Is It Possible?

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The third chapter of Ecclesiastes begins, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (NIV).

Sometimes it’s a challenge to figure out which season you are in. Sometimes, it’s even harder to determine what you need to accomplish in that season. And sometimes, it’s hardest of all to figure out what God has in mind for you in a particular season.

This is a season unlike any other. The COVID-19 pandemic turned life upside down for the entire planet. But it’s not just global, it’s also very personal. You are part of a congregation that has changed how it carries out its mission. You know people who have gotten sick and died. You may be one of the millions who has lost a job. You are spending more time alone or with your family than you ever imagined. You are worried about a very uncertain future.

One of the worst things I can imagine is wasting the COVID-19 crisis in a rush to “get back to normal.” Jesus doesn’t want us to go backward, trying to recapture where we were. Jesus wants us to move boldly forward to his new normal.

This is why it’s so important to use this unusual season to ask some questions. Is it possible this could be a season in which, much like Jesus in the wilderness before the start of his ministry, you have the opportunity to draw closer to God? Could this be a season during which you can reflect on what matters most in life? And could this possibly be a season when you can focus more on being than doing?

Not only is it possible. If you listen carefully, it is exactly what you will hear God calling you to do.

Bishop Gary Mueller serves as the resident episcopal leader of the Arkansas Annual Conference and as vice president of the General Commission on United Methodist Men. This post is republished with permission from the UM Men's website.