There have been a couple of ideas circling around in my head the past few days and I figured I might as well try to work them out on here. In fact, even though these ideas have been more prominent the past week or so they were ideas that were brought to my attention at different times over the past few months. It's funny how something that you found interesting but not particularly applicable at one time suddenly becomes more relevant. I'm feeling a tad nervous to write about this topic as I'm not trying to make a political commentary or pretend that I am a wise theologian. I hope that you can all give me grace.
As I had been reading the news lately every once and a while I came across posts about the positives things that were happening around the world (particularly in Wuhan and Italy) because of the social distancing/quarantine. One of the things that stood out again and again was the effect that this was having on the amount of pollution (both noise and air) in the cities where they were on total lock down. I read a post on Facebook where a missionary who lived in China said that she had always assumed that there either were no birds or they just weren't very loud and that suddenly they could hear all the birds outside their window. Pollution and greenhouse gases have also been down across the globe. In an article I read on BBC it said that in New York specifically the levels of pollution were down 50% compared to the same time last year. In China emissions fell by 25% at the beginning of the year (article here). This is kind of crazy to me!
Now obviously, at some point our world is going to pick back up and start at our new normal. It makes me wonder what that new normal will be and how this very extreme circumstance has given us a glimpse at the change that can happen. Not only change that can happen...but also that it is something very "doable" for all of us. By this I mean that we may have realized that we can sacrifice certain things for the good and safety of others and I wonder if we will carry some of this realization over when we are finally "released". I'm really not sure what this looks like and this actually wasn't even one of my original trains of thought when I began writing this...
I'll get back on track. In thinking about some of these environmental changes that have been taking place I was reminded of a topic that came up in our Bible Study about the Seven(th?) year jubilee. I believe that it's also called the Sabbath Year...but I digress. My understanding is that this year contained a lot of different observances including the release of people from debts or slavery and also (more applicable to this topic) allowing the land rest. This means that the land wasn't supposed to be plowed, tilled, or harvested. In our Bible study it was brought to our attention that there was a period of time where the Israelite people were actually taken from their land so that the land could "enjoy it's Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept the Sabbath to fulfill seventy years" (2 Chronicles 36:20-21).
While I was taking in all this news it got me thinking about our current environmental situation and while obviously it is not the exact same thing it does feel relevant. Maybe this is the way of God giving the world some rest- both rest for the physical earth and those of us living on it. Rest from constantly moving, producing, meeting quota, being "on the go", travelling, getting somewhere, having to meet, acting, performing, being some specific something... We are being forced to rest and being forced to give the earth rest. Rest so that we and it can breathe.
Has anyone else noticed that people are generally driving differently on the road now? People aren't rushing anywhere, because most people don't "have to" be anywhere. They are going somewhere but there's not as much pressure to be there at a certain time or to get their quickly. On the highway I'm not being passed by people going 160km/h. Everything seems slower.
I wonder how this feels for our healthcare workers and other people on the front lines, who are working in places that are busy and rushing? I'm sure this contrast seems even more extreme to them. The slow, leisurely pace compared to the beeping, moving, stressful overwhelm and pressure that I'm sure exists in many hospitals (make shift or otherwise) around the world.
The other idea that I have been pondering is the idea of suffering or trials. Obviously I am in no way suffering right now. Struggling? Yes...on some days HECK yes. Suffering? Not even close.
We were reading this book called Even Better Than Eden by Nancy Gutherie (it was a great book...I'd recommend it) In it she talks in one chapter about her understanding of suffering and trials. She shares how after she lost her daughter she struggled to understand passages like Psalm 91 which talks about how God will protect His people from "striking their foot against a stone" or "pestilence/plague" from coming close to their homes. She shares that she felt confused because these things didn't happen for her, she didn't feel protected because they experienced not only their daughter's sickness but her death.
I have struggled with these passages at times as well and in reading this chapter in Nancy Gutherie's book it brought a richer understanding to it than I had had previously. I think that often, as Christians particularly, we often feel that we shouldn't experience difficult or heartbreaking things. If we do we can come to question God or His goodness or even ourselves wondering what is wrong with us that God didn't protect us from these terrible things. Now this is such an incredibly complex and personal topic as I know many people who have gone through traumatic and terrible things...and none of this is meant to belittle the evil of those things.
I think that even if we wouldn't prescribe to the "health, wealth and prosperity gospel" we all sometimes allow this idea to penetrate into our lives in little ways.
------I have to pause here for a second and address the experience I am currently having while writing this. This is (as I said early) a super complex topic and I don't by any means think that I can address all of it in one short post. I keep thinking of all the various arguments or responses to this and I realize I can't speak to all of them. What I DO hope to do is apply it to our current experience. So, it may be slightly simplified but I hope you can forgive me. ------
I think we often forget that we live in this broken and fallen world. A world where there is something like an incredibly contagious virus that will potentially hit close to home, shut us down and shut us in. This happening is not because we have a spiteful God who hates us...it's because we live in this world that is broken. If it hits us so close to home that it causes us loss and grief and heartbreak, it's not because God didn't see us and decided we weren't worth His time protecting or because He couldn't do anything about it. It's (in some cases) because we are living at opposition with God's enemy who seeks to destroy.
Even beyond that! While we may not be protected from pain, sickness or loss we are provided with the ultimate protection through Christ. We are given the protection that nothing that matters can be taken from us- if we are followers of Christ. Nancy Guthrie says this" So now when I read Psalm 91, instead of being resentful that somehow God has failed to protect me or my family, I can see that Christ has provided the ultimate protection. I am sheltered in the shadow of the Almighty, and nothing can ultimately harm me...He never promised that [my children] would never face danger or death in this life. But he has promised to gather his own to himself, where he will protect them from ultimate and eternal harm."
I'm not sure I can add anything to that. It's powerful and complete in the thought as it is. It's just been something I've been finding more applicable in this time and it's helped me have a perspective shift at times when I start reading the news and feeling overwhelmed by it all. I know that I am ultimately and eternally protected...even if in this life on this earth I (or my children, husband, family, friends) physically or emotionally am not.
I'm realizing as I'm getting to the end of this that this specific outlook isn't particularly a hopeful one if you aren't a follower of Christ. The hopeful, wonderful part of that, however, is that you can be! This hope can be yours. So I'll hold onto that hope for you, reader, if it isn't a hope you grasped for yourself yet.
I think that this is a long enough post for now, thanks for reading!
As I had been reading the news lately every once and a while I came across posts about the positives things that were happening around the world (particularly in Wuhan and Italy) because of the social distancing/quarantine. One of the things that stood out again and again was the effect that this was having on the amount of pollution (both noise and air) in the cities where they were on total lock down. I read a post on Facebook where a missionary who lived in China said that she had always assumed that there either were no birds or they just weren't very loud and that suddenly they could hear all the birds outside their window. Pollution and greenhouse gases have also been down across the globe. In an article I read on BBC it said that in New York specifically the levels of pollution were down 50% compared to the same time last year. In China emissions fell by 25% at the beginning of the year (article here). This is kind of crazy to me!
Now obviously, at some point our world is going to pick back up and start at our new normal. It makes me wonder what that new normal will be and how this very extreme circumstance has given us a glimpse at the change that can happen. Not only change that can happen...but also that it is something very "doable" for all of us. By this I mean that we may have realized that we can sacrifice certain things for the good and safety of others and I wonder if we will carry some of this realization over when we are finally "released". I'm really not sure what this looks like and this actually wasn't even one of my original trains of thought when I began writing this...
I'll get back on track. In thinking about some of these environmental changes that have been taking place I was reminded of a topic that came up in our Bible Study about the Seven(th?) year jubilee. I believe that it's also called the Sabbath Year...but I digress. My understanding is that this year contained a lot of different observances including the release of people from debts or slavery and also (more applicable to this topic) allowing the land rest. This means that the land wasn't supposed to be plowed, tilled, or harvested. In our Bible study it was brought to our attention that there was a period of time where the Israelite people were actually taken from their land so that the land could "enjoy it's Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept the Sabbath to fulfill seventy years" (2 Chronicles 36:20-21).
While I was taking in all this news it got me thinking about our current environmental situation and while obviously it is not the exact same thing it does feel relevant. Maybe this is the way of God giving the world some rest- both rest for the physical earth and those of us living on it. Rest from constantly moving, producing, meeting quota, being "on the go", travelling, getting somewhere, having to meet, acting, performing, being some specific something... We are being forced to rest and being forced to give the earth rest. Rest so that we and it can breathe.
Has anyone else noticed that people are generally driving differently on the road now? People aren't rushing anywhere, because most people don't "have to" be anywhere. They are going somewhere but there's not as much pressure to be there at a certain time or to get their quickly. On the highway I'm not being passed by people going 160km/h. Everything seems slower.
I wonder how this feels for our healthcare workers and other people on the front lines, who are working in places that are busy and rushing? I'm sure this contrast seems even more extreme to them. The slow, leisurely pace compared to the beeping, moving, stressful overwhelm and pressure that I'm sure exists in many hospitals (make shift or otherwise) around the world.
The other idea that I have been pondering is the idea of suffering or trials. Obviously I am in no way suffering right now. Struggling? Yes...on some days HECK yes. Suffering? Not even close.
We were reading this book called Even Better Than Eden by Nancy Gutherie (it was a great book...I'd recommend it) In it she talks in one chapter about her understanding of suffering and trials. She shares how after she lost her daughter she struggled to understand passages like Psalm 91 which talks about how God will protect His people from "striking their foot against a stone" or "pestilence/plague" from coming close to their homes. She shares that she felt confused because these things didn't happen for her, she didn't feel protected because they experienced not only their daughter's sickness but her death.
I have struggled with these passages at times as well and in reading this chapter in Nancy Gutherie's book it brought a richer understanding to it than I had had previously. I think that often, as Christians particularly, we often feel that we shouldn't experience difficult or heartbreaking things. If we do we can come to question God or His goodness or even ourselves wondering what is wrong with us that God didn't protect us from these terrible things. Now this is such an incredibly complex and personal topic as I know many people who have gone through traumatic and terrible things...and none of this is meant to belittle the evil of those things.
I think that even if we wouldn't prescribe to the "health, wealth and prosperity gospel" we all sometimes allow this idea to penetrate into our lives in little ways.
------I have to pause here for a second and address the experience I am currently having while writing this. This is (as I said early) a super complex topic and I don't by any means think that I can address all of it in one short post. I keep thinking of all the various arguments or responses to this and I realize I can't speak to all of them. What I DO hope to do is apply it to our current experience. So, it may be slightly simplified but I hope you can forgive me. ------
I think we often forget that we live in this broken and fallen world. A world where there is something like an incredibly contagious virus that will potentially hit close to home, shut us down and shut us in. This happening is not because we have a spiteful God who hates us...it's because we live in this world that is broken. If it hits us so close to home that it causes us loss and grief and heartbreak, it's not because God didn't see us and decided we weren't worth His time protecting or because He couldn't do anything about it. It's (in some cases) because we are living at opposition with God's enemy who seeks to destroy.
Even beyond that! While we may not be protected from pain, sickness or loss we are provided with the ultimate protection through Christ. We are given the protection that nothing that matters can be taken from us- if we are followers of Christ. Nancy Guthrie says this" So now when I read Psalm 91, instead of being resentful that somehow God has failed to protect me or my family, I can see that Christ has provided the ultimate protection. I am sheltered in the shadow of the Almighty, and nothing can ultimately harm me...He never promised that [my children] would never face danger or death in this life. But he has promised to gather his own to himself, where he will protect them from ultimate and eternal harm."
I'm not sure I can add anything to that. It's powerful and complete in the thought as it is. It's just been something I've been finding more applicable in this time and it's helped me have a perspective shift at times when I start reading the news and feeling overwhelmed by it all. I know that I am ultimately and eternally protected...even if in this life on this earth I (or my children, husband, family, friends) physically or emotionally am not.
I'm realizing as I'm getting to the end of this that this specific outlook isn't particularly a hopeful one if you aren't a follower of Christ. The hopeful, wonderful part of that, however, is that you can be! This hope can be yours. So I'll hold onto that hope for you, reader, if it isn't a hope you grasped for yourself yet.
I think that this is a long enough post for now, thanks for reading!
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