This past Monday, Spain began Phase One of de-escalating the quarantine/lock-down restrictions, which feels SO good to say! We know it will be a gradual process, but we’re all ready to get back to normal! Something my coworkers and I have noticed is that being in lock-down and working from home for this long has been strangely exhausting. Some days, you wake up, throw on some comfy clothes, get your morning coffee, go into “the office,” and have a productive day of work...but for some reason you have this feeling of irritability that won’t let you go. It’s not that anything has gone particularly wrong, and it’s not that you hate working from home. It’s a nebulous sense of discontentment that you can’t shake because you can’t pin down its source...and that makes it worse!
We’ve speculated why this happens, and while I don’t have all the answers, I do believe God made us with certain needs that have been harder to meet lately, which has caused some disquiet within us.
It’s no secret that humans were designed for community! We aren’t met to do life alone. How much alone time we need is unique to each of us, but everyone feels the effects of isolation eventually. God intended for us to share our burdens, our victories, and our growth with others. Even the happiest moment loses some sheen if it’s spent alone. I’m really grateful for how intentional my coworkers have been about cultivating a strong sense of community in our team, and how they’ve seized opportunities to be together, have fun, and grow closer (at a responsible social distance ;).
Sometimes we think life would be easier if we knew what to expect at every turn, but in reality, that would get boring pretty quick! It wasn’t by mistake that God built unpredictability into life. Being made in God’s image, we have a natural appetite for wonder, creativity, and change--which don’t come as easily when every day looks the same. So it’s important to stimulate them —[something]...something as simple as learning a new skill or going for a walk on a new trail. But during this season, I’ve been so refreshed by mixing monotony with adventure (big or small).
One part of adventure that we don’t always enjoy but we desperately need is challenge. Challenge helps us grow. No athlete builds muscle without resistance, weight, and a whole lot of sweat! Excessive ease causes us to become stagnant, but when we see trials as opportunities instead of obstacles, we grow and we may even discover joy. At IMM, we’ve taken this season as an opportunity to turn evil into good. Though many are suffering right now, we’ve used the increased screen time and time at home as a chance to put Jesus on more screens and make hope viral.
A counter-intuitive truth we find in God’s word is that pouring into others fills us up. Quarantine has often left me wondering what good I’m doing for those in need. It may look different in this season, but there are still plenty of ways we can love our neighbor right now. Maybe it’s bringing groceries to someone who’s high-risk. Maybe it means getting creative to stay in touch with friends, instead of waiting for church events to resume. Whatever it looks like, may we prioritize serving others. there’s a sense of fulfillment you can only get from meeting another’s needs.
Speaking of needs, we were meant to rely on God. Jerry Bridges writes, “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of His grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.” Sometimes, we’re convinced God is distant; other times, feeling self-sufficient, we forget we need Him. It’s easy to drift to either extreme; it takes work to find balance in the middle. Today and every day, let’s center ourselves on the truth that God is the only one who can give us everything we need.
Maybe you’ve felt a strain in one or more of these areas. I’ve felt them all! Thankfully, we have a God who already knows our hearts and who delights in fulfilling their deepest needs. Poco a poco (little by little), things are getting back to normal here in Spain, and in a similar way, it’s important for us to be intentional about restoring ourselves in these areas and make sure we’re taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Here at IMM, we love praying for you. So let us know what we can pray for specifically. And, as always, if you want to get more involved with IMM, let us know!