COVID-19: Peace In The Storm

One of the goals of fear is to take your focus and attention away from what really matters to those things that do not matter so much. It takes your mind away from those things that will last for lifetimes and keeps you focused on those things that could disappear any minute.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19, the virus has sparked such fear that most of us have only seen in war movies. Everyone’s attention is on the virus, our prayers are targeted at the virus, virtually everything we do presently seems to have something to do with the virus. It would seem like life’s course has taken a pause as the current Queen Corona takes the center stage.

Do not get me wrong, there will be no life to look forward to if this pandemic does not end, and every effort put into the fight is well worth it.

However, I strongly believe that it would be very dangerous to put so much focus on today and not keep an eye on tomorrow. In the words of a TedX speaker who recently gave a talk on the virus, “this is not going to be the last outbreak the world will see”. It isn’t the first anyway… But this is not the focus of my message to you.

Have you ever stood on a balcony, far away from the ground and then looked down? It feels like the floor is calling you right? But imagine your focus is on your standing which is far above the ground, your confidence grows.

Jesus and his friends were travelling to a nearby city by boat and suddenly the waves began to beat the boat, tossing it here and there. His friends were pretty scared, they were beginning to sink while Jesus, who was on the same boat was sleeping. Why would different people being exposed to the same conditions respond differently?

It’s simple, while some were focused on the storms, the other was at peace because he was fully convinced about who was with him even during the storm.

While there are so much chaos and pandemic right now, where is your focus? Is it on the conspiracy theories flying around? Or the latest fatalities recorded around the world? That can be really dangerous and could draw you to fear. And fear has torment.

Now, I know this is easier said than done; the information age we are in has enabled the spread of all sorts of news such that we can hardly control what we see or hear. Here is the thing though, you may not have control over what you see or hear, but you have control over how you respond to what you see and hear. This control is the proof of peace in the storm.

This control ensures that you are not tossed here and thereby the storms. It ensures a firm grip on your direction regardless of the raging storms.

The reason this is so hard is that we are incapable of taking control by ourselves. We are just not strong enough. Our emotions will easily give us away and fear feeds on our emotions.

Jesus was not in control during the storm because of self-discipline. He took control in the midst of the storm because his heart was fixed on a power far greater than the storms. He knew where he was standing; far above principalities and powers, and chose to focus on his standing than the movements around him.

Here is what I am saying; after the storm, there is an amazing view, a beautiful place accompanied with rest and a great calm. But you will not enjoy this if all you are thinking about is the storm, the pandemic.

This is the best time to reclaim your standing and strengthen your foothold, thereby gaining control of your life. Such that everyone else might be tossed to wherever, but you keep moving in the direction that has been set for you.

A final word:

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