“Never waste a crisis”
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as shelter-in-place mandates were decreed and churches were scrambling to make sure they stayed firmly connected to one another, a wise friend reminded me of these words by Sir Winston Churchill. His statement, given in my title above, was borne out of World War II, when his nation suffered terror and suffering beyond imagination for those of us who did not live through it. As we survey the loss of life and damage done by the pandemic, his words ring true. And yet, if we are not careful, in the hurry to get back to a normal—new or not—we run the risk of neglecting the lessons taught in this season of trial and heartache. We do so at our own present, and perhaps future, peril.
Here are three simple lessons I have seen God actively teaching me during these days:
1. Slow down.
In the past two and a half months, the virus has forced most of us to curtail much of what we were doing. And like most of America, I had typically filled my day with activity and busyness that seemed important. Staying at home ended that. After the initial panic and its flurry of new activity, coaching and counsel helped me crystallize a more helpful, rather than frenzied, routine. As a result, I’ve spent more time reading and sleeping, hours saved from travel to multiple meetings and appointments. And I’m making a determined effort to fill my life with gratitude, rather than give in to panic and fear.
2. Prioritize what’s important.
This quarter has reminded us of the role of “essential workers,” and for these individuals we should be profoundly thankful. We owe them a great deal of gratitude for their service on our behalf, even at severe risk to their own health and well-being. Their work has caused me to evaluate my own, to see what is truly essential, and what is not. Sadly, I’ve found much of what I did to fall into the category of “urgent” but not truly “essential.” Now, I spend more time in prayer with my God, making memories with my family, and building eternity-impacting relationships that will outlast my lifetime.
3. Let God be God.
One of the most obvious and telling lessons for me in this season of life has been the strong and abiding confidence that God is truly in control. This has been a much needed corrective for me, as I have a tendency to try and control my environment, and if I am honest, sometimes even the outcomes of my efforts. I have been forced to learn greater trust and dependence on God. And this has been remarkably easy for me, since it was so obvious the circumstances were not something within my ability to control. In addition, I have leaned into spiritual formation and the value of sabbath in new ways that have strengthened and refreshed me considerably.
Now, I readily admit, these are my experiences and lessons taught by God in the midst of this tempest. They may not be yours. But for me, they are lessons learned, not simply taught.
Early in the COVID-19 crisis, God reminded me that I needed a Matthew 6:34 perspective. For most of my life, I have lived in Matthew 6:33, the prior verse, which commands us to seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, a necessary prerequisite for the following verse. But God showed me that Matthew 6:34 is a command, too: “live one day at a time, for each day has enough concerns of its own.” Living in the present moment has been the message most affirming and helpful to me throughout this winter of our discontent. For God is there, in every pregnant moment, filling it with opportunity and meaning.
Never waste a crisis.
Dr. David Jackson serves as the director of church planting & strategy at the Baptist Convention of New England.