by Colleen Soldate, Director of Caring Ministries
While sheltering in place, a friend admitted openly how completely alone they felt. They disclosed how being isolated, month after month, with little human contact, left them questioning whether anyone truly cared who they were, what they did or where they were going. Now, I was thrilled to listen to the same friend cheerfully reveal the source of their newfound happiness. I was curious to learn what changed loneliness to joyfulness.
My friend shared that they were engaging in a newly formed friendship. They even confessed without hesitation that they did not feel the need to wear a mask or gloves while being together. Listening somewhat apprehensively, I wondered if the longing for companionship outweighed the mandatory safety precautions dictated by the pandemic.
Soon, a friendship that began as an occasional get-together turned into the reason to wake each morning, with the knowledge that they would soon be together. There were no limits to where the two would go each day in order to get out of the house. No fear of being exposed to the virus or stopping here and there for nourishment held them back. Their drive reminded me of something my niece, Sheila, once said when I asked here where she was going: Her response was, “I’m going to find my day.”
This had me thinking of how I find my day.
My favorite time of day is first thing in the morning. It is fresh and new with no limits to possibilities. Anything and everything could happen! I wake with a sense of excitement, rain or shine, wondering what God has instore for me each day. I believe an adventure is awaiting me and I trust that God has prepared the way.
I strive to live each moment fully anticipating that God has wonderful plans for me, even when life is challenging and painful. I try my best to recognize the plans God has for me and not to push my agenda. I chuckle to myself, imagining God watching me make my to-do lists, knowing He has other plans. When I find myself putting my to-do list before God’s plans, I try to refocus my attention from what is seen before me to God, who is unseen. There I find rest.
Gifts from God come in many forms. For my friend, this gift was a new relationship from which to find comfort from isolation. Today is a precious gift from God. I pray that each morning, I wake to unwrap this gift gratefully and tenderly, delving into its depths. For as I savor the gift of each day, I find God.
Oh, by the way, I might not have mentioned that my friend’s new relationship was with a fancy new sports car!
Until we are together,
Colleen