Quarantine Your Focus

New street names. New scenery. New coffee shops. A new place to call home. Quarantine?

On Valentine’s Day, just three weeks prior, I was on an airplane back from nearly seven weeks spent in Costa Rica. Seven weeks jam-packed with soccer, construction, reading, more soccer, and the building of so many relationships, both old and new. Within those following three weeks back in the States my travels took me through a total of six different states. I spent almost one week in North Carolina reconnecting with as many people as I could. I was honored to be a part of Haley and Taylor’s beautiful wedding in Virginia, spent two days in Ohio, reunited with my car (Sparky) in Phoenix, made some visits in Flagstaff and Los Angeles (yes, those are seven hours apart), and stayed a few nights in a hostel in Bishop, California. Needless to say, when I arrived at the place I would call home for the next nine weeks, I was ready for a catnap… or maybe hibernation.    

Those three weeks seemed to be nonstop. To be completely honest, the past three months seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, but in those three weeks, every waking moment was booked! The gears in my mind were turning much more quickly than I could keep up with. Not to mention, my watch had broken and after seven weeks in Costa Rica, I was running on Tica-time to every meeting (aka. I wasn’t early). Even in what felt like a rush, I tried my best to invite God into each day; every interaction. I asked Him to orchestrate the details of who I could see and how and when. Although quick paced, my “meetings” were intentional, conversations fruitful, and time spent with each person invaluable. I am so thankful for each moment that I was able to speak face-to-face with friends and family before another new beginning. 

Fast forward to the two nights that I spent in the hostel in route to my new home. I was finally able to begin to slow down and breathe in the fresh air. I was just plain tired physically, mentally, and to some extent, spiritually too. Although I had invited God into many details of the past three weeks, my quiet times had often become distracted. Even when I set aside time to spend with the Lord, my mind was always wandering to what time I needed to be where and who I needed to be in contact with to coordinate my next move. My heart was longing for the time with Him, but my mind remained hard to tame. A few hikes mixed in with journaling, reading, coffee shop time, and sharing dinners with the kind group of construction workers at the hostel was enough to decompress and head into my new beginning with a fresh mind and a hungry heart.

As I drove the last stretch of my road trip to Carson City, Nevada I began to think about the next nine weeks, and what perhaps it may look like…not that I have a good track-record in my predictions thus far, but I figured that it was worth a shot. Usually my assignments are thirteen weeks long, but with this being only a nine-week commitment, I knew it would pass quickly. I began to think that maybe this season would look different; that maybe I wouldn’t run full-force into trying to meet every resident of Carson City. Maybe I could use a nine-week extension of the mini decompression that I had experienced the past two nights in Bishop. While I was in Costa Rica I was able to spend so much time in the Word and in prayer. Once I located some strong internet sources Donna, Roy, and I were able to carry on our meetings, and in fact, began to meet twice a week, leaving me with so much material to reflect upon. I intentionally set the time aside to spend with God each morning, inviting Him into the details and surrendering to His plan for the day. Throughout the day, He opened my eyes to the blessings and opportunities that He had laid in my path – from the weather, to new friendships, to the toucans in flight and monkeys in the trees, to the practices with the soccer girls who have found a special place in my heart. Through the challenges (and the language barrier), He stretched me and grew me. The more I pursued Him, the more He revealed to me, and more times than not He provided me with an opportunity to share or shine exactly what He had been walking me through. I wanted more of that. 

As I neared my Airbnb, the sun began to fade into the night sky. For the first time, I realized that showing up at the doorstep of a new home by myself in the dark could certainly present a danger, but the thought quickly faded into peace and comfort. After searching through many options online, this seemed to be the perfect place for me to call home in the coming weeks. Even through the communication and coordination of my stay, I had to smile in knowing that this move was being perfectly orchestrated yet again. As I pulled into the driveway, I stepped out of my car to be so warmly greeted by my new hosts as they welcomed me into the doors of their home. It had certainly passed test number one: friendly hosts. Test two: a bed…which I located quickly after a brief tour of the home. The next morning, I woke up and all notions of this being the perfect place for me were solidified as I walked outside in the daylight. 

So here I sit, on the deck of my new home. I look up to see the mountains and the lake that sits calmly at the base. This morning we sit here together, ready to face whatever is coming. Rain or shine, snow or heat, friendship or isolation, easy or hard. It’s you and me. Journal Entry – March 6^th, 2020

This being my perfect new home wasn’t the only thing that had been confirmed as I was overwhelmed by the view…I also knew that this was going to be a season of intimately and intentionally pursuing the Lord and I couldn’t have been more excited. Three weeks “away” was enough and following the rich time that I was having with the Lord in Costa Rica, I felt like I was in a drought. This may sound a little extensive, but let me try to explain this in another context. Think back to the last time that you entered into a new friendship, and if possible, think back to one of romantic interest. You meet this mystery man or mystery woman. You exchange numbers and begin sending text messages, or maybe you do it the “old school” way and set up an actual face-to-face date. You both show up at said date and begin to get to know each other. The conversation flows and before you know it, hours have past and the restaurant is closing. If you’re lucky, the ice cream shop next door is still open, so you both taste test every single flavor and enjoy your double scoop waffle cones outside of the storefront as the conversation carries on. Before long (not very long at all) you have both demolished your ice cream and the waffle cones, so you say goodnight and head your separate ways. You get home and get that lovely fuzzy feeling in your heart and butterflies in your tummy with the potential start of something new. Your mind begins to wander as you realize that you still have so much to learn about him or her. You want to see their smile or hear their laugh again. Your list of questions for next time begins to pile up while you suddenly find yourself eager for more time with this new friend. Okay, so my love for ice cream kind of got in the way, but I think you can get the point. This is how I feel with God. I want to know Him more and more and I am zealous for time with Him. Even better than this first date scenario, I’ve lost track of how many “dates” I’ve had with God, yet I am still left with this ever-growing desire to know Him. I thoroughly enjoy relocations. I’m always eager in meeting new people and getting involved in a new church body, especially within a children’s ministry. I seek out opportunities to immerse in the culture of a new area and could spend many hours of many days within the four walls of a local coffee shop. The true joy of my heart, however, is fulfilled in genuinely embracing My Lord.   

I spent the rest of the weekend getting settled in, journaling, reading, and enjoying the fresh air of the outdoors. On Monday, I began my job and by Friday the United States began shutting down due to the coronavirus outbreak. Early the following week businesses were closing, and social distancing was being implemented. It turns out that when you have your mind set on isolating with the Lord for the next nine weeks, being instructed to isolate isn’t so bad. I actually found myself thanking God that He didn’t even allow for the temptation of distraction to lead me away from my commitment in having this time with Him. 

I’ve been thinking about how crazy it is that I really wanted to just be alone with you in this assignment… and now we’re nearly forced into isolation. Thanks…I think?…for giving me this opportunity to be with you – and freeing it from the distractions of what else I could be doing. This is genuinely where I wanted to be – with you, but I know that the flesh drifts. Thank you for the guardrails in this time.  Journal Entry – March 18^th, 2020

So why do I write this? To tell you that I’m currently in the midst of intentionally spending nine weeks with the Lord? Absolutely not. Dear readers, friends, and family, I want to encourage you to quarantine your focus with me. If you’re in the same boat that I was in a few weeks ago – distracted by the world – get back on track. Each morning you can make a choice to pursue God with the minutes of your day. Instead of turning on the news or jumping into your around-the-house checklist for the day, seek Him. Dig into the Word. If you have been keeping God on the backburner as a safety net or somewhere on a task list, I challenge you to pursue Him now. Maybe you’re like me in the first years of my walk with Christ when I told Him that I’d commit to Him when things got “less busy”. Not having enough time isn’t an excuse and being “less busy” is likely not a reality. Replace what would’ve been your commute to work or dinner out with friends, with intentional time with God. This is likely the least busy you’ve been in quite a while and there’s no better time to open the door than now. If you don’t know the Lord as your personal Savior or you’ve been wondering about Him, I challenge you to give Him a sliver of your attention throughout the next four weeks or so. I challenge you pray that He would expose Himself to you in this time and I challenge you to open your Bible and open your thoughts to seeking the depth of scripture. You may be surprised when you find yourself wishing that could meet God for a waffle cone only to realize the local homemade ice cream store is still closed (not salty). Believers, see the opportunity. We have an opportunity to shine our joy and peace in this time of chaos, and through that we can share the reason behind this eternal hope that comes through Jesus Christ. Also, be reminded that we have the time, opportunity, and power to pray – pray for His comfort, pray for light to shine in the darkness, pray for those who don’t know the Lord – that they may be led to our source of peace in this fear-filled time, pray for your communities, take everything to Him. In a world that seems to be full of uncertainty and change, we can rest assured that Our God is at work and that He will never change. To everyone, take this time to SLOW DOWN, find joy in your new surroundings, love on those around you, and if you’re up for a challenge, join me in quarantining your focus.