...and reading the endless negative news about impending doom, and you feel a low-grade panic from the time you get out of bed in the morning. (And if you have kids, multiply the above by the number of kids you have!) Welcome to Pandemic 2020 (I'm sure the movie will be coming soon to a theater near you!) Here's the three things that are helping me the most right now:
Have a great quiet time every morning and read or listen to as much faith-building material as I can get my hands on.
Get outside and walk (6 feet away from others of course). Lisa and I are taking daily walks at the park by our house, and Ty and Tiff and Kyle and Amanda are taking their babies in strollers while Finn rides his tricycle. It's just a really great, daily activity for families of any size.
Look for creative ways to love and serve others. The more I give to others, the better I feel inside. Jesus is right: "It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)."
So, how do we "spread love, not germs" during this crazy time in our lives? HOPE Worldwide lists these great ideas on their website:
Call someone and encourage them
Send a text to a friend or neighbor
Use social media to share a voice of hope and love
Pray with someone using FaceTime or video chat
Share online educational tools/resources with families homeschooling
Order groceries and supplies online for the elderly and those without internet access
Be creative with how we can love digitally
And here's some other creative, fun ideas:
How about singing a song and sending it to someone in your house church to make them smile?
Bake some cookies and drop them off at someone's doorstep (make it a neighbor and include a scripture to open up future spiritual conversations)
Make a silly video and send it to a family in the church with little kids to entertain them (include their names so they feel special). (Get your kids involved in the video and it will entertain both your family and theirs!)
Call an older member and ask how they're doing. If they need computer help, offer to walk them through how to watch the livestreams on Sunday or download an app on their phone.
Write a poem and post it somewhere, make origami and send a picture of it, draw or paint something and send a picture of it to someone with a silly caption or a warm dedication.
the possibilities are endless!
What are you doing to serve others right now? Be creative! Give what you've uniquely got! And remember, it really is "more blessed to give than to receive". Love, Jeff