As a nation, South Africa is gearing up for a 21 day lockdown from Thursday 26/3, at 23:59. Which means that life for all of us is about to change again.
Don’t waste your lockdown.
What does it look like for us to live as disciples during lockdown? And how do we make the best use of this time?
Answering that question requires that each of us make some time to think a little, get creative, pray, and make a new schedule or set some new daily goals.
Here are some ideas of where to start, because: A New Reality requires a New Routine.
Jesus at the Centre:
It’s very easy when our rhythms change, to lose our routines from the past. So how do we keep Jesus at the centre during lockdown?
Maybe this means starting the day in prayer and the scriptures?
Maybe this means setting reminders on your phone to regularly pray, and dwell in God’s presence throughout the day?
Or to start a daily Bible Reading plan on YouVersion?
Work:
Each of us will have to come at this differently. From Friday, some of us will be working harder than ever remotely, some of us will have a 3 week break from work, and some of us have jobs that require us to keep working outside of our homes to serve the people of South Africa.
What does your work routine look like during lockdown?
Screen Time Limits:
Probably the biggest danger to many of us during lockdown, particularly for those of us with a lot of time, is that we spend the next 21 days binging content on Netflix, Social Media and the News.
We all know that that won’t leave our souls feeling refreshed.
To prevent that, maybe you need to set some screen time limits, be disciplined about how often you go on your phone throughout the day, and stop scrolling endlessly.
Community:
We’ve said this before, but Social Distancing does not mean Social Isolating.
Join in your Life Groups Zoom Call or Google Hang Out. Do a video call with friends to catch up or pray together. Host a Games Night online. Or reach out to someone you think could be feeling lonely.
What does it look like for you to love your neighbour, while in isolation?
We’ve got the technology to keep in touch with family, friends, and everyone really. So let’s use it well and wisely.
Exercise:
We probably all need the endorphins that come from a good work out at the moment. What can you do to stay fit and healthy?
Church Online:
This was never our first choice. We miss being together as the Church in one place. But, we’re hoping that Church Online is developing in us all a deep appreciation for our Sunday Gatherings, and a longing to be together again as a Church.
In the meantime, let’s prioritise meeting online with the rest of the Church, on Sundays at 10am each week. And as we study the scriptures, worship, pray, and enjoy Jesus in our homes, we can know that the whole Harbour City family is all doing the same thing together, apart around Durban.
Negativity Fast:
I read a meme recently that said: “Remember Load Shedding? Those were the days.”
Our Country and its people have been through a lot over the last while. But we don’t want to be defined by difficulty, fear and negativity. We want to be defined by the Gospel.
So we must be careful to control the words that come out of our mouths, and what ideas that are influencing our minds and hearts at this time.
This is a time to remember the promises of the Bible, and meditate on the beautiful truths of the Gospel for us.
For all of us, the question is, how are we going to respond to our new reality?