It’s likely that the past several weeks have been stressful for you. Maybe you feel like a heavy burden is weighing down your heart and your mind. Maybe you feel like a dark cloud is looming over your head or your home. Maybe you feel like a huge question mark is staring you in the face because the future is so unknown. Thank you, COVID-19.
Everything Is Different Now
The coronavirus is changing everything, including our lives as college students.
- You realized the coronavirus is changing everything when your professor announced that classes will continue online…but his face froze approximately 16 times on your screen during his first lecture.
- You realized the coronavirus is changing everything when your best friend met with you over Zoom instead of seeing you at school…but all you could hear was a cold, muffled voice.
- You realized the coronavirus is changing everything when you had to start doing classes in your bedroom…but your six siblings make it impossible to get anything accomplished.
No longer can we talk to our professors in person when we have questions. No longer can we meet with a group to discuss an upcoming project or presentation. No longer can we hang out with friends in between classes.
I miss the laughter of my friends, the smiles of my classmates, and the chatter in the cafeteria. I miss the voices of my professors, the jokes of the class clowns, and the greetings from the college staff. I miss the noise, the calm, and the in-between. I guess I didn’t realize what I had until it was gone.
Welcome to the New “Normal”
If you’d asked me a year ago if I’d be okay with an extended “break” from college, I would’ve said yes without hesitation. But now, I can tell you that it’s been a huge adjustment. I’m still trying to make life feel “normal.”
Before I left for spring break, there had been rumors that students would have to do classes online for the rest of the semester. In the back of my mind, I knew that it was possible. But I didn’t know that the rumors would become reality—a very challenging reality.
Friends, it’s okay to not be excited about this. You don’t have to try to make life “normal” in the midst of this very abnormal situation.
Of course, you shouldn’t give up hope. But you shouldn’t pretend to be God either. You can’t change this pandemic. As much as your heart longs to transform this chaos into order, it’s simply impossible.
God lets us experience the painful consequences of sin. He allows us to hurt if the pain draws us closer to Him. He lets us be uncomfortable so that we learn to knock the idol of comfort off its high place in our lives. He wants us to persevere through the trials we face, friends.
The Value of Perseverance
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12 NASB)
This coronavirus pandemic is so much bigger than us—and I’m not referring to its spread or its effect on our health necessarily. I’m referring to our response to it. The way that we respond to this challenge can have an eternal impact.
No matter how hard the next few weeks may be, they aren’t wasted. The time spent at home with your family, the time spent in virtual classes, the time spent chatting with friends via text, and the time spent in God’s Word and in prayer mean something. Now isn’t the time to give into despair, isolate yourself, or mope around. Now is the time to press on, encourage others, and cling to Jesus.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 