Quarantine as Pulpit
Quarantine confessions: I have not washed my hair in twelve days. I'm fairly certain my kids don't brush their teeth anymore. I average three enormous cups of coffee a day and that's just the way is.
Have you completed a home project? Good for you. Not me. My lazy butt rarely leaves the couch. Has your child developed a new hobby? Cool. My kids are alive.
As I survive the long days of quarantine, I wonder, “What message could quarantine possibly have for me? What is life teaching in these moments?”
Sure, there have been a few achievements. Hysterical laughter after a trip down the stairs in a sleeping bag, the ongoing attempt to potty train a stubborn 4 year old, binge watching Tiger King, and long walks.
But it seems more often than not I feel the pangs of defeat. I escape my family and take car rides with no destination so I can ugly cry privately. I’ve eaten a whole can of queso with chips in the middle of the night. I wrestle with the same pain, doubts, and uncertainty that have plagued me for months.
It’s easy to feel guilty when I do not accomplish anything, slip in and out of mild depression, and adapt unhealthy habits, but quarantine preaches that it is okay to not to be okay. Quarantine preaches that my worth does not hinge on what I do and that God loves me just as much when I sleep until noon as He does when I wake up early to pray.
As I sit before quarantine as pulpit I am encouraged to release myself from the self-imposed pressure to perform. The message of quarantine is to quit kneeling at the throne of busy. Quarantine preaches that we should stop taking ourselves so seriously. It teaches that we need each other desperately and that we are part of a global community. Quarantine as pulpit reminds us that sacrifice has the power to save lives.
Let’s get real! Share in the comments your quarantine achievements and defeats and what messages quarantine is preaching to you.
-Tam
P.S. Watch the reality of quarantine in real life play out on the Life as Pulpit YouTube channel. It's more than just a commentary... See some of the moments as they actually happened!