The COVID-19 Magnifying Glass

This pandemic has been like a magnifying glass - amplifying racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and mortality. In our work, we see its effects nearly every day. Also,  COVID-19 effects everybody despite it's obvious impact on our world's most vulnerable -- domestic violence and mental health issues are at an all-time high irregardless of income level. 

Here's why. Because COVID-19 magnifies what's broken within us. 

Whatever was broken in you before covid, is front and center now. For example, were you lonely before covid? ....now you might feel isolated. Were you a workaholic before covid? ....Now you might feel burnt out. Were you physically unhealthy before covid? Now you're worried about being very susceptible to the virus. COVID-19 magnifies what's broken within us. 

One of the habits we have cultivated as a family for the last 15 years is a weekly saunter (to walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort) in the mountains. One (of many) reasons we value its importance is because we know that this weekly act of worship is healing something broken within us. We truly believe the cumulative effect of years of prayerfully walking in beautiful places have cultivated our renewal. 

COVID-19 magnifies what's broken within us but prayerfully walking heals our wounds.

So today....as so many days before, we walked. We walked slowly, prayerfully, joyfully....stopping to see beauty and proclaim it's goodness in front of our children. We participated in the healing God IS doing in each of our lives during these difficult times. 

These are good days.