I remember being on the phone and getting put on hold. I also remember rotary phones and real operators for long distance, but that's not my point. It seems in this crazy, mixed-up world that most things have been put on hold. This waiting isn’t the normal type though, where we know what the outcome will be. This pandemic isn’t like waiting at a red light knowing that when it turns green, we will continue on the same journey. The road ahead seems unknown.
On the phone, we get anxious because we may be feeling ignored for ten minutes. In lockdown or quarantine, however, our feelings of anxiety elevate to a new, sometimes unbearable level as we gain on one full year of worldwide upset. Presidents, business owners, and students alike are yearning for life to get back to normal. While most people are waiting for this "hold" to end and “normal” to resume, I think God is up to something altogether greater in His Church.
The global pandemic has gone way beyond a bump in the road. What we saw as a long traffic light has become more like being stuck on the banks of a river, waiting for a washed-out bridge to be built in front of us. We don't know how long it is going to take. We crave human contact. We miss shaking hands in church or even going to church services, for that matter. Now, in a day when we barely use our "phones" as phones, and see most of our faces on Facebook, life feels disconnected. Social media loses its luster when human interaction is at all-time low. So am I, some days.
I wonder how Moses felt in the desert. I wonder how Mary and Joseph felt in Egypt- or the Old Testament Joseph, for that matter. I’ve been thinking about Paul more. What were those desolate missionary journeys like? How about the spaces between his destinations? What of His prison sentence? We tend to read the Scriptures in a way that superficially compresses time for Elijah, Job, Ezekiel, and many others. Stories in The Book of Acts that took years, take minutes to read. Are we in uncharted waters today in the church, or has God always "put people on hold?”
Holds are rarely pleasurable, but they may prove to be beneficial. Can we imagine the Scripture without the Exodus wanderings? Can we fully appreciate Jesus without the desert or His decades of unrecorded life events? Why do we consider those spaces to be sacred but not the holds in our own lives? We marvel at Jesus’ mastery of Scripture, but often simply relegate it to His Divinity. After all, He is the Word of God! What fails to rise to the surface more often is the fact that Jesus spent time as a boy memorizing and reciting and educating Himself. Yes, He developed during the intermissions of His Scripture story. He grew when He was on hold.
It becomes imperative that we look beyond the here and now and see this time in light of God’s eternal purposes. What are your thoughts of how God might be developing you right now? Are you simply “getting through it”, or, are you “growing in it”? God is always leading us onward, to victory. Just like Jesus in His wilderness experience, The result of Him emerging from the desert wasn’t an ultimate victory over sin. That wouldn’t happen for us until the day He rose from the dead.
There is a difference between being lonely and feeling abandoned. Is anyone today unaffected by loneliness, or at least, longing for the relationships and interactions they once took for granted? We are hurting from the losses. We may feel as though we are put on hold but we don’t have to feel abandoned. Viewing delays in my life from God’s perspective can produce patience and hope. Which lens or perspective are you using to view the world around you?
THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR OF LOSS
I can use the rear-view that only sees backward. This mirror is my memory. Looking through the rear-view mirror, I can only see where I once was as I speed ahead. The problem with a rear-facing view isn’t what we see, the problem is what we miss by not looking ahead. If we want to look through the rear-view mirror for more than just a split second, we either lose control and crash or we are forced to stop altogether. I am afraid that during this time of change and political upheaval, many in the church are looking in the mirror instead of looking ahead.
THE WIDE-ANGLE LENS OF FEAR
The wide-angle lens is my human eye. This lens is good at taking in lots of information, but it is short-sighted and tends to get focused on the negatives and the upsets. This lens is always taking in new information, too much in fact. In times of darkness, everything turns grim and dark. The lens of fear takes in more information than I can process and it tends to produce a distorted view. The lens of fear informs and fuels my complaining and discontent. The view through the lens of fear often looks a lot like my television or phone screen. The good news is, I can decide which lens to look through.
THE TELESCOPIC LENS OF HOPE
There is another lens: the lens of hope. The lens of hope sees near-to-far and originates in the heart. This lens is my spirit vision that sees through eyes that are provided by The Holy Spirit. The lens of hope sees beyond today’s losses and the short-term tragedies and brings the future into view. The lens of hope can provide much-needed perspective and revelation of God’s plan even when we are “on hold”. This lens brings clear vision when the world around us is in a fog.
As I look through the rear-view mirror of loss, my heart hurts for what I cannot do or experience any more. I mourn what has been stripped away. The lens of fear puts me on the defensive and can paralyze me with anxiety over what is happening. However, a quick look through the lens of hope reassures me that God is not finished with His plan to engage the church in a new and more effective way. We are being forced to think about how the church engages online and in the marketplace more than ever before. These are all positive things that would not have taken place without this hardship.
It is important to learn to see through they eyes of The Spirit. What is God speaking? Is he drawing you closer to Himself during this time of global crisis? How have you responded to your disappointments and dilemmas? God has the answers to the questions you are asking. Stop, close your physical eyes, and take a long look through the lens of hope Jesus is offering you right now. In this time of shock and sadness, He will bring you peace and promise.
Ryan & Angela serve as missionaries in Wales.