I recently shared three primary needs, which people all have.

1.     The need for those in our lives who will deliver hope, encouragement, and wise perspective

2.    The need for those in our lives who can provide practical, tangible help

3.    The need for those in our lives who we call community

Throughout our lives, we face “Giants.” They have different names: Fear, Discouragement, Loneliness, Worry, Guilt, Anger, Failure, etc. They do battle with what all of us need, hope, peace, joy, etc. There is a verse in John 14: 27 which are the words of Jesus.
“ I leave the gift of peace with you – my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts – instead, be courageous.”

Here are 4 practical thoughts, which I am processing, as I seek to not only cope, but also conquer these Giants, which we are not in control of, such as Covid-19.

 1. The word “troubled” in the original Greek means to be unsettled, anxious, confused, upset, etc. When these thoughts begin to occur, they open doors to other negative emotions, which lead to fear.
This is why Community is so important for us; we need those who we can share how we are feeling and even without them solving our issues, as we share, there is a hormone which gets released within our brains, that actually decreases our fear and stress. This is one strategy to practically live out 2 Corinthians 10:5 where we are to “take every thought captive”. Sharing with a few others helps us do this.

2. Our perceptions influence everything we do and are. Ronald Heifetz, Harvard Professor, in his book, “Leadership, Without Easy Answers” writes about how we need to distinguish between technical and adaptive challenges. In Technical challenges, we know the problem, the solution and the resources needed to implement the solution. In Adaptive Challenges, the issue is unknown, and we are struggling to understand what we must do. There are no known or proven solutions and we do not know what to do.
Covid-19 is an “Adaptive Challenge” and we so need wise perspective. That comes as we study and listen to God’s Word, individually and in community. It also comes as we meet over a coffee and share with each other, of course with social distancing.

3. The post pandemic world will be a permanently changed one and the memory of it will live long after and patterns of behaviour are going to need to adapt. We need the strength of character to move forward and a peace which is only found in someone greater than ourselves. It is not about religion, rather, about a relationship with the One who gives us the words of John 14: 27.

4. Research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces anxiety and depression.
I would suggest that you begin to keep a “Gratitude Journal” where each day, you write down a few things you are thankful for. Then watch what the impact will be on you and others.

~ Bruce