I feel like we are in the messy middle of COVID-19. At least we are here in Mississippi, where we might be hitting a flatter curve as I type this, but our numbers aren’t decreasing enough to say the curve is going down.
In the beginning everything was #inthistogether, but right now #wedontknow feels more honest.
We are used to gathering facts from experts and drawing conclusions from those facts. But that is not the way things are working right now. There are no experts because we are all living through this in real time, and “this” doesn’t even look the same for each person. The whole world feels stuck in a crazy experiment where data is still being gathered before any hypothesis can be tested. We want concrete answers and there just aren’t any.
So what do you do when there are endless opinions being thrown around, and every 100%-for-sure-fact is proven inaccurate within 24 hours? You learn that it’s okay to say a few important things.
It’s ok to say “This is a really strange time.” We can acknowledge that little about 2020 has been predictable or planned.
It’s ok to say “I don’t know.”
I feel like I say that to my kids all day long. ” What will school look like in the fall?” “When can we go roller skating or shopping or to the movies? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.
For real. I don’t know. All I know for sure is that what we know changes every single day.
And here’s the truth: We know what we know today, and our decisions reflect that knowledge. Will our knowledge tomorrow or next week look different? Yes. But we can’t make today’s decisions based on next week’s knowledge. All we can do is the best we can with the information we have.
It’s okay to say “I don’t feel comfortable with this.”
Beneath the uproar on either side of the “to re-open or not to re-open” dilemma, I am hearing a constant need for direction. During this time, we can find direction by paying attention to what is best for our situation and giving others grace to do the same.
I learned this during another unplanned, unexpected, uncertain time in my life. For a few years one of my daughters experienced seizures. Some were caused by fever, some were unexplained. So, whenever an illness went around that caused fever, we stayed home. If my daughter seemed off, or things weren’t quite right, we stayed home. I couldn’t control the seizures, so I controlled what I could to keep my girl safe.
When I put my head on my pillow at night, I had peace that I had done everything I knew to do. As we tracked her seizures, I learned more, and my decisions reflected that knowledge.
Did I disappoint people when I canceled plans? Did I look wishy-washy to others? Yes to both. But I learned to trust my knowledge of our situation, I learned that others recover from disappointment, and that disappointing others isn’t fatal.
It’s okay to say “I’m not okay right now.”
During any given day, I can go from describing this extra time with my family as awesome, awful, and every shade between. I can watch the news, trusting in God’s sovereignty and feeling overwhelmingly anxious during one news story. Emotions are complex, especially during uncertain times. Reaching out to others to tell them that you’ve had a rough day really helps.
One thing I do know is that uncertain times don’t last forever. This messy middle will eventually give way to the end, and this true for COVID-19 as well. What we learn from this time, how we allow this time to shape us, that is what will last.
#livingboldlyinabrokenworld isn’t easy, but it is possible. When storms swirl all around us, it’s difficult to keep our eyes fixed on God’s truth. I’ve gathered the truths that help me through the storms of life into a pdf, Truths that Anchor in the Storm. These verses aren’t lifeboats, pulling me out of the storm, they are anchors to help me stand inside the storm. I hope they will help you as well. Click on the side bar to receive your copy today.