FINDING PEACE IN THE MIDST OF TURMOIL
Here we are in April of 2020 in the midst of a world-wide Coronavirus pandemic. It seems the world has gone crazy with fear, panic, and hoarding. Our country and our economy have come to a virtual standstill. Only those businesses and services deemed “essential” are allowed to remain operational. Some examples are food and pharmacy retailers, medical services, construction, transportation, suppliers and manufacturers of machines, parts and equipment for all of the above. As a result of this, businesses are failing and employees are finding themselves jobless as the country grinds to a halt.
The panic is so wide-spread that many people are hoarding things that are essential to most of us, such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial surface wipes, and even food items like chicken and bread. It seems Chicken Little is trying to outrun the sky falling in. In our few trips out to the stores during March, we couldn’t find toilet paper. Good thing we had bought a bulk package of it just prior to this collapse of common sense! We finally found chicken after three separate days, three trips to Winchester, and all the stores in Front Royal. While out, we saw people everywhere wearing face masks (which are now unavailable as well). Those who weren’t wearing masks looked empty or frightened. It looked like they thought the apocalypse was going to happen at any moment. But at the end of the day, we must remember what happened to Chicken Little. She spent all her time spreading panic and fear while the other chickens gathered seeds and made bread. In the end, the sky didn’t fall; the other chickens had plenty to eat and she had none…
Hey, didn’t I just write a book about that a couple of years ago? It’s called THE RICH, THE POOR, AND THE NAKED – Finding Peace out of Turmoil from the Lives of Twelve Biblical Women. You know what? Plagues and pandemics aren’t new; famine isn’t new; evil, cruelty, starvation, and turmoil aren’t new. All these things have happened since the beginning of time. Most of the Biblical women I wrote about faced such circumstances and had to make life-and-death decisions and make them quickly. Where did they find their strength in the face of such long odds of surviving? By putting their faith in none other than the God in heaven who made them. Now would be an excellent time for us to look to their examples.
Most of my artist friends are doing just that, as I am: creating inventory, adding new things to our product lines, writing more, getting paperwork in proper order, and so much more. In my case, I’m also redefining my purpose for art, and writing a new book. All of us can use this time to prepare for the boom coming after the bust, and it will. This doesn’t have to be a time of fear and panic. We can regard it as a respite from the “busy-ness” of life as we reconnect with God, with loved ones, friends and neighbors, and with our purposes and callings.
This can be a time to cherish as we reconnect with what really matters, of finding peace out of turmoil. We’ve certainly been given the time to give it some thought and put those thoughts to action.
Personally, I’m excited about what is to come. I believe it will be a new beginning, a fresh new start for many of us artists who are using our time wisely. I’m excited about the prospect of shows crowded with potential customers, of creating new works for them, of working on another book. I see a whole new world of opportunities after an extended time of serious trouble in the land. For those who look, even those who’ve been knocked down, the possibilities could be endless. I believe it will be a wonderful time in our country to be an artist!
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