“I used to be afraid of failing at something that mattered to me, but now I am more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.”
The ripples of COVID-19 will continue long after the quarantine has ended. Some of those ripples may surprise us with a silver lining. Those who have been dedicated to getting more and more, may, after weeks and months of social isolation, realize that less can be more satisfying, as we find freedom from our self-imposed shackles!
Will families realize that time spent together around the dinner table is actually a good thing? I read an article that said the quarantine will likely produce a baby boom. Will it also produce a thankfulness and peace that hearkens back to a simpler time? “Things weigh me down in life. I never feel quite free. For I don’t know if I own my things or if my things own me!”
I started working in senior ministry in 1984. It is not a ministry in which one hears, “Wow!” “That is great!” The response is more like being introduced to the undertaker or the tax collector. Both represent an undeniable fact of life that most of us would rather not deal with until we have to.
However, I have been amazed at the help and attention the senior population has received recently in the COVID-19 quarantine. Families and neighbors are running errands and delivering food to seniors. Churches are actually looking for ways to help seniors.
Life will not be the same after the quarantine ends. Life was not the same after the Great Depression, World War II, 9-11, and many other unforgettable times. The loss was great in each of these events, but my grandparents and parents lived through the Great Depression and always remained thankful for the simplest of life’s blessings.
May we be sorely afraid of succeeding at things that don’t really matter!
Stan Means
Elder Source Senior Ministries
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