Piloting Faith: We are being tested...

A Word for the Day...

My friend, an assistant principal in a public elementary school, spent her day today creating a "pop up" online school with teachers who have never taught online, students who have never attended class online, and parents who have never needed to support their children's learning online. She did all of this while also homeschooling her own children.

Another friend spent his day fielding calls from people who were laid off in the past 48 hours and needed assistance with unemployment benefits and health coverage for their families. His office processed 248 people today.

Another friend sent a picture of himself in his scrubs, mask and white coat at the hospital he works in holding a coffee cup (his lifeline) and telling me that he has now worked over 18 hours with no end in sight.

The stress of the COVID-19 crisis is hitting a new peak for many of us. Many of us are stepping up heroically in ways that we all recognize: healthcare workers, teachers, food suppliers, grocery store employees... They are extraordinary.

But I want to suggest that you are too. Unless you are entirely checked out and only concerned about yourself, I would bet that you have:

• Called friends just to check-in;

• Called clients to offer support;

• Created systems to care for aging parents and family members;

• Checked on your older neighbors to see if they needed anything;

• Made a plan of what would happen to your kids if you got sick;

• Created a home office in under 24 hours while also setting up a one-room school for your kids right next to you;

• Washed surfaces in your home multiple times a day;

• Stayed home when you really want to get out.

If you feel like the world is overwhelming, and you're exhausted beyond measure, it's because you are showing up for your people in a world in chaos. That's what it will take to get through this. And it's extraordinary.

Today we are being tested in ways many of us have never imagined, and we are rising to the challenge. We are stronger than we knew, bound to one another through a shared sense of the common good. While we each have ways we can make a difference, we all understand that we are creating a world that is kinder and more compassionate because of this experience.

I don't think God creates pandemics or ever intentionally causes pain. But I am seeing that God can bring about resurrection from the crucifying experiences of life. That gives me great hope for our future.

Hang in there. We are in this together.

Rev. Cameron Trimble
Author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight

Prayer for the Week

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today.

- St. Patrick's Breastplate, an Irish Blessing

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