Jo Kean, Teacher Librarian
This forced time spent at home has caused many of us to feel stressed and anxious. Maybe it has made you feel annoyed and angry. I can only imagine the pressure of having everyone
home all the time, trying to help your children and do your own work as well. I am sure patience runs thin. I would like to encourage you to keep going even when it is tough.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “the Lord is my portion therefore I will wait for him”.
Lamentations 3: 21 – 24
What wonderful promises we have in these verses! Gods’ compassions never fail. He is faithful. His love for us is amazing. We all need connection with others and in this time of lockdown that has been taken away. We need to be creative and deliberate about keeping in touch. A simple text or phone call to a friend or loved one can be a blessing to you and to them. God knows what we are all going through. He is with us all the time, even when we are doing school at home. He has all of time in His hands. He knows the beginning and the end of all things.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Looking for ways to be grateful has helped me greatly in the past few weeks; adopting an attitude of wonder in the small things; looking at God’s creation and being thankful for the many blessings He has bestowed on me. Spending time meditating on God and praising Him has made a difference, especially to my attitude in lockdown. Whilst I do not know what the future looks like, I have a Saviour who does, and that’s enough for me.
I recently read a book called 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber. It tells the story of a teenage boy, who has a special relationship with his grandmother. She is dying from cancer, and she challenges Xander to write a list of 100 remarkable feats that he can achieve before she dies. The feats must not be huge, like ending world hunger. They must be achievable. Xander begins with number one, writes a list of 100 remarkable feats and tries to achieve them. His list includes things like forgiving someone and making Nanna proud of me. The book follows Xander’s journey of completing his remarkable feats. Through the story, I could see Xander changing into a more confident young man as he completed each task on the list. The book is written for older readers, yet the message is appropriate for us all.
We all need to feel like we are doing what God wants us to do, and perhaps we need a list that we tick off as we go. I need to have something meaningful to do at home during lockdown. Maybe I need another list! What strange times we are living in. May you know God’s presence in all you do.
