By Jennifer Pinto –
Half a year has gone by now since the Corona virus hit our lives! And what a crazy 6 months it has been! Many of us felt down and out with all the negative news, the lockdowns and whatever else that followed. Many of us took to finding ways to keep ourselves busy and happy despite what was going on outside our four walls. But all of us had some response to this pandemic and are still grappling with an uncertain future. Here are a few things I learnt from all of this and I hope that my sharing will help and uplift you in some way.
Let’s get started –
- One of the biggest things I’ve learnt and am still learning, is to TRUST in the Lord. I knew the theory of it. We hear it in God’s word, we read His promises, we even say them out loud to ourselves. But I’m talking of the actual act of Trusting. Believe me, it has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I’ve prayed before but not like I do now. I have learnt that God really does care and even if he does something for me in the last minute, I have learnt to be truly and deeply grateful for it. I’ll share a simple example. When the first lockdown happened I realised I needed new workout shoes. I prayed and asked God to help me since I didn’t know when stores would open. A few days later, I got an SMS from Decathlon that stores would be open to public! I couldn’t believe it. This really helped me learn to trust Him more even in the smallest of things. This is one instance. There have been bigger ones.
- The second thing I’ve learnt is how little we really need!! See, for me, I have never been into shopping and accumulating things. I realised early on in life that material goods didn’t fit in my scope of things. But this pandemic has taken that to a new level altogether. I recently found myself in a large store, buying essentials. I ran my trolley through every aisle to see what I could possibly need (not want!). I had enough toiletries at home, enough food items, enough of everything! There wasn’t a thing I felt I was short of. So this lesson has been super intensified for me. How very little we require in life! If one has 7 sets of clothes for 7 days, you’re set! It helps us see how our basic needs are met perfectly.
- I see this pandemic/lockdown time as a great chance to look inwards at myself and what I need to change about me. Maybe it’s the way I communicate with my loved ones, glitches in my habits that need to be worked on sincerely. God is giving me time to behave better, treat myself well and do the things I need to, to say – “All is well with my soul”. It isn’t always well with my soul. We all still struggle with moods, difficult days in this time when we feel low and worried, times when anxiety hits for no reason at all. We all do feel helpless but being of His flock, we turn to prayer, to the Bible for encouragement and hope. Some days it will be terribly hard but we are told to keep looking at Christ who is our Help. Psalm 121
What are some of the things you have learnt over these last few months? Have they been big things or small? Try keeping a journal and note these things down. Maybe over a period of time you’ll be able to see how far you’ve grown in faith and in knowledge of yourself.
Jennifer Pinto is a qualified counsellor & freelance corporate trainer. She can be contacted at [email protected]
one of the biggest lessons that the tiny virus has taught man is his insignificance in the scheme of things. This pandemic has been a great leveler, with no respect for class, caste, creed, gender, profession and most of all his supposed ‘social standing’