What to do when the World seems Crazy

The world seems crazy right now. We are in the midst of the coronovirus pandemic and it all feels very surreal. I think it is scary for a lot of people and we don’t know exactly how this is going to turn out. There is this sense that we are all in this together and I do feel hopeful in spite of it all. So, I am writing this post just to sort out how I feel about it all and where my source of peace is in the midst of the crazy.

It hit me like a ton of bricks, we were just making a weekly Walmart run, and surely people weren’t being as crazy as all the rumors I had heard. They were. You could feel the sense of panic and fear just driving through the parking lot. It only got worse inside. After we split up our large family to divide and conquer the list, I hear the words “There’s no hamburger” from my husband after he was unable to get all the items on his list. The fresh meat section was not the only victim to the mass hoarding. The freezer section looked like frozen pizzas were about to be discontinued forever. The soap was nearly gone and thankfully not everybody had found out where the RV toilet paper was hidden. When we finally got to the checkout (there was only one cashier in the entire store, but I’m guessing the rest of the employees had to help restock the shelves). The lines were moving at a snail’s pace and the stressful situation came to its boiling point when my five year old put the cart seat belt towards her mouth. “AHH, STOP!” I yelled out of sheer panic, to which she started crying. I felt like a jerk and also hoped and prayed that she miraculously hadn’t touched any other gross things in the store. 2 unpleasant hours in the Walmart welcomed us into this crazy time.

This was Thursday, and in some ways, things have only gotten more bizarre. Feelings of frustration and disbelief for the reaction of this virus had gotten to me and honestly, I have found myself not feeling very peaceful. After getting on my soapbox for a day or two (to the pure enjoyment of my family) about all that was wrong with the world and how everyone was handling the pandemic the wrong way – yesterday (Monday) I found myself coming to a place of reluctant acceptance. I have decided to get over it and concentrate on my own personal responsibilities, things that I can control.

I can’t control the media, I can’t control the government, and I certainly can’t control how many people are going to get the corona virus. I can’t control how my friends react, how many people in my community hoard toilet paper, or whether or not the church services will be cancelled where we plan on ministering.

I can decide to cooperate with local, and federal governments and health organizations and trust that they have our best interest in mind. Obviously I can wash my hands (gross, wash your hands people). I can decide not to worry, complain, panic, or be afraid. I can decide to make my home pleasant in the midst of these crazy times. I can pray for health and healing and a miracle. I can decide to be at peace by trusting in God.

It’s not that a period of “social distancing” is all that terrible. We homeschool already, maybe the rest of the world will discover how cool it is? I’m kind of a homebody and our home can be wherever we want it to be. I’ve learned to live with uncertainty in our own life as we sometimes don’t know where we are going. A couple of weeks ago my biggest challenge was my new health and fitness goals and trying to take some weight off before summer. Maybe I should try to get back to that idea again instead of eating up our snack stockpile.

Sometimes the world feels crazy, and sometimes I feel helpless, and sometimes I feel frustrated when things feel out of control. Recently I had an experience where a person had let me down, and I found myself very frustrated with the disappointment. In the moment , I found myself getting in the car, and Lauren Diegel’s lovely voice from “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” started playing when I started the engine and reminded me why I was frustrated and disappointed – I had lost my focus. People can be disappointing sometimes, the world can be crazy and chaotic, but Jesus is perfect, never disappoints, and always amazes me. I read a post that quoted Corrie Ten Boom (one of my heroes) recently. She said:

” If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest. “

– Corrie Ten Boom

So, what to do when the world seems crazy? “

“Turn your eyes on Jesus, look full in His wonderful face,

and the things on earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Thanks for reading along, hopefully the next post will be about some fun exciting adventure, for now this seemed more realistic.

If you would like to find out more about our ministry, Kingdom Pursuit Ministry, go to www.kpministry.org