Finding Peace That Transcends All Understanding [Day 27]
By Shannon Spruiell
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9 NIV)
March 16, 2020: I had a secure, full-time job in the fast pace, extremely active career of my dreams.
March 17, 2020: I was let go due to the effects of the pandemic. Panicking, I turned to my roommate to ask for help. This roommate helped me land a temporary job in a single day—in fact, a matter of hours after I emailed her my resume. (She works for a staffing firm.) I quickly found out that the hours for this job are opposite of what my normal hours were previously. I would be working 3 pm to 11 pm on Monday through Friday for the next few months. Even though it is a drastic change, I accepted the offer immediately.
March 19, 2020: I started this new job. I quickly realized how blessed I am to have all the people around me supporting me.
The temporary job I got is working as a service rep for a retirement home. It included asking all visitors a series of questions to rule out symptoms or exposure to COVID-19 and taking the temperature of every person entering the building. It’s a very slow pace job. So far I’m preparing myself to do a lot of sitting and reading books. From the abrupt switch between these two jobs, I realized that I had been spending all my time with an active body and resting mind, so I recognized that now is the time to have an active mind and resting body. Once the city was shut down except for essentials, I was worried. I then found out that this temp job I have is considered essential. Even through the anxiety I have faced, I am getting paid, my fridge is full, and I have toilet paper!
I think God may have wanted to show off a little for me still, because a week later I received a congratulatory email from the Seattle Artist Relief Fund Amid COVID-19 awarding me $600 (via a non-profit fiscal sponsor) to provide meaningful emergency assistance. This emergency fund recognized that I belonged to the group of artists in the Seattle area who have been impacted due to event cancellations and work stoppage.
Through this slow-paced time, I have set a schedule for myself to exercise, reflect, and keep a balance of “normal” life. I have created my own sort of “mantras” to continually reflect on:
Faith drives out fear. Embrace the new normal, and take advantage of the change rather than be afraid of it.
Courage is spending time making your soul. Those who believe their suffering is valuable love more readily than those who see no meaning in pain. Life is enriched by difficulty. Love is made more acute when it requires exertion.
Climbing a mountain is hard work. But after the danger of the climb and the physical exhaustion of it, there is the summit, the place of resting and letting go. The practice of complete and total receptiveness. The practice of consciously accepting what is given as it is given, without censorship by your busy mind… a peace that surpasses all understanding.
I encourage you to write out your own “list of mantras” to reflect on during the quiet times of quarantine. What things do you wish you had time to do that you now have the opportunity for? What new forms of self-care can you experiment with? Make a list of priorities, and then make a daily schedule based on those (e.g., walking, yoga, reading, drawing).
Prayer
God, thank You for continually reminding us that hope always makes sense, even when nothing else does. Help those struggling with hope today to remember that joy is the strength of the heart and repairs what was lost. Give us the peace that transcends all understanding, and the joy that heals and strengthens the heart. Let us not see this as a time of loss or failure, but as a time of faith and maturation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
