God Is With You
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine, nakedness or sword?”
In the beginning of November, I started to feel as though I was coming down with something so I started staying home “just in case”. Over the course of a few days, my symptoms came and went on a daily basis, but when dinner didn’t taste as flavorful as it normally would and the next morning my coffee didn’t taste like anything at all...I knew it was time to get tested for COVID-19. Four self-quarantined days later, I received my positive test result. Oh, and did my mind spin. I had tried to do all of the “right” things and yet I still failed and I started to feel shame and question my own integrity.
It is hard to not immediately take on these feelings and wonder what others might believe about us when we find ourselves in this grey area. Anyone who has spent a minute on social media can attest to the shame and fear that seems to be running rampant in our online communities right now surrounding COVID-19.
When you find yourself suddenly in this undesirable place, there are thousands of other thoughts, scenarios, and unknowns that flood our minds the moment that first sniffle starts. It is overwhelming. The enemy loves to lie to us when our feet aren’t stable and we are in this questioning place. He will be the first to tell you that you are irresponsible and a bad person for finding yourself entering quarantine, and then he will give you all of the possible things that could go wrong and leave you feeling hopeless, confused, and alone. These are lies. Do not take these things on as truth.
The enemy wants us to isolate ourselves. To sit alone in secret with our scarlet letter C on our chests, and process and let our minds spin, and wait for it to pass without telling anyone or asking for help or support for fear of judgment. When we are in isolation he is so much more powerful and can continue to feed us lie after lie and though we might not adopt them all as truth, we don’t have anyone to help us fight and bring light into our darkness.
This is the truth: There is nowhere you can go and nothing that can happen that could separate you from the love of your Creator, God. Nothing. When you shut the door to your bedroom or your home to quarantine, He isn’t going to stay on the other side of that door waiting for you to not be contagious. He was with you before, He will be with you during, and He will be with you on the other side. Be comforted and know that none of this is a surprise to Him. He knows every detail of what this is going to look like and He is going to walk beside you through it. In those moments when you are feeling weak and sick and hopeless, He will be there to hold you and stroke your hair and remind you that you are not doing this alone. He is your Father who loves you so much, not even COVID will keep Him away.
Spend time each day and get to know Him better. Maybe even get to know Him for the first time. Talk with Him and tell Him all about the lies the enemy is speaking to you. Ask Him to sit with you and let you feel His presence. He wants nothing more than this time with you to be filled with His blessings and to enrich your relationship with Him.
Also, reach out to your friends and family. If you are finding yourself in a place where you are fearful of asking for outside help or support, I want to know that I felt those feelings too. But here is what I learned, there are so many people who just want to help and support you without judgment. They simply want to love you through it.
Though these circumstances are less than desirable, remember that you are not isolated from Him. You are not alone in your room. There is nothing that can keep you from His love. Curl up in His arms. Let Him hold you. And let your community support you and love you through this season.
“Lord, pour your love into your daughter today. Help her shake any feelings of shame or fear that might be burdening her right now. Give her your peace and help her feel that you are with her every step of the way. Let this one-on-one time together be filled with the blessing of deepening her relationship with You. Amen.”
Meet Saunseray!
Hello! My name is Saunseray Benjamin and it is an honor for me to be a voice of encouragement in this blog series. I live in Upstate New York with my husband of 15 years, my five beautiful children, two dogs, two cats, and a bearded dragon - we have a lot of love to give! My family was quarantined for 35 days in November and December of 2020 due to both positive and negative COVID cases in our home. Looking at the road ahead of us at the beginning of quarantine felt so overwhelming and there were so many unknowns but we made the best of it with the help of our amazing friends who loved us, supported us, and helped us through it! I am so grateful for a Father who provided so much love, healing, and comfort during this time! Bessings!
