After the Crisis - "How Then Shall We Live?" (Eze 33:10)

I am a sixty-seven-year-old executive and former pastor with a desire to encourage and inspire in this phase of my life. The problem is that I have not ever personally experienced the racism that stares us in the face right now, and I do not have the health concerns that cause so much fear of the corona virus (although at my age I am clearly in an at risk category!).

But I do know what it is to be afraid – particularly at this point in my life I find myself more fearful than I have ever been. I have lost sleep over poor business decisions I have made; difficult decisions and choices my children have had to make; my heart health; and damaged relationships. And while my fear is obviously unique to my situation and may be more intense than some and a lot less intense than others, I am convinced that fear is more prevalent for all of us than at any time in my life.

The most frequent command of Jesus is: “Do not fear.” Why is this? It’s because he knew what our biggest challenge is. No matter the difficulty or danger or hopelessness of the time, our reaction to the situation is ultimately more important than the situation itself.

In the time of the prophet Ezekiel, God’s people were in a world of hurt. They had been exiled from their promised land and now lived an oppressed life in the land of Babylon. Part of their circumstance was beyond their control – Israel was a small nation between the two superpowers of Assyria and Babylon: a difficult political situation. But the more important part of the difficulty were the choices they had been making. They had consistently ignored God and His call on their life, and now, in desperation, they cry out to God, and say, “How then shall we live?” That is our question today – there is so much to be afraid of and to be angry at. In response to fear and anger, what do we do next?

Four suggestions:

•  Lean Into the Fear – It is one thing to have a general sense of feeling afraid. It is another thing to lean into the fear; to work hard to understand the source of the fear. And the work is listening to understand. To understand why you react the way you do; to understand how you may have been hurt in the past. It is hard work and scary in its own right – lean into the fear with someone you trust – a good friend, even a counselor.
• Accept Reality (Even Negative Reality) – To pretend that something is something other than the truth will stunt any progress you might hope to make. Yes, I have made business mistakes. They cannot be undone. But I can see them clearly for what they are and use that knowledge to grow and avoid the same mistakes in the future (and help others avoid those same mistakes). Yes, the corona virus is very contagious – and there are reasonable steps we can all take to minimize the risk to us and to others. Yes, this country is a symbol of freedom and opportunity for many – and racism continues to be an issue that can be minimized, thereby minimizing freedom and opportunity for many others. Before we move forward, we need to accept exactly where we are.

• Glimpse the Mountaintop – What do you hope for? What is the desired future you can see? In the gospel of Luke, we read the story of Jesus taking three of his disciples up a mountain. There they witness his transfiguration (his glory shining as bright as it did at the beginning of time and as it shines now) and see him standing with Elijah and Moses. Peter, one of the three witnesses, says, in effect: “This is awesome! Let us pitch three tents so we can stay here in the presence of Jesus’ glory!” But just as quickly as Jesus is transfigured, the glory passes. Here’s the point – life is lived in the valley, not on the mountaintop. But we all need to glance up to catch a glimpse of the mountaintop – It is that glimpse that gives us the motivation to persevere in the valley.

• Persevere – This is what each of us is called to do. Persevere – do the next right thing. I have no idea what the next right thing is for you. I do know that if I focus on the next right thing, and then the next, and then the next – and when I do it trusting in the faithfulness and sovereignty of God, there will be a day when I actually reach the mountaintop I spent so many years glimpsing – faith will be turned to sight, and God will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

May your future hope help you persevere now. Not only that – may your future hope; the glimpse of the mountaintop,  give you the confidence that the next right thing you do will get us all to the mountaintop someday soon.