Gò0dNews for Everyone
Shaken While Waiting
W
by Nelson Haynes
eird. That’s the word people keep posting on
they have more time on their hands. Neighbors saying
Facebook and Instagram as they describe how
“Hi!” for the very first time as they pass each other walking
they feel during the Coronavirus pandemic.
around the same neighborhood they’ve lived in for years.
Can anything good come out of a bewildering
experience? Listen to Geoff Gentry and Bryan Ye-Chung. “It’s the weird things that wake us up to the world around us.
You and I won’t grow when we are comfortably numb. As John Eldridge said on Facebook Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020, “When life is good and you’ve got your cupcakes, you know, what do you need God for?” Stagnant people stink.
“It’s the weird things that open up new ways of seeing.
But Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 2:15, “Our lives are a
“It’s the weird things that reimagine the experience
Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is
of healing. “It’s the weird things that disrupt our lives to bring us into God’s presence. “Weirdness is a tool of the Divine. As people of faith, our lives get weird before they become clear. Their prophetic words were published in 2019 in “All That Is Made.” Has God brought the world to its knees? That’s a legitimate question, with no intent of judgment by this writer. Regardless of your answer, the world has stopped, halting the educational, economic, entertainment, and religious worlds besides the medical environment. So what do we do during this eerie time? Wait it out? There are many things that happen to us that are far from chance. As Christians, we believe God is sovereign. Within that word is another word: reign. God is still on the throne despite how it feels down here on planet earth. He’s in control.
perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” Paul’s referring to two types of people. The latter group
What God allows to happen in our world which gets
is the people who find the Gospel message nauseating. The
a person’s attention, causing him or her to sincerely seek
former are the folks who believe the Gospel is a pledge of a
Him for maybe the first time, is something we’ll never
glorious future.
comprehend this side of Heaven. However, a lot of folks still want their normal back,
A lot of folks feel lost now and want a future. God offers that. Some reject it. Some accept it. There is nothing weird
and when this is over and we look back at the crisis of the
about “Someone” throwing a life preserver to those who are
Coronavirus, will we see blessings or curses?
perishing. Take hold of Christ. There couldn’t be a better time!
there are blessings that are born out of adversity. Couples talking to each other like they never have before because
40 // June 2020
About The Author
There is the sad curse of death that the virus caused. But
Nelson Haynes lives in Ringgold, Georgia, with his wife and 2 Labrador Retrievers. Both of their daughters are grown. Check out his writer’s blog at www.nelsonhaynes500words.com for more meditations. He has a Masters in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary and besides writing, his hobbies include riding his mountain bike; reading; movies; gardening ; painting and going on dates with his bride.
