Wow. What a crazy time we are in. Lately, I find myself waking up and thinking that this whole pandemic has been a weird dream; that I’m back in the dorm, running late for class (as usual). But a few moments later, the facade washes away and I’m faced with the wall of my room at home, and the reality of the situation.
Another common feeling I’ve shared with friends is that we are living through history. It’s interesting to think about the fact that we are living in something that will be talked about in history classes to come. We will be the grandparents that our grandchildren go to as a “primary source” for their project on the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. It’s pretty cool.
However, like I said, we have to face the current reality we are living in. After things I had planned started getting cancelled, I found it super easy to fall into a “woe is me” mentality. I grumbled and complained and felt bad for myself. My whole summer was perfectly planned and then BOOM. It wasn’t.
After some reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps, God could be telling me something. This is not to say that I believe a worldwide pandemic was God’s lesson for me alone, but maybe for all of us. I don’t want to make light of this situation; but I do believe there is something to be learned here. I went from having the next 5 months completely planned and scheduled. I knew where I was going to be and what I was going to do. Now, I have no idea where I will be in May or what I will be doing for the summer which is a common feeling for a lot of people.
One of my friends said that this would feel “better” if we knew there was a solid end in sight. I agreed in the moment – it would be nice to know that in June, let’s say, I could go back to work and everything would go back to “normal” (whatever normal means now). But, I think that this could be where the lesson lies. We are not in the driver’s seat, and even though we like to know every step and turn on the route to the destination, that’s not the reality. God has our entire life planned and orchestrated according to His will. Perhaps this is a reminder? Perhaps this is God telling us that I’m not in control; I don’t run my world. He does.
Maybe that’s just me. But for a few days now, I can’t help but wonder if I needed to be reminded that God’s plans may not be my plans.