This column is aptly named “Hope for Living,” but as this pandemic closes in on almost one year there are moments in which I’d be happy with just hope for surviving.
Are you as exhausted as I am trying to navigate these uncharted COVID waters that have forced us to pivot and adjust our lives at a moment’s notice? Even as we begin to get a whiff of normalcy as positive numbers decrease and the number of administered vaccines increases, I continue to feel the weariness of this virus. And let’s be honest; the cold and dark of winter does not help.
I’m watching as the weight of this pandemic seeps into all the corners and crevices of our community. Tensions rise, divisions widen, and frustrations overflow. We’ve tried to rally time and time again, only to be outlasted by the carousel of quarantines, social distancing, and close contacts.
Our community reels from economic uncertainly, drifting relationships, increasing depression, and so much more.
So what’s the answer? Fruit. That’s right, we need more fruit. And not just any fruit, we need the fruit the Apostle Paul talks about in Galatians (chapter 5, verses 22-23). As Christ-followers it is incumbent upon us to cultivate the fruit that is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We need to experience these things lest we be overtaken by the difficulties and frustrations of this world, lest we be overtaken by the exhaustion of life. And so, out of my weariness and our collective need for our community to rise above our circumstance, let me invite you to cultivate fruit…
Show love by being present and undistracted when you are able to be with others.
Find joy by looking and living beyond the external issues of this world, then share it.
Participate in peace by building bridges where there are divisions in our community.
Be patient by assuming we are all trying our absolute best to be our best.
Extend kindness by speaking a word of encouragement or offering a helping hand.
Do good by making whatever space you leave better than when you entered it.
Remain faithful by sticking by one another’s side even when things are hard.
Be gentle by offering calming words and comforting actions.
Practice self-control by remembering it is not always about you; be helpful.
While this fruit is produced by the Holy Spirit, it is cultivated by us as we live out our relationship with Jesus Christ in the world. Make no mistake, cultivation is rarely easy; it takes time, energy and hard work.
What I’m suggesting will not change things overnight, but it will slowly begin to change our community. And it will do so because the effort you put into these things will slowly begin to change you. Because as exhausted as I am with this world, and as I desperately desire to see something better, I know it begins with me.
Join me in not only recognizing there is hope for living, but actually be a part of the hope for living.
Ethan Maple is pastor of Mt. Comfort Church. This weekly column is written by local clergy members. Send comments to [email protected].
