We need each other!
This statement is always right, but it is easy to get into rhythms of life and ministry where we forget it. Things like COVID19 catapult us out of those ruts and help us remember that we are stronger together.
We need each other!
Our culture here in the United States fights against us. Our belief and commitment to individualism and personal rights sometimes cause us to want to think of ourselves and what is best for us instead of what is best for the whole community. Crises, like what we are facing, push us beyond those beliefs to actions that respect and help those around us.
We need each other!
Learning to be dependent on others is hard. It seems wrong sometimes. Shouldn’t we be able to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps? Nothing could be further from the biblical truth. “Apart from me, you can do nothing” should be coming to mind. We need to be Jesus to each other right now, and we need to humbly accept help from those around us.
We need each other!
Self-sacrifice is difficult. We don’t often have to live a sacrificial lifestyle, though, in Jesus’ kingdom, we should. Limiting our freedom, living with less, and giving more than we can afford to give to help someone else may make the difference for those around us. What would Jesus do?
We need each other!
In our new normal during this pandemic, social distancing and stay at home orders create unnatural separation. Caring for shut-in loved ones has become nearly impossible. Personal connections are limited to what can be done screen to screen instead of face to face. We need to step up the frequency of interaction with those we love, and others with whom we come into “contact.”
We need each other!
Wearing face coverings is uncomfortable. Isolation can become unbearable. Let these things drive us to understand those who live this kind of life day in and day out under normal circumstances. Let’s use this time to grow in our understanding of how others live and create new ways to reach out to them with the love of Jesus.
Live lives that reflect Jesus today, tomorrow, and every day, now during this pandemic and every day after things return to “normal” again. Let the positive changes in our actions toward each other become habits that continue, “fruit that remains” until the work is done and Jesus returns.