Underlying Conditions
A few weeks ago, I was in a Zoom meeting (as we all have been the last few months) with some close friends talking about God in this season. Someone mentioned an acquaintance that came down with COVID-19 due to underlying conditions. We’ve heard this phrase a lot lately from doctors at home and on TV. At that moment I heard God say, “What underlying conditions are leading people more toward death than life?”
We’ve had a lot of underlying conditions exposed as a country but also as global citizens over the last few months. We’ve unearthed the inequality of civil rights, the lack of family life across the board, and the American church going through the challenge of losing their buildings and the inability to meet. There are several others, but these are a few that I can speak to and where I can offer some encouragement and first-step solutions.
The family is the foundation of human culture. Our family life has been neglected for climbing the economical ladder and bringing Jesus into the home has been overlooked at best. The time that our country has been on lockdown has offered us all an opportunity for family restoration. We are getting uninterrupted time with our spouses and our kids, we have been given time to invest in the family foundation and the legacy we want carried on for generations to come. My husband has gotten time to play soccer with the boys, to be the “fun dad” he is so great at being. I’ve had the time to dabble in homeschooling and see what that would look like for us. We’ve been so connected to our kids, their behaviors, how they think, and where they need encouragement. It has been amazing to get to know them as people and not just little humans I entrust to school systems, church systems, and technology. That isn’t to say that this time hasn’t held some difficulty. Learning how to work as a family unit has come with many challenges, but the point being, we are taking little steps toward building a sustainable lifestyle. Instead of doing devotions with the kids, which they just can’t stand at this age, my husband started to read the boys bible stories and was so animated, it was like an adventure for them. Hubby and I started watching ‘The Chosen’ together and discussing the miracles of Jesus and where we have seen them in our own lives. Being aware of the transformation that Jesus has brought to our home leaves us living in gratitude and a lifestyle of worship. Learning about God together doesn’t have to look like a formal Bible Study. It’s in the everyday that we discover who Jesus is, together.
Our country has begun to recognize and call out the inequality of civil rights within our own borders. Whether you find this subject to be politically driven or not, racism has been woven into the fabric of the United States. It’s time that we take back that territory, we acknowledge the sins of our fathers (Nehemiah 1:6-7), and we try and right the wrongs that are still happening to our brothers and sisters. It all starts with one of the greatest commandments. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” (Matthew 34:39). Change never happens by laws and regulations motivated outside of love. Jesus is a prime example of God being the very first humanitarian. He sent his son to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cast out demons, to bring freedom and salvation to all people. The more we look like Jesus, the less we are bound by racism and prejudice. My husband and I spent time reminding our boys that love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), and that we love all people regardless of their appearance. We read them ‘The Sneetches’ by Dr. Seuss. We started consciously supporting small businesses run by black friends. We will continue to give our kids living examples in the company we keep and the way we behave toward others.
The last thing I’d like to touch on is the breakdown of the American/Westernized church. This is a big subject to unpack so I’ll only touch on it for now, but I think it’s safe to say that it started with the COVID-19 shutdowns. Church buildings were closed, people couldn’t gather in groups more than 10, and the majority of churches were hemorrhaging money trying to find a way to reach their parishioners. People were unable to check their Sunday box that marked them as a “good person.” Because of the lack of religious obligation put in place by our Sunday communities, it’s highly unlikely that the majority of people will return to the four walls. But the questions I ask is, should we have ever been bound to those walls in the first place? How has the westernized church broken down the ability for people to experience God’s presence and to know his voice when they aren’t given a performance on a platform? How can we build a Jesus culture when most people who have been bound to the four walls of a pristine building don’t understand the basics of being the hands and feet of Jesus? How can we ask for provision from the Most High when we don’t know how to worship at his feet? The lack of ability to continue our traditional “church” could be a beautiful thing if we allow God to break down the worship of the platform. I’ve found that worshiping at home, reading the Bible and asking God to reveal himself to me has been a great starting point. Others I’ve spoken to have resorted to small groups or Zoom chats and have gotten more spiritually satisfied than being in a large service. It sounds like the church is headed more toward a revelation of Acts in the Bible and I’m here for it!
Based on several conversations I’ve had with people in and out of the church, this word has been confirmed time and again. The Holy Spirit is unearthing these underlying conditions that only God can heal. He is calling the church to be more than we’ve been for the last several centuries. He is bringing us into a new thing during these unprecedented times. God is speaking to and through his people. He’s giving us direction and baby steps along the way. Are we ready to listen? Are we ready to shape culture? History (and heaven) has its eyes on us. (Thanks, Hamilton).