Mar
26
2020
The Endgame
Posted in Daily Living 4 Comments
The roads are empty.
No one seems to be driving.
With a stay at home order from our governor, needless trips are not allowed.
Only those things that are life sustaining can be done.
Living in the country, the roads are never as busy as city streets.
However, some roads are busier than others at certain times of day.
But not now.
Now, the number of cars are at a minimum.
I actually had to go to the grocery store.
I went to a small market near my home.
I wore disposable gloves.
Nothing touched my skin at all.
There were some people scattered about the market.
However, as I shopped with my cart, I was alone on every aisle.
Every aisle.
When I got to the cash register, there was a line of blue tape on the floor.
Only the person actually checking out was allowed near the register.
I had to wait until the cashier called me to come forward.
The sign said so.
I waited while the young man cleaned the belt from the last person’s groceries.
Life is so different from what it was a month ago.
It is different from what it was a week ago.
It is different from what it was a day ago.
What is the endgame?
Can life ever truly get back to the way it was before the virus infected the world?
I have been pondering that question.
I am not thinking of it in a fatalistic way at all.
I am thinking of it in a tender way.
I have seen more children outside on their bikes.
I have seen fathers playing basketball with their sons on the driveway.
I have seen more people walking; a smile and a six-foot-apart wave is all we can share.
I have seen more togetherness and less separateness.
Families are playing board games.
Families are doing jigsaw puzzles together.
Movies are being watched that were on the, when I get around to it, list.
More books are being read.
The internet and social media are being used to encourage.
People are checking in on each other.
Neighbors are caring for neighbors in creative ways.
New ways to help others are being discovered and implemented.
Businessmen are not traveling.
Meetings are taking place over conference calls.
Work is being done remotely.
What was never thought possible is now the way of things.
Churches are live-streaming Sunday services on their public Facebook page.
The Gospel is going forth, reaching people far beyond the four walls of the church building.
Prayer is happening on Facebook Live at certain times during the day.
Small groups are meeting remotely.
Sermons are archived so that many can listen at a later time and share with others.
Worship teams are coming up with creative ways to lead others in song without being together.
People are talking about the Lord they are clinging to in this crisis.
People are beginning to listen.
What is the endgame?
Can we really go back to the way things were before this all began?
Do we want to?
Has this virus brought us back to basics and slowed down our frenetic pace?
We have more time to listen to each other.
We have more time to be together.
We have more meals together as a family.
We are doing fun things that do not require driving in a car.
We are spending more time at home than ever before.
We are talking to each other more.
We are listening to the quiet that is all around us and enjoying it.
We are enjoying building blanket forts and pillow houses.
We are readjusting our priorities.
We are deciding what is really important.
We are choosing what is necessary.
We are putting aside what can wait for another time.
We are not running on autopilot for the first time in a long time.
We are strolling through our days instead of operating at light speed.
We are clearing our calendars.
We are breathing again.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
(Mark 6:31)
Jesus is our starting point.
Jesus walks with us.
Jesus is with us at every detour along the way.
Jesus is our endgame.
Jesus is calling us to come away with Him.
He wants us to breathe in the wind of the Spirit.
He wants us to drink deeply of the Living Water.
He wants us to be nourished on the Bread of Life.
At every stopping point and every fork in the road, there is Jesus.
As the road twists, and turns, and darkens, there is Jesus.
We have no reason to be afraid.
The endgame is Jesus.
an excellent post!! thank ytou
Thank you, Rita!
I’m delighted you were blessed!
Gina
What a good post! I’ve been thinking the same things! I’m praying that many will turn to the Lord for strength and their faith will be renewed or perhaps found. Truly this may be a time of resurrection!
A time of resurrection.
Amen, Sue!