Meditate on these words written by
Solomon—the wisest man in the world, besides Jesus.
I devoted myself to search for understanding
and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered
that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. I observed everything
going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless--like chasing the
wind. What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered.
I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in
Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of
them." So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly.
But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. The
greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:13-18
You may feel like you just can’t deal with
any more grief…this COVID isolation is just getting old and depressing. It just
creates too much sadness and I, for one, am growing weary for it all. Buck up.
We still have a long haul in the days ahead of us. Does the burden of more information
give you more sorrow…more grief? There is such a lot of information out
there—an overwhelming amount of detail available on everyone’s ideas of where
the virus came from, what it does, who gets it, how it has affected our economy
and more. Overwhelming! In a Mental Health Wellness Tips for Quarantine letter
my husband got from the VA it listed 25 things to do. One of those was:
Limit social
media and COVID conversation, especially around children. One can find tons
of information on COVID-19 to consume, and it changes minute to minute. The
information is often sensationalized, negatively skewed, and alarmist. Find a
few trusted sources that you can check in with consistently, limit it to a few
times a day, and set a time limit for yourself on how much you consume (30
minutes tops 2-3 times daily). Keep news and alarming conversations out of
earshot from children—they see and hear everything and can become frightened by
what they hear.
A mental health suggestion on line was:
Maintaining a positive attitude is probably one
of the best things we can do to help one another right now. Steer clear of
negativity and don’t engage with it. Keep sharing funny jokes, videos, and memes.
Making people smile has a knock-on effect. It will create a ripple of joy that
can make a huge difference to people’s days.
What would Jesus do? He’d turn off the TV
and radio and give a friend a call to encourage them. Knowledge is power, but
joy shared with others is encouraging. Encourage others…while there is still
time. Let them know the joy of the Lord…by knowing the Lord Jesus as their
Savior…and by putting into practice His love.
But may all who search for you be filled
with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly
shout, "God is great!" Psalm 70:4
 |
| Fill your hearts with joy. Choose what to think, say and do while you are in isolation. Choose Jesus to be part of your daily life. The choice is yours. |
Prayer
~ For the You, LORD, grant wisdom! From Your mouth come knowledge and
understanding. You grant a treasure of common sense to the honest. You are a
shield to those who walk with integrity. You guard the paths of the just and
protects those who are faithful to You. Then we will understand what is right,
just, and fair, and we will find the
right way to go. For wisdom will enter our hearts, and knowledge will fill us
with joy. – From Proverbs 2:6-10. We praise You, God, for the wisdom You give
us and the joy that can fill our hearts and overcome the overwhelming grief.
Verse
of Salvation ~ Gather before judgment begins, before your time to repent is
blown away like chaff. Act now, before the fierce fury of the LORD falls and
the terrible day of the LORD's anger begins. Zephaniah 2:2
©
2020 Text and photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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