As our stay-at-home orders continue into the 6th week now, we have all become experts at this quarantine, right? It has never been done before in our lifetime, but by now we are all seasoned veterans. Of course I’m joking because we are all still trying to figure all this out day by day. I’d like to share some thoughts, and hopefully some wisdom, in continuing to handle this quarantine. Here are some do’s and don’ts that I’ve learned from going through a quarantine.
First, the Don’ts
Don’t become a doomsday predictor
It is very tempting to start reading current events into the Bible and try to work out if this is the beginning of the 2nd coming of Christ. But, the Bible describes some horrendous, worldwide, cataclysmic judgments in the book of Revelation. They are nothing like having your salon closed or not being able to eat at Applebee’s. They are much worse! We need to remember that the coming of the Lord is like a thief in the night (Matt 24:43; 1 Thess 5:2), the Day is near (1 Pet 4:7), He stands at the door (James 5:9). This means we should always be ready for the Lord’s return, not just in times of hardship.
Don’t become an extreme introvert.
Now I understand those who are introverts. To some extent, I am an introvert. I can quietly sit and read a book for hours…no really I can. But I said in the title to not become an extreme introvert. That means do not cut off contact with everyone you know, including church family. Yes we cannot meet face to face, but that doesn’t mean we cannot talk. Grab a phone, make a call, do a drive-by wave but don’t hide yourself in your living room with no outside contact.
Don’t become impatient and hasty.
Some of us have pretty much had it with this quarantine. We are ready to burst and just go out and have a big reunion party at someone’s house. Be patient. Over and over again the New Testament tells us to be patient. Patience is part of the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), patience is one of the characteristics of love (1 Cor 13:4), we are told to be patient with all men (1 Thess 5:14). And this patience is not simply applied in times of joy and prosperity, but actually in times of adversity as well. Consider 2 Tim 2:24, “be patient when wronged.” Or, 1 Pet 2:20, which talks about patiently enduring hardship even when you are doing right. James 5:20 tells us to consider the Old Testament prophets who were examples of suffering and patience. It is times of trial that we need patience the most.
Now the Do’s
Do redeem the time.
This is an unprecedented opportunity to draw closer to your spouse, draw closer to your family, or draw closer to the Lord, or all of the above. When this is all over I guarantee some will wish they would have spent their time more wisely when they had it. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
Do commit to your spiritual devotions.
Use this time to improve your relationship to Christ. He has never left us nor forsaken us, so this is a great time to return that commitment. Start the habit of spiritual devotions and it will continue even when this is over. He is worthy of such devotion.
Do love your neighbor.
Take care of those around you, and that does not mean only in terms of providing resources they need. Love them even when they disagree with you. Some may be overly cautious, be sensitive to that and don’t upset them. Some may be overly confident, don’t criticize them. Cautious people and confident people can both be a blessing to us, so be thankful for both.
Hopefully, these ideas can be a help to us. Let’s continue to pray that this quarantine gets lifted and next month we can have a ‘normal’ voice article and a ‘normal’ church service!