Encouragement during these times is must, a need, a lifeline. I was talking on zoom to a friend of mine. Her name is Holly. Even her name conjures up festivity, color and light. But her smile… oh if you saw her smile you would never forget it. She is one of the most vivacious personalities I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

So here I am talking to this incredibly up person, this courageous soul who is a cancer survivor, this joy emitting vessel of Jesus, and I listen to the anemia this isolation has caused. I came to the conclusion, if she's feeling this way then I know many of you will relate. Here is what she shared.

• The natural ebb and flow of the week is gone. The markers that tell the body, mind and soul the difference between a Sunday, a Wednesday, and a Friday night—Gone.
• The simple things like Friday night pizza, or Sunday worship service, or laughing your way through hump day like the camel does on the Geico commercial—Gone.
• With large teenager/men in her household, she has had to divide the home into quadrants to give each person a little personal space. Her private time alone in the day—Gone.
• The reason to get up, stay on schedule, get out of the PJ's, do makeup and hair—Gone.
• The worst is the grocery store experience. Lineups where people are masked. She lifted her hands and covered her beautiful smile and wow, when you take someone's smile away you take a big part of communication away. She explained how sad and somber it was to only see sad eyes, afraid eyes, with natural camaraderie between people—Gone.
• Everywhere you go in the name of social distancing people are backing up, backing away, afraid to even interact as if a kind word would somehow transfer the virus. Best laugh I've had all month was when our Prime Minister Trudeau advised Canadians, they should wear a face mask to protect against people "speaking moistly." His new term for "Say it, don't spray it." Now even the freedom to speak without a mask—Gone.
• No matter what the weather, given a clear bright day, a walk in nature, or sitting in the sun with ones face to the light, can lift the color gray. It's like a gray cloud hangs over the planet weeping because Covid 19 wins the day. Color is—Gone.
• I loved this … she said that "the color of life is not sunshine; it is love and interaction with people. Without this color, life is flat-lined and gray." I so agree with her. Our right to have normal human connection has been stripped away—Gone.

Are we going to let Satan win? He is the author of confusion, fear, death, sickness, Covid 19 and one of his specialities is isolation.

What can we do?

• Pray the color back into this world.
• Pray for the marginalized and the suffering.
• Pray that the powers that be realize in shutting down this world they are creating far more vulnerable situations. (See last week's blog.)
• Pray as people we realize truth. We will not die one day before our allotted time. I am in that age bracket where many have died of Covid 19. If I am meant to get this virus and die, so be it. I am trading this old body, for a spanking new creation. As the Bible says in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ (meaning I have time to spread the good news of Jesus), and to die is gain." (Meaning I am going somewhere better.)
• Pray we stop being so afraid. Part of life is death. We will all walk that path.
• Pray that God's people rise up and show encouragement, light, and love. Let there be a marked difference in the way we interact. This means to smile, (I refuse to wear a mask). This means to let fear go and strike up a conversation. (Just don't "speak moistly." LOL) This means to make that phone call, write that letter, send that text, have that zoom meeting.
• Put some pressure on government. Write that letter that accounts for 50 emails to your MLA (or in the USA to your local Congressman) and tell them we need to be allowed to live again.
• We are not going to last 18 months to 2 years without being able to work. The supply chain would be shut down. Pray for wisdom to reign.
• Don't feel like a criminal because you want to see your grandchildren, (like I had one lady tell me.) Instead pray for protection, and let God decide the rest.
• Talk to that neighbour over the fence. Pray for them.
• Friends … Get together in your back yard (six feet apart to obey the laws of the land) and sit on lawn chairs and interact. Bring your own beverages and snacks. If you have to use the washroom wipe it down thereafter.

ABOVE ALL PRAY.

GOD (EL-The Strong One) has got this.

El Elyon—God Most High has got this.

Elohim—The All-Powerful One, has got this.

El Olam—God Eternal/Everlasting has got this.

El Roi—The God Who Sees Me (and you) has got this.

El Shaddai—God Almighty has got this. 

For a little humour, I want to give the link to one of my favourite commercials. I don't know what it is about this one, but it makes me laugh, and I don't laugh easy. Hump Day Geico Commercial.