No Ordinary Day

“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24

On Saturday, my daughter and I were texting each other, just keeping tabs on one another in this time of challenge and concern.  I told her that I was going to the garden center at the Home Depot, but I would decide whether to get out of the car when I got there.  On the way there, I saw shopping centers that were closed.  There were no cars at McDonald’s except a few in the drive thru.  I thought Home Depot would be the same, but when I got there, it was hard to find a parking spot.  Well, I was already there, so I might as well get out of the car and look for some azalea plants.  I kept my distance from others, wearing my gloves, but I didn’t see anyone else wearing gloves.  It was like any other normal Saturday at the building supply store except that it might have been busier than other times when I visited on a Saturday.  Those stores which remain open are doing a brisk business.  It doesn’t take long at all for folks to get “cabin fever” especially as the weather warms up.

My daughter had replied that she missed being able to go places, but she and my son-in-law do not want to take their children out into the public.  She also said that she was grateful that she could still work from home, but keeping the kids entertained was tough.  However, she added that it was really not worth complaining about.  I replied that if you and your family are healthy, there is a roof over your heads, clothes to wear, and food to eat, there is really nothing to complain about.  The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 6:7-8, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”  A person who is content is a person at peace.  It is the striving for bigger and better that causes stress.  There is nothing wrong with trying to improve your lot in life but if money and material things are one’s main goal, then that man or woman will never be satisfied no matter how much they accumulate.  Like the rich man said when asked how much is enough, he said, “Just a little bit more.”

The thing is, we are all on this journey together.  The coronavirus doesn’t discriminate.  It is harder on the old folks and those with pre-existing medical problems, but some of them are improving if what was reported on line is true.  Many of us tend to be worry warts, but most of the things we worry about do not happen.  I don’t think that I have ever given a thought to a worldwide pandemic occurring in my lifetime.  It seems like, though, ever since I can remember, there has always been something that was going to take us all out.  In elementary school, we had to do drills to try and survive an atomic bomb.  Then a few years later, we went through bomb threats called into our high school.  During the time of the Vietnam War, drugs became epidemic, and now we have the opioid epidemic, not to mention the mass shootings that we have experienced over the last few years.  And then there is all the hype about climate change (haven’t heard much about that lately).  No wonder many of us are living day to day in a nearly constant state of anxiety.  I was talking to a co-worker, and he said, “Everybody just chill.  Follow the guidelines about keeping yourself safe, but don’t constantly dwell on the pandemic.”  I have noticed one thing:  I am getting very few robocalls.  I suppose these telemarketers figure that we are definitely not interested in whatever it is that they are selling.  When this pandemic has subsided, we will probably get more robocalls than we count.  But for now we had better watch out for the scammers and flimflam artists.  Unscrupulous folks will take advantage of a crisis.

The above quoted verse tells us that today is a day that God has given us.  It is up to us how we are going to spend this day, in worry or in gratitude for all the blessings that God has provided us.  Don’t go borrowing tomorrow’s troubles.  It might be cloudy where you are, but know the sun is still in the sky, God is still on His throne in heaven, and He doesn’t miss a beat.  A sparrow can’t fall to the ground without His knowledge, and we are much more valuable than a sparrow (Matthew 10:29-31).  I am going to stay informed about what’s going on, but rather than clinging on every word spoken on Fox News or CNN, I am going to keep my focus on the Lord, rejoice in Him, and remain in His Word.  Perhaps you might consider joining me?  It sure beats worrying and fretting.