We’re all hermits now

It’s Day 11 in our COVID-19 hermitage.

Long, long ago in a land far, far away…what we would call “hardcore” Christians moved away from the cities and towns. They moved far out in the middle of nowhere. They moved far away from people. They moved far away from the life that “normal people” live.

These “hermits” made their “hermitages” (homes) in caves and shacks.

Why did they go out there?

In the year 2020, you and I might say they went out there to “cleanse.”

They went out there to cleanse themselves of the things that weigh people down in the “real world.”

It’s not because hermits were “holier than thou.”

No, no. A hermit knew that he was un-holy and weak. He knew that he was only human. Yes, maybe the “real world” has a lot of good things going for it, but it also has a lot of bad. A hermit knew that to enjoy the good things of the world made it likely that he would also take in a lot of the bad.

So, he left.

We are all hermits now.

We are missing out on a lot of good things, for sure, but could this season also cleanse us of a lot of bad? Could it be that if we make the most of this “cleanse” now, we will be better at the “good things” later?

Let me give you an example.

My family always has more than enough to eat. Our kitchen is always full. Our fridge is so full we are planning on getting a second one for the garage. And even though we have this much food at home, we still eat out a few times a week.

If you told me two weeks ago that I would have to go just one week without eating whatever I want whenever I want it, you would see panic on my face.

But here we are: We haven’t eaten out in over a week. We’re making do with whatever we can find in the cupboards. We’re eating less.

And we’re…OK! We’re happy. We’re thankful.

The change in diet and the long nature hikes we started taking every afternoon are making me feel healthier, lighter, more energetic. You could say that since COVID-19 took away “normal life,” I’ve found a life that is much better than normal. It’s closer to the best version of life.

Can you see this “cleansing” happening in your life?

Since I’m a believer that Jesus is the Christ, I look at what is happening now as more than just a “cleanse.”

The core of the Christian faith is simply this: God raises the dead. God–the name we give to unconditional, universal life and love–turns death into life. The entire Bible is about that. Bad things happen. People do bad things. Some bad things, as we have seen, flood the world with death and despair.

But God is happy to make flowers grow from our piles of shit.

COVID-19 is the biggest pile of shit we’ve ever seen.

But look: Do you not see that the flowers are already starting to grow?

Grace and peace.