God Does Not Tire
Tired and Weary
No doubt about it, this was a tense and anxious week; election, coronavirus spiking across the world and in our towns, hospitals nearing capacity, family who are sick (though not with Covid), and the constant struggle of life balance. I, like the rest of our nation, am weary, tired, and in need rest.
Relief
And so it came as a welcomed relief to experience our first significant rainfall (for our area) in seven months! It is after the rain and in the quiet of the morn, I feel peacefulness all around. The songbirds are singing while fluttering about and playing in the remnants of a puddle. The air is crisp, my breath visable as I stood in the midst of my garden, I sense God’s restorative hand at work. The feeling of tranquility makes me linger.
God Never Tires
I recall Isaiah 41:28 “God never grows weary or tired”. I smile and realized that when I change my perspective and focus my thoughts towards the Lord, not only can I witness the beauty of His creation but my weariness has lifted. Isaiah 41: 31, “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount with wings like eagles; they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. ”
Designed for a Purpose
Scary Decorations?
Halloween is almost here and decorations are displayed in stores and in our neighborhood. Of all the decorations the skeleton is meant to scare and frighten. This may sound crazy, but when I see the skeleton I think of how each bone works together. The skeleton has purpose. If a bone was by itself, it is just a bone; yet when joined together the bones form an important framework for our bodies.
The Challenge
The next time you see a skeleton decoration I challenge you to look upon the decorations to view the skeleton as a beautfiul important piece of God’s handiwork. The bones, like the muscles, organs, and skin are all important and are designed to work together.
God’s Design
God designed each one of us for a purpose, uniquely made, but with a similar design. The design is human, but our mind and souls are unique. As we journey through life our capabilities change over time, but God ensures that whatever station we are in life, we are useful. Afterall we are designed by the greatest creator of all.
To Your Health
A sober truth of my attitude of frustration during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a member of the LCPC Reopening committee it should surprise no one that I stayed current with the CDC COVID-19 information, State and County guidelines. In addition I read peer review articles from the Journal of the American Medicine Association (JAMA), the Journal of American Osteopathic Association (JAOA), and information from the Mayo Clinic. Not only was the reading part of the LCPC Reopening committee, but this is very personal as members of my family are in the health care profession.
STATISTICS
As of this writing, the world’s death rate is over 805,000, and in the United States it is over 176,000 according the John Hopkins data https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html. Unfortunately that is only part of the picture. Not all states (including CA, IL, DE, LA, MI, MO, NE, NC, TX and Dist. of Columbia) report the total number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Of the states that do report, over 358,000 people have been hospitalized according to https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_coronavirus_hospitalizations.
With numbers so large we have become numb to the human toll. Too many Americans having an attitude that somehow wearing a mask infringes on their personal freedom, or disregard to social distancing. It is as if mankind has forgotten that we are to love our neighbor as our selves.
FRIENDS and FAMILY
It is because I want you…. my friend, my neighbor, my family, to be in my life. I had several of my co-workers, lose family members: a sister, a cousin, and a grandmother to COVID-19 and “attended” the funeral via ZOOM. My gawd how devastating and heartbreaking. My brother-in-law just lost a colleague he used to work with; in-fact he has lost three. Three health care workers, lives lost too soon. Last week when I talked to a friend of mine, she shared that her cousin has been on a ventilator since July and how the family is praying for a miracle.
CHURCH
LCPC just held our first outdoor worship service and it was great to come and worship together. Everyone wore their masks and were reminded of the 6ft social distance. LCPC worked hard to reopen. We want to stay open so we can come together to worship our Lord; together as the body of Christ. As individuals we must take this pandemic seriously. Let us stay diligent with our safety precautions, it is then that we demonstrate our love of our neighbor.