Social distancing - messy and near

COVID-19 is in a state of play; yet, we are unable to clearly see who is on the playground – a schoolyard fight fought with distancing and disinfectant rather than words and fists.

The situation is without question intimidating. Mass Media has saturated the fields, leaving many standing in mud puddles between audacious and paranoid - six feet apart.

A firm footing is difficult to secure upon uncharted ground. COVID-19 is a new virus strain that primarily spreads through infected respiratory droplets. These droplets do not seek those of a particular political bent, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. And to what extent the virus will affect us does not always fit neatly into high-risk categories. There is little “neat” about COVID-19, and much that is messy.

Businesses are closing or modifying operational hours, and many employees are being furloughed, laid off, or having their jobs altered to telecommute. Weddings and college graduation ceremonies have been canceled. Schoolkids are missing crowded halls, conversations, and simple routines that come from doing life together in blocks of time, Monday through Friday. Those in nursing homes, memory care facilities, and hospitals are longing for their loved ones who visited them, and those who kept them company are heartsick not to be near.

Near.

We have heard a lot about social distancing in recent weeks. What is interesting is many would argue we have done a relatively good job of distancing ourselves from one another before COVID-19. We limit genuine interactions with our feverish schedules, exhausted minds and bodies, and the convenience of technology. We distance ourselves with harsh biases, pride, unforgiveness, judgments, and insecurities. And we try to fit our lives into neat compartments to safely operate with the least amount of damage to self. Yet, there is little of life that is tidy, and much that is messy.

But now here we are, messy and near to one another as many families find themselves camped out at home in an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The same people we usually pass in and out on the way to and from are now the ones we are sharing the playground with, standing near laundry piles between brave and vulnerable - less than six feet apart.

Messy and near.

Both messy and near have given us something else: opportunity. Opportunity to truly see one another, serve one another, and lean into the living space of love.

Board and card games, puzzles, and dominoes have been dusted off and set out on tables which once showcased empty chairs. New recipes have been followed – invented – by creative kids and patient parents. Stories have been told and retold over laughter and tears. Video display calling applications are in greater use as we want to see the facial expressions of the person we were once satisfied merely receiving a text from. We yearn for more. We crave the underlying affection connection many of us readily took for granted. And we find ourselves willing to be more vulnerable and messier in exchange for genuine interactions. We witness acts of kindness and generosity where there was once indifference, distance, and judgment.

In our realness and rawness, in the slowing down of doing and simply being, my messiness is seen by your messiness. Your love sees my love. And the Jesus in me sees the Jesus in you. Standing nearer to faith than fear, between glory and grace, we find there is more that joins us than separates us.

This is a time of great opportunity and greater faith. May we rest in God’s peace and power as we love one another through this trying time.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

SGLY, dear reader.

(Smile, God Loves You.)