It was March 13th I believe and I was at the beach enjoying time with my whole family (kiddos were in town) when we started getting news that schools, sporting events, retail stores and the like were shutting down. Soon after the “shelter in place”order (some people call it being in quarantine) was issued by local, state, and federal authorities.
For the first couple of weeks I was okay with the “shelter in place” business. After all, it gave me an excellent excuse to watch old reruns of Magnum PI without guilt. But soon enough I grew weary of it, not with Tom Selleck, but staying away from people.
It was then I realized I was starving.
And I don’t mean starving as in hungry for food. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was invading my fully stocked pantry several times a day plundering the spoils of my Covid19 food supply. Nope that wasn’t the problem.
I was starving for community.
Now I’m the first to admit I like scrolling through social media when I’m waiting —waiting in a doctors office, waiting at a stop light, waiting for the gas tank to fill, waiting for water to boil. But scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, even Face-timing with friends wasn’t filling my void.
When the question was posed to me recently, “What do you think God is teaching you through this season?” I wasn’t sure. But then my husband got a phone call.
It was from David’s brother saying their father, Ray, who was in the hospital due to a fall, was being taken to hospice and we should come.
We threw a few things in the car, including our hand sanitizer, masks and wipes and were off within the hour. (This is huge for me as normally I’m an over achiever packer.)
After four and a half hours of driving, one bathroom break and crossing the forbidden Florida Georgia state line, we arrived at hospice. My first thought was, we have a large family, twenty or so, how are we going to do this? Are they going to let us all in there to be with my father-in-law? Will we have to wear a mask and stand six feet apart?
I walked in hesitant, unsure of what the proper protocol was for this out of place, shelter in place situation. But when we saw the family, David’s brother, sisters and spouses, who incidentally were also quarantining themselves, the masks came down and the arms came out … and around. By the next day all the walls that were involuntarily inflicted on us were gone.
And I wasn’t hungry anymore. I was full. (Of course that didn’t stop me from eating!)
I understood now what God was trying to teach me, … us. At least in part.
We are made for community and our dependance on technology is killing us.
It is virtually impossible to meet the needs of communing with each other via a virtual community. Click To TweetWe have substituted social media and that includes text messaging, for personal presence —voice to voice, touch to touch. We can’t see that it isn’t filling our void until the void is real and tangible.
Sheltering in place feels out of place because it is not a part of God’s plan for us. Not being in community feels like a itch that can’t be scratched. Click To Tweet
Join me in praying that all this out of place sheltering in place is over soon because trying to replace manmade with what is God made and ordained will not quench thirst or stave off hunger. It will never satisfy.
“And let us consider how we can spur each other on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Looking forward, pressing on and trusting God in every bump and twist in my road.
Photo credit: Aaron Burden
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You have so eloquently put into words that emptiness which has been in our hearts for weeks. Thank you for sharing. So happy you had community to surround you in the passing of your father-in-law.
Thank you Linda. Most of the time I think we all share the same feelings about things whether we express them or not. This has definitely been a hard season for me and I can imagine for you, the extrovert, who brings a smile to everyone!
Wonderful article, Christy. You have such a way with words, and I always enjoy your wisdom and insight into God’s word.
Than you Kelly. You are a bright spot in my day … every day!
I loved the setting aside our fears when in the presence of family. Will I ever get to shake hands again? There is something in the physical touch of two people that says “I love you, I acknowledge you” that goes beyond words. Thank you for this.
I totally agree. We are about 10-12 hours away from our family. How we would love to drive from N.C. to N.J. to see them and huge each one. We know that is impossible right now.
Thank you for your insights on all of this. That is how we are all feeling right now.
I hear you Mary. My son and daughter-in-law are about three miles from me and we’ve had to stay a way for the most part. We have a new granddaughter that we haven’t been able to hold yet.
Bless~
I think the hardest part for me during this stay at home was to not be able to visit friends who were in the hospital to encourage them to not give up, or to attend the funeral of two people I thought the world of. To be able to comfort those who were in grief over losing their loved one. And not seeing my son and his family was hard too. God made us to comfort, to bear one another’s burdens and that is hard to do from a distance. Your words helped me to settle my heart a little from all that has happened. My husband and I lost 3 very dear people in our lives in a matter of one week, none due to COVID 19. And we could not be with their loved ones to support, uplift and encourage them. This and missing my church family and worshiping God with them on Sunday.
Oh Betty, I so understand. God never meant for us to live this way. There is a force of evil at work here. But God. He is aware. As we pray and put our trust in Him we can have confidence that He has this under control. He is near the brokenhearted. Thank you for sharing with me.
Well spoken Christy! I love that verse in Hebrews! Thank you for sharing your thoughts ❤️ It always makes my heart smile!
You make my heart smile, Irena.
We do need community and you’ve put it all into words so beautifully Christy. Nothing virtual can replace a hug, or sitting side by side in wonderful conversation and sharing laughter together, or in your recent situation just sitting together and sharing our mutual tears. Sending all of you lots of love and prayers in the loss of David’s Daddy. We all wait with breathless anticipation for community again and we have the faith in our awesome God that He will heal our land. Love you! ?
Thank you Dawny. I miss fellowshipping with you and Mark.Love you.
Thank you so much for your lovely thoughts. You are truly an inspiration to so many and we love you.
I hope your father-in-law is okay, Christy? that is hard to have someone in hospice care. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective on shelter-in-place. I join you in praying!