our choices will be before we make them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t our choices to make still. He knows our thoughts and motivations.  It can become easy to take even God for granted. 

How can you strive to keep God a welcome presence in your life?  How can you make your relationship with Him stronger and more intentional?

Hearing God in the Silences

 As I originally wrote this blog on Thursday of this past week, I could hear my neighbor’s generators humming in the background.  This week sure threw us a curveball with the Great 2020 Windstorm (as I have been calling it) affecting the Wasatch Front.  I was very fortunate to have power myself, but across the street, they were still in the dark up until yesterday (Friday) afternoon, if not for a generator providing some small amount of electricity.

It’s amazing how much we as a society have come to rely on electricity, especially in recent decades with the advent of the World Wide Web and almost ever-present technology in our lives.  I can sympathize with our neighbor kids who couldn’t participate in online learning or anything else online due to a lack of electricity and internet connection for the past few days.  Our own Vaughan Center was still “in the dark” as of Thursday.

Such natural disasters are often classified as “acts of God,” sometimes even for insurance purposes.  Let’s examine that terminology and thinking a little closer.  Yes, God can act in grand and sometimes even destructive ways.  We see this in the symbolism of Genesis when God the Father sent the Flood over the entire earth, when He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and when He scattered the people and confused their language at Babel.  But there are also times in the Old Testament when God acts in a much more subtle way.  We read in 1 Kings 19:11-12, that God was not in the great rushing wind, but rather in a still small voice, or according to the NABRE translation, “a light silent sound.”

Often, we are tempted to look for God in the grand gestures.  We ask Him for a sign.  How often do we take time to be still and listen for God in the silences?  He is always at work.  We just have to put in some effort to see it sometimes.

Where Two or Three are Gathered

 I read a reflection for this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading earlier this week which indicated that the familiar passage, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them,” (Matthew 18:20) might be taken as alarming due to our current situation.  How are we to know that those two or three are doing everything they can to limit the spread of the virus?

Personally, I see this as a hopeful passage for this moment in human history.  Even though we are not able to gather in larger groups safely, God is still with us.  He is always with us.  Further, if we entrust our prayers to God, we can be sure that He listens to them, whether or not we get the answer that we want, and whether we do so as individuals or as a community.  Of course, having a community behind you can’t do any harm.

This is an excellent moment for us to consider how we are reacting to our current situation.  Are we being prudent and cautious?  Are we being alarmist and potentially over-reacting?  Are we being reckless and careless toward those we might interact with on a regular basis?  Take some time for reflection, and try to discern how you can strike a balance between caution and practicality.

Above all, put your trust in God.  He will never abandon you, no matter how isolated you may feel.