Haunted House

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I am quarantined in a haunted house.  I bet you are, too.  I use bullet journaling to keep myself organized and as I was going through my notes today, I found ghosts there,  ghosts like "Lily's opening night" and "James starts baseball", ghosts like "book study" and "choir practice."  

The life gone missing is tangible sometimes, as well as the fear of what we will miss ahead of us.  Is Easter fading away in front of our eyes?  The echoes of ghastly voices qualify everything now, "IF we go back to school." "IF church camp happens." 

Don't get me wrong.  There is great joy in this time of slowness and solitude. And I have so much for which to be desperately grateful.  Even so, it really is o.k. to mourn our losses, even the ones that are significant only to us.  It is o.k. to mourn normalcy, even if not many of your plans have changed.  It is o.k. to mourn with and for all of those the world has lost.   It is o.k. to mourn our feeling of safety.  

If we don't acknowledge our grief, we cannot get past it to find the joy in our current state of life, nor can we accept the comfort that God longs to give us.  I find comfort in these words from Isaiah:
              "do not fear, for I am with you,
               do not be afraid, for I am your God;
               I will strengthen you, I will help you,
               I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
                                                                                 Isaiah 41:10
I love the imagery of being held in God's hands, not only for the victory I find there, but for the comfort and peace.

Prayer for the Day: O God of comfort and peace, of strength and victory, heal the world, both from the COVID-19 virus and from all of those differences between us that are highlighted in the midst of crisis.  Bless those who mourn, and help us to be a blessing from each of our sanctuaries.    In Christ's name we pray, Amen.