Who would have thought that our daily routines, schedules and plans would have all changed so drastically?! It is pretty crazy when I find myself looking forward to a trip to Kroger. By the way, if any of you need anything, I will be glad to make a Kroger run for you. Seriously! I know the layout well.

All fun aside, this is a great opportunity for us to rethink what is most important to us, take a look at our priorities, and out of that reflection, refocus our lives.

The summer before last, I preached a series from the book Haggai about rediscovering our spiritual priorities. Let’s be honest, if we even remember those lessons, chances are we listened but maybe didn’t do much about changing our priorities.

It often takes something drastic to cause us to make changes in our lives, our schedules, how we use our time, and how we spend our money, etc.

Well, we are in drastic times right now. Perfect time to reflect, rethink, renew and refocus our lives.

Think about it. No more sports. Missed the NCAA basketball tournament. March Madness turned into March sadness. No more pickleball, bowling, softball, or workouts at the gym. No more beauty makeovers, manicures or pedicures. No more shopping at the mall. No more eating out at your favorite restaurant. No more date nights or family outings to the movie theatre. No more school or school activities. No more zoo, museums, concerts, shows, etc. No more Disney vacations or cruises. No more travel. No Olympics. Need I go on?

Are you depressed yet? 

None of the things I mentioned above are inherently bad, but we do have a tendency to let those things push out the more important things in our lives.

The temporary loss of things we enjoy makes us take a fresh look at our lives and rethink what is important.

Families are forced to spend time together aside from running in a dozen different directions for kids’ sports, activities, etc. Spouses are rediscovering their other half. Game nights, movie nights, family worship and devotions, and perhaps long conversations are happening at home. Some families are discovering the joy of hiking in State Parks, walking through the neighborhood, or taking a long drive down some country roads.

As we adjust to these changes, let’s ask God to draw us closer to Himself in this time. Let the peace of Christ rule our hearts instead of all the other concerns and worries. Let the Holy Spirit show us what brings real joy. Joy regardless of the circumstances.

God can use this time to refine and refocus our lives and His Church. We can come out changed for the better because this is driving us toward God and making us aware of our limitations and our need for Him.

Today, however you are feeling and whatever you are facing, hold on to these words from Psalm 57:1

“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”

We can take refuge in God until the disaster has passed, and in the meantime discover more fully what it means to trust in Him and find our peace and joy in Him.