By Mark Lindberg

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I was laid off for the first time in 2003. I remember what happened vividly; I can still picture myself walking down the hall to my office thinking “I have to call Carla right now!!” I was stunned, frightened, and bewildered. I had so many questions, but not a single answer.

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A few weeks after that first day, Carla and I were talking and I said, “I just want to hold my breath until this is over.” I felt very much like my life was on pause - all I wanted to do was go to sleep, wake up, and have the nightmare be over.

In our ongoing conversation, we came to the realization that this was not a good way to live - putting your life on hold, waiting for the good stuff to start. So, rather than spending the day waiting for bedtime, we started living in the moments of the day, enjoying the things that God brought our way - or at least trying to. I went for 22 months without a permanent, full-time job.

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This is very much how I feel now; I just want to go to sleep and wake up with the quarantine over. The real problem with a time like this is that it puts us in danger of having a chance to be introspective and think about our flaws and shortcomings (Proverbs 1:20-33), so instead we lose ourselves in food, Netflix, books, Internet, media, etc.

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Don’t be afraid to take this as an opportunity (James 1:1-18) to ask God to show you (Proverbs 1:7) some things you need to address in your life. Ask Him to show you more of Himself.

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All those times you said you didn’t have time to get up and read your Bible? Gone! Now, you can spend some time reading God’s Word and then actually have time to think about what you read. Set aside some time to spend with your spouse and your kids. If you don’t have a spouse or kids, ask God who you should be praying for.

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This will end eventually and when it does, will you be the same person you were when it started or will you grow; personally and in faith? Will your marriage be better? What about your relationship with your kids? Will you use this time to binge watch or to let God help you (Jeremiah 29:12-14) be better, taking each day as an opportunity? This is a chance to change - don’t miss it! (Psalm 118:24)