It is a fact that we learn through what we suffer.
It is often true that we grow most in the valleys of life, not on the mountaintops. On the mountaintop, we become self-sufficient.
It is often through trials and hardship that we are drawn closer to God, and it is often through adversity that the image of Jesus Christ is refined in us.
When I was in high school, there was a paper poster that hung on the wall in our senior high Sunday school classroom. It wasn’t framed. I don’t recall what the picture looked like, but I remember well the caption: “There are no diamonds without intense heat and pressure.”
Across our nation and around the world, people have been feeling intense heat and pressure. Could it be that God is using COVID-19 as a wake-up call? I believe the Lord is using this virus in some very tangible ways to refine us and realign priorities. There are certainly lessons we can all learn from this experience.
Have you had any thoughts or ideas about things that need to be different in your life as we come out of this experience? Because of a slower pace and more time at home, has God been able to get your attention?
If you have decided some things need to be different after this is over, what are you doing to make sure those lessons don’t slip away? How will you avoid going back to business as usual?
I would encourage you to write down the lessons learned. Find a place to record some of the commitments you have made to yourself, to others and to God. Talk about the lessons you are learning with your spouse, your family or others who are close to you.
Wouldn’t it be awesome for life to be better because of the lessons we learned in the pandemic of 2020? That won’t happen if we forget about those lessons and go back to business as usual.
COVID-19 has surely reminded all of us that the future is not in our hands. James 4:13-15 reminds us to be careful about making plans as though God does not exist. Life is short no matter how many years we live. Hopefully, we have all learned to make the most of our time.
Don’t be deceived into thinking you have lots of time remaining to live for Christ, to enjoy your loved ones and friends and do the things you know you should do. Do those things now. Make the most of today.
Steve Greene is the lead pastor of The Point in Seymour. Read his blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or email him at [email protected]. Send comments to [email protected].