The Day God Pressed Pause

​In the days leading up to March 15, 2020, most Americans were going about their daily routines of life. January had brought little news of an illness that had begun in Wuhan, China as it barely received a ticker byline on any news station. 
 
In February, this mysterious illness remained at a distance, only catching most ears when news of stranded cruise ship occupants being quarantined headlined. But in late February, it becomes more of an interest when President Trump restricts travel into the US from China. We began to take a closer notice; we began to do internet searches on the phenomena and educate ourselves on just what was going on. We started looking into what this could possibly mean for us. What effect would this begin to have on our lives and those for whom we care.
 
By March, the news, roaring in as a lion, consumes every moment with updates, travel restrictions, and states of emergency. Store shelves are immediately vacant of basic essentials and toilet paper is the new gold. As schools, businesses and life came to a screeching halt, citizens everywhere began to ask “What is happening?” “Why is this happening?” and “What are we going to do?”. Churches became the next venues to be required to close their doors to help prevent the spread of a virus that was sweeping the globe. We become a nation changed in an instant.
 
As life became radically different, I started praying and listening to the Holy Spirit speak to me more than asking Him to listen to me. I began to feel a stirring in my spirit; “This is only a taste of what ‘in a twinkling of an eye’ will be.”  I began to search through Scripture for the exact reading of this Word. “It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.” 1 Corinthians 15:52 
 
I began to ponder the idea of ‘instant’. I began to look at how profoundly our world had, and continues to, changed. How suddenly we were forced to change our focus. We were cutoff from the lure of shopping for amusement; we were plunged into the surroundings of our homes; we had to refocus.
 
I began rereading the entire chapter of I and II Corinthians. WOW! There are so many lessons that we can remind ourselves of in these chapters and, perhaps, see some that we have missed. We can see the mighty power of the One true God and how much He wants us to set our lives upon the paths He has dreamed for us.
 
As these realities set in, it was as if God had pushed a pause button in the middle of the ongoing saga of our lives. He was allowing us the privilege and opportunity to reboot; to see again what is really important. He was giving us time to reignite our familial relationships and to reconnect with each other. He was showing us that purchasing “things” and trinkets is not the key to success or happiness. 
 
He was showing us just how quickly “instant” truly is. And, in doing so, He was also saying that we have been given this opportunity to change the pattern that our lives may have been taking. You see, we have the chance to change some things in this time of reflection. We have the opportunity to make our life-paths lead to a different destination.
 
What if we put as much research into God’s Word and plan for us? We if we took, with the sincerest of interest, what those plans meant for us and for those whom we love? What if we were as fervent about educating ourselves on the things of God as we have been on learning of this virus?
 
There WILL come a day when, in a twinkling of an eye, things will be instantaneously changed forever. We will not get a reboot or another chance to change things; it will be eternal.
 
There is no mistaking that the COVID-19 Pandemic has forever made a mark for the history books. Many families have been changed because of this crisis; dare I say, that we all have. My prayer is that we take advantage of this opportunity that we have been given as God will never waste time; nor should we.