Public domain
We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging to bring you this special commentary related to the coronavirus:
The coronavirus isn’t the first pandemic. It just feels that way, due in part to the 24/7 news cycle and social media.
So what are we to do with this, in this? Another perspective:
- During WWII, when Great Britain was bracing for the blitz, C.S. Lewis began a radio broadcast that became the classic book, Mere Christianity.
- Isaac Newton was twenty years old when the Great Plague forced people into the 1600 version of social distancing. During his year away from Cambridge, Newton articulated the theory of gravity.
- Under house arrest, the Apostle Paul wrote much of the New Testament.
We’re all “on restriction.” Plans on hold. Treading water. Waiting. Sure, it’s a hassle. But let’s not stop there. Let’s turn “treading water” on its head. Like this:
Making Optimum Use of Down Time
What creative, life-changing, world-impacting ideas are inside you, waiting for enough distraction-free ‘down time’ to take root and flower?
How can you use this time to show kindness and compassion to someone who’s struggling?
We could spend this time binge-watching on Netflix. Glued to social media. Freaking out. Hoarding T.P. and bottled water.
Or we could spend it thinking deeply. Changing the world.
A Place to Start
A place to start? John Eldredge’s fine new book, Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad. “We can thrive, despite the madness.”
I read it twice in three days. It’s that good.
We’ll get through this. Just like we have in the past. Maybe you can start with getting your life back?
In the meantime, happy spring! Let’s not forget joy and beauty and grace during this season of waiting.
Pages & Paws 