In this time of social distancing you are not alone
It makes all the difference in this time of social distancing, to relate to One who knows all our experiences, what we feel, and how we think.
In the Bible, in Acts 17:28, St. Paul says that in God “we live and move and have our being”. Psalm 139 is all about the intimate connection with God who knows us: our sitting down and our rising up, and God discerns our thoughts from far away. And then in Matthew 28:20 Jesus says, “I will be with you until the end of the age”.
The Holy Spirit is God’s way of being with us. Yet sometimes it is hard to know how God is with us. The Bible helps us to know how to recognize God’s presence as we read about the experiences of others.
We are given a creative spirit. Our natural abilities are a gift to us such as the ability to play an instrument, paint, imagine, landscape or tell stories. In Genesis 1:2 we read that in the beginning the Spirit moved over the waters and was part of God’s creation.
There are spiritual gifts, like courage, or a spirit of joy that we feel comes from outside ourselves. Maybe you have met others that have the gift of counsel and always seem to know the right thing to say. These qualities of character are also from God and have been named in Isaiah 11:2-3, as well as in Romans 12:6-8.
In Proverbs, the Spirit is the one who helps us to discern and make wise decisions. There are times to evaluate our lives or change direction and we can seek God’s guidance.
In John 20:23 after Jesus was raised from the dead, he breathed on them and gave them the ability to forgive people. It is far easier to forgive someone with God’s help, including ourselves.
In Acts, chapter 2, the Spirit suddenly came into a room like the rush of a violent wind. (We know about the wind in the Tri-Cities where lawn furniture goes flying and tumbleweeds block the road.) Life can be unsettling, but God can act in the midst of it, and later we know and recognize what God was up to.
On that same occasion with the Spirit, the disciples felt like they were on fire. Whenever we feel passionate about something or someone, it is worth paying attention.
In John’s gospel, chapters 14-16, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as Advocate and Comforter. We are promised that we can turn to God for help and for peace when we feel anxious, worried or scared.
Have you ever received help when you were desperate for it, or a clear sense that things will turn out even before they do? Trusting that God is “for” us and will come through, helps us breathe more deeply.
The Holy Spirit is the one who keeps faith communities together – like many members of the same body. We may be physically distant from each other, but from a spiritual standpoint we are not. Many have come to realize how much people matter to us, and emotionally feel more connected to others.
Most of all, I like how St. Paul says in Romans 8:26 that the Spirit helps us in our weakness and that when we do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.
This is the time to connect with ourselves and with God, with people we love, with people we could love more, and to “love our neighbors” or at least, get to know them.