Life is difficult.
COVID-19 has rocked our lives. But this is not the only challenge we have ever faced. Studying is hard enough as much as teaching has its struggles. Yet, the pandemic has been a shocker. To encourage us a bit, I would like to paraphrase the psychiatrist M. Scott Peck: Life is difficult—once we accept and transcend this truth, life becomes less difficult.
Let me outline some of my insights on the blessings of crisis. In counselling, we have a term called “reframe”, which means a different way of looking or perceiving an experience that comes our way. Instead of seeing a crisis, like the pandemic, as an adversity, we might as well befriend it and make it work for us.
Crisis brings unhappiness. We do not like it or even welcome it. Social distancing and having to wear masks do not make us comfortable. Isolation during the circuit breaker may have driven us to loneliness. If we have long struggled with sadness, anger or anxiety, this pandemic has made it worse. It is easy to come to a point of hopelessness and helplessness during a difficult time like this. Like the psalmist in Psalm 13, we may cry out, “How long, O Lord!”
I like to think that as Christians we are gifted with eyes of faith, though I am also aware that when one is in despair, the well of faith can become so dry. The capacity to look at life through the lens of hope is modelled by the sons of Korah in Psalm 84:5–7: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you; whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka (a possible pun as this word refers to balsam yielded by trees but also sounds like the Hebrew verb meaning “to weep”), they make it a place of springs” (NIV).
How does one turn a valley of tears into a place of springs?
First, let crisis reveal character. A crisis shows us what strength we have and what is inside us. We can complain and be grumpy inside. But a crisis can also mirror our capacity for hope and laughter amid the challenges. I am glad I still hear laughter and singing in the SBC dorm! Continue singing and laughing! This pandemic and the hardships of SBC life can never control your vocal cords. In fact, singing and laughing will bring your stress level down.
Second, let crisis refine our faith. How much do we truly trust the Lord these days? It is one thing to say, “Lord, thank you for being with me now,” and another to experience it even when we are anxious. Faith does not eliminate our anxiety and sadness. It helps us to manage them.
Third, let crisis develop our resilience through our attitude toward it. Fire purifies gold as much as storms make a tree grow deeper roots. Storms could also make a tree develop outer layers that grow faster. The storms of life can help us become better and stronger. This life has its joys and accomplishments, but it will surely have its present and future struggles. We all have a choice of attitude when it comes to facing every challenge.
For Discussion
- In what way does your perspective on the pandemic crisis need a “reframing”?
- How may this article help you to walk from “a valley of tears” to “a place of springs”?
