Every Sunday I go to the same coffee shop, it’s a reminder to pause- to soak in the meaning of Sabbath. Just like clockwork, I sit at the same coffee table surrounded by the laughter and wisdom of my dearest friends.

On this particular Sabbath, I sit in my car- alone. Instead of being in the company of my favorite smiling coffee table faces, I am surrounded by full boxes containing the remains of an empty dorm and unmet expectations.
On the Sabbath of March 29th, the entire world hurts as a collective community. This pandemic’s invisible fingers have stolen regardless of age, race, sex, social status, national identity, or religion.

This pandemic’s invisible fingers have stolen regardless of age, race, sex, social status, national identity, or religion.

Today every nation, tribe, and tongue is battling the same faceless enemy. The mysterious paradox is that we are unprecedentedly united, yet so physically separated.COVID is a reality that was not invited- but nonetheless, it’s here at our doorstep. If we knew- maybe we would have hugged a little tighter, kissed a little more, stayed a little longer, and said “I love you” far more often. But then again, uncertainty is nothing new. If anything, we are reminded of the fragility of life and our own plans.

Deep down in all of our souls, we know that this world isn’t as it should be-but most of us spend a lifetime sewing makeshift bandages to cover the stench of that unsettling truth- it takes tragedy to come along and peel away our pathetic attempt to cover our bloody wounds.

Sabbath is supposed to let the eternal soak into our monotony, pain, and joy. It’s contemplating that “God is good” is not just an ideology- but a promise. This simple, yet profound statement requires more than just a passing thought- but a lifetime of Sabbaths.
How ironic that on this Sabbath the busiest society in history is paused. May we see this Sabbath as more than just a Sunday- but as the name for the unknown months ahead.

Live life to the utmost in the waiting- because after all, we are always waiting for something. Joy isn’t found in the best of times, it’s often found in the very worst. So rejoice-rejoice in the waiting, the mundane, the discontentment, the headache, the trials, the loss, the longings of our souls- remember the Sabbath.