Social Distancing: We Were Not Created For This

Social Distancing:  the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection.  ~ Mirriam Webster Dictionary

I’m really struggling with this whole social distancing thing.  This is not how we are wired. We were created for community. The Godhead Himself exists in community.  God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. When God created Adam,  “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” Genesis 2:18 (NIV).  God then brought all of the animals He had created to Adam to see what he would name them. When he was finished, no suitable helper was found.  I had never noticed this before. Out of everything God had already created, there was nothing fit for Adam. Another human being was the only creation that could meet Adam’s needs.  We were made for human interaction. 

I thought I was handling things well until yesterday morning.  We watched our church’s live stream which happened thanks to a very small handful of people.  Just seeing our pastors and worship team and reading comments from our church family affected me way more than I thought it would.  I miss the feeling of community. I miss the deep relationships. I miss the physical contact. I just miss them.

And it’s not just church that I miss.  I miss going for walks and passing people without having to move 6 feet from them.  I miss going to the grocery store and seeing people who are relaxed and are ok with a little chit-chat.  Instead, I see people with fear in their eyes wearing masks and having to wait in line behind pieces of tape at the register so they don’t get too close to the person in front of them.  I miss meeting friends for lunch or coffee at a restaurant. I wish my kids could invite their friends over as we normally do, but we just can’t take any chances. I want my kids to be able to go for walks without having to worry about people yelling out their car windows because they shouldn’t be walking close together (this actually happened to a family in our neighborhood).  I don’t know when life will be normal again and it just makes me sad.  

Trust me, I get it.  I really do. For the sake of our older generation as well as people who are immunocompromised, this is the safest way.  As I shared in last week’s post, my mom and stepdad are in their 70’s. My father-in-law and his wife are in the same age bracket.  My grandfather is 91. All 5 of these people whom I love very much have had health scares in the last few years. Thoughts of them are what remind me of why we’re socially distant at this time.  We must protect the generations ahead of us as well as friends and family with underlying health issues. These are the people that will keep me going.

So, how do we get through the next several weeks like this?  After watching church online yesterday morning and decided to take a walk.  I bundled up (because it’s still pretty cold up here in the northeast) and my husband decided to go with me.  I have to tell you, the deep, uninterrupted conversation as well as the fresh air and sunshine did my heart and mind good.  During these long days, I have decided that I MUST connect with my husband alone every day. That will give us time to vent, talk through the latest scary news, share how we feel our kids are handling things, and talk about anything else that comes up, no matter how big or small. This way, we are not bogging down our children with our own feelings.  If you are a parent, I would encourage you to do the same. Our kids are a bit older, so it’s easy for us to go for a walk or ride without them. But, if you have little ones, set aside time at night or in the morning. It’s easy to get caught up in the craziness around us and neglect that all-important time with our husbands/wives. If you are a single parent, find a friend that you can talk to.  I feel this is vital at this time.

I would also encourage you to find time to get outside when the weather allows and also exercise in some way, even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes.  We have 3 days of rain forecasted for this week, so I’m going to have to get creative. I see Wii Sports, Just Dance, or an online workout in my near future.

Until life returns to our new normal (because I’m sure this experience will change us all in some way), I will remember that God sees us.  And though I am separated from most human contact, I am not separated from the love of Christ.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulations, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 8:36, 38-39

This is what I’m hanging onto today.  No matter how distant I am from people, God is not distant from me.  I’m sorry if this post seems dark and gloomy, but it’s just where I am with all of this.  My faith is not shaken and I will continue to say that God is good, no matter the outcome.  But, it’s ok for us to feel a wide range of emotions through this. I will continue to stay at His feet as I cling to Him and to His Word.  It’s the only thing that’s going to get me through. I would encourage you to do the same. I fully believe that making it through this in a healthy way is going to take being intentional about connecting with people in any way we can. DON’T WAIT to do this!  Check on your elderly neighbors. Call them or knock on their door to assess how they are. Of course, stand back if they answer, but I’m sure human interaction will make all the difference for both of you. Facetime, Google Duo, or Skype with friends or family members.  Tomorrow evening we are using Zoom to check in with our Journey Group from church. We typically meet on Tuesday evenings, so Zoom will have to do for now.

 I’d love to hear how you are handling all of this.  Please don’t hesitate to comment on this post or head over to the Don’t Wait FACEBOOK PAGE and post there.  We may not have been created for this, but together with God’s grace and mercy, we will be stronger when all is said and done!  In the upcoming days, make a point to connect with your family, friends, and neighbors. Most importantly, spend time daily with Jesus. He alone can fill you. He will sustain you and keep you in the coming weeks or months.   And whatever you do, DON’T WAIT!!!

Please follow and like us: