For our devotional, I have 2 questions:
1. What have you missed most during this time.
2. What has been an unexpected blessing.
I will go first. I miss seeing my boys active in theater and with friends. We have a senior as I mentioned previously. But our family has grown closer together through bonding as we face these challenging times. Plus, we have had time for deep conversations on topics often ignored. God knew we needed that.
How about you?
I missed traveling the world. Times have significantly changed due to the Covid pandemic, and traveling to a different country is much more challenging. I cannot wait to travel back to Asia and experience the white sand beaches and the clear blue sea. For me surviving all I have been through during the pandemic, the challenges I conquered, and the surgeries and recovery I battled through are unexpected blessings. My faith always refreshes and strengthens me throughout life’s struggles.
I have a very large extended family and so I have desperately missed spending time with all of them in one house. I have missed going to concerts and being able to take road trips. However, this pandemic has made me reevaluate and given me a new perspective on many things. It made me sit down, process my thoughts and actions, and take more intentional time with my immediate family. It has given me a new appreciation for my relationships, we never really know the next time we will see someone and that pandemic has proved that. Regardless of the forced distance between everyone my friendships have still been able to grow and become stronger.
Of course I miss my family most in such a time. The unexpected blessing is to thank God for keeping me home. The ticket has not been cancelled like other people.
What I have missed the most during this time has been my family and church friends. I used to see my family very frequently, and my church friends even more (3-4 times a week). Hopefully, I will be able to see my friends again soon and maybe even have them come over and hang out with my wife and me. One unexpected blessing was that one of my jobs that closed kept paying me through quarantine, so I was able to work full-time at my other job. My wife and I took this opportunity and started saving as much as we could so we can pay off the rest of our school bills.
The thing that I have missed most during this time would be being able to see my grandma. She lives in a independent living home but due to the outbreak they have been on strict lockdown since March. It is heartbreaking not being able to hug her or spend time with her but those phone calls that I get and the FaceTimes make my heart feel somewhat full.
And unexpected blessing during this time has truly been the opportunity for me to grow more in my faith. I believe that through this self quarantine month span I have been able to go deeper in my faith and into the word of God.
While corona was not the most fun thing…