Quality Quarantine

Quarantine. Who would have ever thought we would experience this in our day and age? And while we may not quite know what got us here, how we come out of this time is more important than how we entered into it in the first place. If all you’ve done is spent the last several weeks moping around, murmuring and complaining, and wishing for this to be over; then it’s likely you’re missing out on the quality this time could be adding to your life.

While there are an infinite number of things we could be learning during this time, here are a few that immediately come to mind.

Learn to submit to authority. I can’t even imagine being a governmental official during this time and having to make the type of decisions they’re being required to make. And even though most of us would never want the responsibility of doing their job, we somehow think it’s acceptable to be critical of them and the decisions they make on our behalf. What we fail to realize is when we do this, we’re not only dishonoring them, but we’re also dishonoring God. The Bible says in Romans 13:1-2, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.” Don’t deceive yourself into thinking you can disobey those God has placed in authority over you and be in obedience to God at the same time. If you’ve been saying you want to be more obedient to God, then now is a great time to start by learning to submit to those He has placed in authority over you.

Learn to rest. Some of us just can’t seem to sit still. We wear busy as a badge of honor and we accept fatigue as a normal part of life. There are those who go non-stop to avoid dealing with reality, and there are others who somehow associate rest with laziness. But what if I told you that rest is something sacred, holy, and pleasing to God? Genesis 2:2 says, “By the seventh day God had finished His work, and so He rested.” If God Himself took time to rest, why would we think we don’t need to? If you have a natural tendency to be a Martha, why not take this time to learn to be a little more like Mary and choose what is better. It is far better to be blessed with rest than to be burdened with busy.

Learn to be content. There are so many things we have come to believe we just can’t live without. We convince ourselves of simple things like, “If I’m baking brownies I have to have vanilla ice cream,” and then we run out and go buy it. We think we have to get our hair and nails done, we have to get a new outfit, and we have to finish everything in our inbox today. Or how about this one… “I have to be married before I’m thirty-two or I just don’t know what I’m going to do!” We’re unhappy if our plans don’t work out the way we expected. We’re not satisfied if we don’t get what we want when we want it. We’re disappointed if people don’t acknowledge what we’ve done. And we’re frustrated when we can’t seem to figure things out. So often we want to quote the scripture that says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” but we fail to read the verses that come right before that. Philippians 4:11-12 says, “…I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” So, why not take this time to learn to be content and prove to yourself that you really can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.

Learn to manage your money wisely. I could probably spend all day on this one because so many of God’s children are in financial bondage. Unfortunately, many of those who are don’t even realize it until times like these. Yes, God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, but we also have a responsibility to be good stewards of that which He provides. Luke 16:11 asks, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” If money management is not something that comes naturally for you, don’t be too prideful to reach out to ask somebody for help. Now is the perfect time to learn how to manage your money well so that God will know He can trust you with more.

Learn to value relationships. There are so many people in our lives that we take for granted. We assume Mom will always be there. We write our siblings off as annoying. We vow to spend time with our children after we finish all our work. Our friends are just there for when we need something. And we ignore the prompting to visit our grandparents time and time again. We say we know tomorrow’s not promised but we live as if we believe it is. Then, something like this happens and we find ourselves longing for human connection. We wish we had spent time with our loved ones the last time we were together instead of just playing on our cellphones. We regret not receiving the hug our aunt tried to give us before she left and now she’s in the hospital and we’re not allowed to visit her. We think about the countless classmates we never acknowledged as we walked past them everyday and now we can only wish to see them again. During this time of isolation, choose not to be isolated. Invest in the relationships that you say mean the most to you. It is possible to be there for someone without physically being there.

Learn to be creative. Nothing breeds creativity like constraints. Whether it’s budgetary constraints, mobility constraints, or limitations of any other kind, it causes us to think differently about things we’ve never really put much thought to before. Before you quickly jump to say you’re not creative, think about that meal you cooked the other day without all the ingredients you normally would have used. Now that’s creative! If your gym is closed, why not go for a walk, dust off those old workout videos, or find one you like online. Running out of things to do with your children in the house? Make up a game, have a dance party, or go outside and play in the rain. The very first thing that’s said in the Bible is, “In the beginning God created.” And since we’re created in His image and likeness, that means we’re creative too! Take advantage of this time of limitation to learn to release your limitless creativity.

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