Six months ago, faced with the challenges of Covid-19, we hoped that things would soon get back to normal. Now we are being told that it will be part of our lives for a long time; it will be a ‘long struggle’.
How do we cope with anxiety, loneliness and disappointments in ourselves and those around us?
Motivation: We find those things that help us enjoy good days and survive difficult days. Our friends, families, work, the things we enjoy doing, the places we enjoy going…
Inspiration: We look outside ourselves: the walk through the woods, the smells of autumn…; and the people – the old lady who is always smiling, the small child who is growing and developing…
Dedication: We recognise and understand ‘vocation’; we work out our purpose and responsibilities. We rediscover and reaffirm commitment to those we love and those who depend on us.
Celebration: We look for occasions to celebrate; we remember birthdays and anniversaries. We show gratitude to those around us; we recognise and appreciate what we can do and achieve.
Transformation: In our negative, critical, destructive and worried world we are deliberately different. Purposefully looking for the good, positive and wholesome we seek to be agents of change…
Determination: Some days we just need to get on with it, with strength, courage and sometimes sheer bloody-mindedness, to live, to love, to do and to be the people we should be.
Musing on Romans 12… these ideas are put in a faith context:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…
St Paul may not have faced Covid-19 but his words are still relevant for the long struggle.
malcolmsmusings.org 