A little girl was walking home from church one Sunday with her Dad when she turned to her father and said; 鈥淒addy, the minister鈥檚 sermon this morning confused me.鈥�
The father said, 鈥淥h? Why is that?鈥�
The little girl replied, 鈥淲ell, she said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?鈥�
The father replied, 鈥淵es honey, that is true.鈥�
Then the little girl went on. 鈥淎nd the minister said that God also lives in us. Is that true Daddy?鈥�
The father replied, 鈥淵es, that is also true.鈥�
鈥淲ell,鈥� said the little girl, 鈥淚f God鈥檚 bigger than us, and also lives in us, wouldn鈥檛 God show through?鈥�
With COVID-19 abating and what some are calling a return to pre-pandemic life, one might think that everything is going to be smooth sailing. But as I check in with my own feelings and as I talk with others, I realize that underneath the obvious feelings of relief and excitement there is a certain amount of fear and trepidation. Which is quite understandable. Because even though it looks like we are going to be able to put the worst of this coronavirus in the rearview mirror, we will still have numerous adjustments to make. We are not the same people we were back in March 2020. Our world is not the same either.
And so, after 16 months of relative isolation we may find ourselves feeling uncomfortable as things open up again. And after a complete upheaval to our routines more than a year ago we may find that even doing simple things will cause anxiety and perhaps even resistance. Some are calling this time a transition into a 鈥渘ew normal鈥�. But as Patsy Clairmont said in her book by the same name, 鈥渘ormal is just a setting on your dryer鈥�. In other words, there will be nothing 鈥渘ormal鈥� when it comes to dealing with our changed lives in the midst of a changed world. Nothing 鈥渘ormal鈥� about it at all. Thankfully however, as we navigate these abnormal times, we are not alone. There is help.
Chapter 5 of Galatians sums up nine characteristics of a community or person living in sync with God and in harmony with the Holy Spirit when it says; 鈥渢he fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians also reminds us of the great commandment to 鈥渓ove your neighbour as yourself.鈥�
The next few months are going to be both exciting and stressful for all of us. As we begin our post-pandemic lives, my prayer is that our words and our actions may be ripe with the fruit of the Spirit so that 鈥淕od can show through us鈥� bringing hope to people and places where it will surely be needed.
