April 25th, 2020: Social Distancing! Don't Blame It on The Pandemic

Can You Socialize Safely During the COVID-19 Pandemic? | Time

 
I had a conversation with a friend who was about to go on a "physical distancing" date. My first reaction was: "you are kidding me!" Well, she was not kidding and was in the middle of putting her makeup on. I just encourage her to make sure that the makeup more intensified so the other party will be able to appreciate her beauty 6 feet away.

Believe it or not, that conversation makes me think more about this whole notion of physical distancing (or social distancing as some might put it) and wonder whether it is a real new phenomenon or we just give a name to something or some ways of life that have been there for a while.

Our increasing need for privacy and insulation when we build a new home. When I first moved to Calgary, I was amazed by how much Calgarians like their fences. The first question my neighbour asked me when we first move in was whether we would like to fix the "common fence" between our houses.

Our increasing need for safety. We create subdivisions with the hope to exclude outsiders. Sometimes we build gates. Sometimes we block some of the streets. Sometimes we name streets with unrecognizable names so outside folks get confused when they wander into our neighbourhood.

Our increasing need for comfort. We want to have good schools for our kids, to be close to our preferred shopping, to be near to a hospital, to get to our yoga class comfortably...and we don't want to have some of them available to many people. We create clubs. We create "societies".

Have we ever considered that these are the real meaning of social distancing? What we have to do now is purely physical distancing. So going on a physical distancing date is not a bad idea after all. For sure there will be no kiss on this kind of the first date.

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." (Romans 12: 9-13)

Popular posts from this blog

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Oct 1st, 2022: Be With Those Who Suffer

Image
  Listening to a young woman who shared her experience of being raped repeatedly by a family member for over four years as a teenager made my heart ache. The man who did that was a leader of a church. He was imprisoned for seven months and released. He was her stepfather. Her mother chose to pick him over her after his release. Her life has changed forever. She had to go to a foster home. Her foster parents helped her with her restoration and her faith in God. Her supervisor at work asked me to see her because someone at work was inappropriate toward her. That triggered many emotions within her. I did not expect the story I heard from her. The meeting took longer than I thought, and it was toward the end of the day. She kept talking about her anger and the pain she felt when men treated her like a subject. I knew that the best I could do was to listen. She told me she had not been able to tell anyone as much as with me. God reminded me of the true calling of being a pas...
Read more