“…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us…” Ephesians 5:2b NAS

If our lives and the living beings of the world were one big, amalgamated video on a giant screen, then for nearly 3 months SOMEONE hit ‘Pause’. 2020 burst out of the gates with excitement, joy, anticipation, a sense of renewal and rededication to dreams. Plans set. Trips booked. Seminars on the calendar. Rising to new involvements. SO exciting.

And then…just like that: Pause. We were all put in suspended animation. Flights cancelled. Seminars, too. New routines dissolving long before lack of resolve had a chance to set in. Pause.

It was horrible and scary and unknown and unthinkable. A virus, so sneaky, it could hide upon your person for up to 14 days, infecting many. Some would get a mild case. For others, it would mean death. We began new routines, wiping down every piece of mail or food delivery that came to our doors. Wearing masks outside the homes, first makeshift from scarves and such around the house. Then, better, more protective ones. We made many calls to Josiah in Seattle which was the original epicenter for ‘the virus.’ We also began to Facetime with our loved ones, perhaps even more than we used to make phone calls. Zoom meetings, Skype Meetups, Whatsapp. (And oh, dare I say…Tiktok?? Where a world of quarantined humans were being their most hilarious, inspirational and laughter inducing selves.)

The world was put on Pause. We wept to see bodies in the hallways of Italian hospitals; and wept again to hear Italians singing beautiful music from their balconies. We watched in horror as NYC became the new global epicenter, weeping with and for the frontline workers who were exhausted, frightened and overwhelmed.

Praying. Praying. Praying. Praying. A whole new respect for the words: “Pray without ceasing.” Saturating the atmosphere with prayer and worship and intercession. Pause.

And now, it would seem that the pause might be finished? What does that mean? How are we to proceed?

Continued prayer. Praying without ceasing, for our leaders, doctors, medical teams and first responders. Our pastors. The still sick. The bereaved.

Be loving. Be kind. Be Jesus to everyone you see. Love will lead the way and Jesus will be glorified. And finally, with Jesus leading…we are moving forward!

~ Debbie Ecker