Silver linings
By Robert J. Tamasy
With news about the coronavirus breaking so rapidly, it’s hard to anticipate what the latest “scoop” will be. I recall the late Gilda Radner’s “Saturday Night Live” character, Roseanne Roseannadanna, who used to say, “It’s always something!” Bad news seems to beget bad news.
But no matter: Out of any crisis, big or small, important lessons can be learned. And most of the time, good emerges out of bad, pulling silver linings out of dark clouds that hover over us. For example:
Many of us have found ourselves spending more quality family time in our own homes. A lot of people have re-discovered the joy of sitting around the table together, sharing a meal and actually talking with and looking at each other. TV viewing has increased, but so has the neglected practice of reading books. Some families have actually resumed playing games together. It seems silk purses still are being fashioned from sow’s ears!
Perhaps the greatest benefit from this societal pause has been the opportunity to re-examine where our hope and trust really lie. Fear and uncertainty have a way of unsettling us. That can be a good thing if it causes us to revisit important matters such as faith, purpose and meaning in life.
If we’re honest with ourselves, many of us would have to admit that the pace of our lives prior to the shutdown had become so hectic that we had lost the consistent practice of reflecting and pondering what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. When we encounter a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, however, we find more time on our hands than we realized. When things seem spiraling out of control, we’re reminded once more where to go for hope and stability.
A verse often comes to my mind: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).
Think and Pray
The Scriptures tell us that through Jesus Christ, we have direct access to the Father. As we listen to news reports about COVID-19 or some other calamity and find ourselves tempted to descend into anxiety or depression, God’s word urges us instead to turn to and trust the God of the past, present, and all eternity. That’s a silver lining no dark cloud can obscure.
Father, thank You for using these uncertain times to get my attention back on You, my need for You, and Your sufficiency for me. Let my heart learn what You want to show me and help me be an ambassador of that message to others around me as well, starting in my own home. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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Adapted from Robert J. Tamasy’s blog on April 13, 2020. Read the original article at http://bobtamasy.blogspot.com/2020/04/pulling-silver-linings-out-of-dark.html. Bob Tamasy has written numerous books, most recently Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC's Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Disciplemaking (90th Anniversary Edition) that is now available on Amazon. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.