Like many high school and college students, I have been on “ an extended summer break” since the middle of March when school transitioned online. While I was technically still in school I was still on “summer break”! I’m just waiting for my Uncle Joel to say, “GET A JOB!” (actually, now that I’m back in school, he would just tell me to cut classes!) Many are getting back into a sense of normalcy, whether that be going back to work in person or, as in my case, going back to school.
A lot of people are probably in that same boat that I’m in, and I can bet they will find it difficult to return back into a familiar routine. When researching what bible verse to center this month’s column about, I came across this great link to a whole list of verses in the situation of quarantine, and once I saw this verse, I knew it was perfect. The verse is from Proverbs:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” -Proverbs 3:5-6
We love to say that we can get back to normal on our own, but the real truth is, we can’t. This is why this verse is so fitting for this situation: the word reminds us to trust God and not to rely on our own knowledge. We are stubborn, stubborn human beings. We THINK we know everything; unfortunately we don’t. So when we go back to our familiar routines we may think, “I got this, I can do this on my own”. However, what usually happens next is: “This is harder than I thought”, or “maybe I can’t”, or “maybe I should give up”. In reality, once we start trying, we realize that we need the wisdom that can only come from the Lord, and it slaps you in the face; it wakes you up.
So how do we cope? “In all your ways acknowledge him”, the verse says. Basically, admit to yourself and to God that we need His wisdom. Say a small prayer of guidance, something like, “God, I now realize I cannot do this without you, thank you for showing me, and guide me in the right direction to get back to a sense of normalcy”. Soon after, like the verse says, “He will make straight your paths”. That means he will lead you back, now that you have admitted to him that you went astray, and thought you can do it all by yourself.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” This is something we need to realize that we need to do now as we return to work, school, and our “daily grind”, and something that we need to keep with us during our daily walk with God. We need to realize and get it through our stubborn minds that we can’t do this on our own. John 15:5 puts it perfectly, saying:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5 NIV
“Apart from me you can do nothing”, it says. That shows that we really can’t do anything without God’s help, it’s like climbing the highest mountain without any type of support. To cope, just say a small prayer admitting to yourself and to God that you can’t do this on your own, and keep praying it if you find yourself going astray as you navigate your way back to normalcy.