Closures, Chaos, and Cancellations

Our recent days have become darkened with fear and dread. How are you doing with it all? Closures, chaos, and cancellations have been ruling our days, and probably disrupting our sleep as well. I had to face the facts of the situation, prompted by the travel bans in place, and cancel my trip to England that was supposed to take place tomorrow. It crushes me to cancel such a well-thought, planned, and essential holiday. My annual venture to England (and other excursions I include) have become food for my soul, a time away to adventure in my favourite places, with time to reflect, write, and soak in the inspiration to foster my imagination. My heart has felt quite downcast (every cancellation email/call sent felt like another blow).

It is a topsy turvy world we are in. It feels like a surreal dream that will not end. I cannot seem to wake up from this bad dream. The darkness closes in. The fear is out there affecting the psyche of everyone. People hoard toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and frozen food. Fears of a two+ week quarantine cause people to lose all common sense. I am quite baffled by it. Sure, grab an extra pack of something, not 10. 

In times like these I seek the calm. The quiet retreat from it all. Everything in the world (stores, the media) counters that calm with chaos so a conscious effort must be made to seek the quiet and peace of God. The coffee shop is a good alternative (at least this weekend it was - now most restaurants are not encouraging sit-in, but only take away), a place of relative quiet, apart from the regular buzz of people and music. It all seems normal coming in and sipping on an oat milk latte. I take out my journal and reflect. As I wrote, this verse suddenly came into my mind.

What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

This isn't a new problem. Illness spreading across land and sea. In history, it has looked different each time, but never so much as today with social media spreading news in an instant. But not just news, false rumors and tweets that inflict panic to the masses. Today, it all seems so dramatic and fear-driven. People feed on the news, watching it constantly on their phones for any tiny new update throughout the day, which the news will gladly give them as they tune in every few minutes. 

Just 10 years ago news was slower moving, available at regular times on the television, radio, or by newspaper. Of course by word of mouth (phone or in person). It raises a questions in me - is it better to know instantly and raise fears in everyone to act in ways that are irrational? Will this precautionary measure are being taken to close churches, schools, libraries, cafes, events, etc solve the crisis?

History may not repeat, but it goes round and round, revolving into similar patterns.

Whilst I can barely think about the loss of my trip to England without my heart breaking a little more, I do recognize that it is totally out of my control and it is the nature of bad timing. It is the world we live in - things are not always going to be fair or safe. There is always danger around corners. We constantly have to be aware of what is lurking in the shadows is that "thing" that could steal our joy or ruin our plans.

Can we turn it into a comedy? Can we set it in a paradox? 
I turn to my favourites like G.K. Chesterton here, for that wisdom which can turn a bad, desperate situation into comedy and paradoxical lesson learned, about the ultimate grace and overarching love of God. I recommend reading The Man Who Was Thursday. I wrote a post years ago on that, HERE.

When all seems dark, a sudden light appears to remind us of the good. We have to be willing to look. It can turn a situation, not by our own works but by the prevenient grace that goes before us. I borrow such reminders from Tolkien here, and his use of eucatastrophe (good catastrophe) and light appearing in the darkest places. The Lord of the Rings is the obvious example of that.

These stories and authors (I would add C.S Lewis, George MacDonald, Charles Williams, Elizabeth Goudge, and Dorothy L Sayers) have ways of looking at the world that help me here. They all point toward the ultimate love of God, which over arches everything, even if we cannot see it. When all other lights go out, the Light, that is Christ, is ever-glowing.

Stay well and safe, friends.

Even the darkness is not dark to You.
Psalm 139.12