Happy Monday!!! I pray that you enjoyed a wonderful weekend and are ready to receive the blessings that the Lord has assigned to you today. Yesterday, my Pastor Bishop Duane Johnson preached a message, titled "Tomorrow." He spoke about getting a blessing by this time tomorrow and that we must be excited about the things to come. Yes, I know it is easy to get caught up in the COVID-19 news reports, but we must continue to remind ourselves that THIS TO SHALL PASS. God is still in control. God is still blessings. God is still healing. God is still making a way out of no way. God is God.
I read something last week on Facebook and it immediately made me cry. Yes, we are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat. Last Friday, one of the supermarket chains in here Maryland announced that they would be giving away free food and the news reports that hundreds of people stood in line to receive the free groceries. The line snaked through the parking lot for over a mile. Again, I immediately started to cry. Yes, we are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat. While I know some people who were in that line, just went because it was free, but unfortunately, the majority of the people in the line really have a need for free groceries. Yes, we are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat. After reading the post, I ask that you pray and ask God to direct you to be a blessing to someone. We are blessed to be a blessing.
We Are Not In the Same Boat I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it's not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be.
Or vice versa. For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate financial and family crisis. For some that live alone, they're facing endless loneliness. While for others it is peace, rest and time with their mother, father, sons, and daughters. With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment, some are bringing in more money to their households than they were working. Others are working more hours for less money due to pay cuts or loss in sales. Some families of four just received $3400 from the stimulus while other families of four saw $0. Some were concerned about getting a certain cut of meat for dinner while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk, and eggs for the weekend. Some want to go back to work because they don't qualify for unemployment and are running out of money. Others want to kill those who break the quarantine. Some are home spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday. Some have experienced the near-death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don't believe this is a big deal. Some have faith in God and expect miracles during 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come.
So, friends, we are not in the same boat. We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are completely different. Each of us will emerge, in our own way, from this storm. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking, actually seeing. We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey. Unknown author
Stay well and stay safe,
Evang. Carolyn
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