Familiarity and hope
by Mary, Entrust, Asia
I just made some bread. No, this is not something I do regularly. In fact, I hadn’t made bread for several years. Until a couple of weeks ago. Until COVID-19. Why would I do something that I haven’t done in a LONG time?!?
Comfort. Familiarity. The sense of normalcy associated with the task, as though reverting to the past would somehow make sense of the present.
All of us are bombarded these days with ever-changing events due to the pandemic. We can feel uncertain, insecure, fearful. But we can also have hope: a sober, realistic optimism that only makes sense when viewed through the lens of what it means to be a follower of Christ. We’ve just celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and that is what gives us confidence, meaning and purpose! Hope!
And yet, at least for me, sometimes what’s happening drowns out the things I know are true. Which brings me back to bread-making — comfort, familiarity, a sense of normalcy. Reverting to the past helps me remember that our God is a faithful God, that he is “abundantly available for help in tight places” (Psalm 46:1), that he has placed me within a group of people (called his body) that are here to help me in this journey called life.
Consider how you may be able to encourage someone. A phone call or text message or email are ways that communicate “I’m thinking about you! I care!”
Discussion questions
What is something you’ve found yourself doing, or wanting to do, in these days of COVID-19, that you hadn’t done for a long time?
How would you define the word “hope?”
In what ways have you struggled to have hope in this season?
What are some things you might do to return your heart to a hopeful place?
Who has reached out to care for you during this time?
What is one step you could take today, to care for someone and to remind them of the hope they can find in God?