socially distant
so·cial·ly
/ˈsōSHəlē/
adverb
in a way that relates to society or its organization.
in the company of others, especially for pleasure; in a social manner.
from the Oxford Dictionary
About 4 months ago we rang in a new decade. We stepped into the roaring 20’s. Most people my age (20) were ready to leave the 10’s behind. There was an unanimous desire for something new—a breath of fresh air. So, how do we feel now? How many of you have woken up one of these days the past few months longing for the days when you were in high school hanging out with your friends and complaining about homework? Be honest
One of my favorite movies growing up was The Prince of Egypt. I must have watched it at least a hundred times. It is an animated film that plays out the story of God delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. There were approximately 2.5 million people enslaved that were delivered by God—the equivalent of modern day Los Angeles, California. The movie does a great job telling this story, but it ends shortly after the Israelites leave Egypt. The real story was only just beginning.
Imagine this for a second. 2.5 million people who were suddenly enslaved are now free, but they have no were to go. They are looking to Moses to lead them to this land that God has promised them, but for now they are stuck in the wilderness. They are completely dependent of God for everything. He even sends them their food everyday out of the sky. They are being led by Moses, someone who is so introverted that he has his brother speak for him. Sounds pretty crazy right? The Israelites thought so too. They were just rescued out of the bondage of slavery, yet they quickly longed to be back in Egypt living as slaves. We can learn a few things from this.
We are very quick to long for the past as soon as we get uncomfortable.
We forget the promises of the future and only focus on the present suffering.
We fantasize about things of the past as if they were perfect.
We expect it to be easy.
Our current situation is not the same as the Israelites, but it is similar. I believe that things will get back to normal hopefully sooner than later, but they will never be the same. This an event that will forever be stamped in human history. I am an introvert, but social distancing still makes me uncomfortable. I totally understand the reason that we have to do it, but I love people. I love running into a friend at the store and giving them a big hug, but I can’t do that now.
The last couple of months feel like a decade. It sometimes feels like we will never get through this. Deep down I know we will. I know that God will get us through this, but even if he doesn’t he is still coming back for us, he is still working everything for the good and he is still God. Paul talks about this in Romans. We cannot focus on the present suffering; we have to hold on to the promises of God.
Just like the Israelites we fantasize about things of the past as if they were perfect, but we all know that they weren’t. 2019 had its fair share of imperfections, but we forget them because we are only focused on how bad 2020 is. We think like the Israelites. 2019 might have been bad, but at least we were comfortable in the suffering.
Have we not learned by now? We expect life to be easy, but it will never be. I say this not to be pessimistic, but to be real. 2020 will eventually come to an end and we will get through it, but 2021 is coming and it will bring its fair share of obstacles. Here’s my challenge. Embrace it. Look at this pandemic as an opportunity. Seek God’s direction in all things and he will guide you through it.
embrace it,
zackary
