Sunday Afternoon Tea - Staying at peace while the world changes

An article popped up in my Facebook feed by The Survival Mom (whose preparedness book I have recommended many times) with the title, TEOTWAWKI Has Finally Arrived.  That certainly got my attention so I clicked on the link to read immediately.  Her belief is the same as mine, although I haven't written about it, that the pandemic is truly an "End of the World As We Know It" event.

I will link to the article below but lest you do not want to read it because you think it all doom and gloom, it is actually a very positive article about many of the good things that have come from the shut down.  While also being realistic about its' affects on our economy and civil liberties.

She talks about having expected such an event but always thought it would be suddenly in the form more like a war or an EMP blast.  Instead, the pandemic affected our lives slowly over a few months while still being an event that will cause our world to never be the same again.

When 9/11 struck, I didn't realize at the time that it was a TEOTWAWKI event.  It wasn't until I could look at the changes it brought to our country and the world in a rear view mirror that I realized how much it affected us.  Sometimes I watch a movie and see the date is before 2001... and I think how innocent the world now seems before that date.

Of course, the world has not been innocent since Eden.  As I watch the world I used to know change in many ways, I also wonder what it was like living in WWI, WWII, and other war zones through the millennia.  I've thought of that a lot as I read novels set before or during the world wars.  Even TV series such as Downton Abbey gave us a glimpse of the affects of WWI on families living during that time and changed the British class system.

The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is nothing new under the sun and it isn't until we read about events in the Book of Revelation that we are told of a period of time that will be unlike anything the world has seen before.  We are not there, yet.  The changes and sufferings we see today are such as have been lived through in previous generations.  Well, kind of...

I understand there is something very unique about this pandemic.  I heard a quote from someone who studies such things (and I'm sorry I don't remember his name) that this pandemic is a unique event in all of written history for it is the first time the entire world has been affected, both physically and economically.  He said there are now people testing positive in remote parts of the world and we must remember that the first case was in Wuhan, China only last December.

What I keep having to remind myself is that, while I am aware of the changes going on around me, my focus has to be the same as it has always been in troubled times.  It is not all that different from when I was going through intense personal trials and didn't know what tomorrow would bring.  Those were days and even years that I had to trust God, knowing that He knew what tomorrow would bring and I trusted His character.

Sometimes I look back and wonder how in the world I survived some of those trials.  Honestly, there were mornings that I woke up disappointed that I didn't go Home to be with Jesus overnight.  Life was too hard.  I didn't have the strength to go on another day.  Except... He knew that each time I went through such a time, I was actually strengthening my faith muscles.

If we still have breath, He knows we can handle what is going on in our world now.  But not without looking to God for strength every day.  He does provide a way in  our journey.  Something as little as leading me to the Blue Letter Bible app that not only offers the Bible in various translations but combines a feature that allows me to listen to the Word as I'm reading it.  Which is a huge help for someone with vision that is not great.

Much like Peter, if we take our eyes off of Him (and turn them on what is going on with the world), then we will sink.  I am learning that I must stay close to Him through reading His Word, listening to faith building music, and reading or listening to excellent biographies.

Of course, there are great novels that help me find peace by favorite authors such as Elizabeth Goudge (the British writer, not the American mystery writer), D. E. Stevenson, Jan Karon, and even cozy mystery authors such as Laura Childs who help me get away from it all.

Sometimes good quality stories are just what the doctor ordered, which is why I expect other generations have read Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen, L. M. Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis... and many more gifted writers.

The thing is... when we are living in a period of time which will be known for its' turmoil and constant change... we need to return to those things that anchor us, that give us peace.  First, of course, we know that Peace is a Person and he is Jesus Christ.  After that, peace can be found in our old familiar books, and film, and music, and even in making our familiar recipes.

I leave you with the lyrics to Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillside United.  It was inspired by Peter's attempt to walk on the water.  Lovely.

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Mentioned in this Blog Post
TEOTWAWKI Has Finally Arrived article... here.

Survivor Mom: How to Prepare Your Family For Everyday Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios by Lisa Bedford... here.

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