Stuck in My Rocking Chair With Covid and I Cannot Get Out

My time has come…covid. My "medical" husband and I had just been contemplating the fact that after all this time and multiple exposures to covid, maybe I was just one of those people who would not get covid. Then whammy; I was struck with the dreaded virus. Only it was not too bad. In fact, if there was not so many unknowns, news media dramas, and anxieties swirling over "covid", this would have been another "run of the mill" illness. I have had worse. 

So what are the knowns: 

1. God is, and always will be, in charge of the universe. (Genesis 1, Hebrews 1:1-4, Psalm 8:1-4)

2. The death rate is 100% for everyone. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the punishment of sin is death. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)

3. Jesus has paid the price of our sin and for those who believe in Jesus as Savior, we will have eternal life in Heaven with God forever where there will be no more sickness or sadness. YEAH!! (Ephesians 4:2-9, John 3:16-17, Revelation 21:4)

4. As the covid virus mutates, it will become more contagious, but thankfully less deadly. I love the number of times God assures us, "Do not fear." I love the number of times God tells us, He is with us. Immanuel-God with us. I love that no matter what, God holds us.  (Deuteronomy 31:8, Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 41:13, Psalm 23:4)

5. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones from or with covid. But my heart also goes out to those who have and continue to lose loved ones from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, depression, car accidents, etc. (See #2.) 

My worse symptom was an incredible fatigue that hit me early Sunday morning. I did not go to church. I did not get out of my pajamas. I did not get of of my rocker recliner. (I am a mover. HA. Very unlike me to sit for me than 30 minutes at a time.) However, as I look back it was a good time. Yes, a good time!

My covid thankful list:

1. I am so thankful we had a good time with all four of our boys, two lovely daughters-by-love, and our sweet Baby James home between Christmas & New Year. I am so happy I was not sick when they were home; I became sick the day they left. (I am so glad none of them ended up sick.)
2. I am so thankful for my sweet doctor.  She was so helpful, caring, and easily accessible.
3. I am so thankful I was able to do a ton of reading. It was great! Hours and hours of uninterrupted reading. I never have time to sit and read...Or actually I am never very good at sitting for extended periods of time to read. 
4. I am so thankful for fellow commiserators. My sister from Michigan had covid, too, so we had great long phone conversations. One of my best friends, also had it. Her word for the year was "whimsey" and we shared great whimsical conversations and laughter through our texts. 

5. I am so thankful for #3 son home on college break who- without even being asked- cooked meals for us, cleaned up our home from the holiday clutter, and did multiple loads of laundry of towels and sheets from everyone being home. Another reason to resist killing your teenagers.
6. I’m so thankful that I was ok. Still a tiny bit on the mend. Steroids helped.
7. I am so thankful for alka seltzer cold plus & cough medicine. They did not have that in Laura Ingalls Wilder days. 

So many of us are suffering-from illnesses, loss, disappointments, fear of future. Our nation is in a heap of hurt whether it be political disagreement, racial disharmony, differences of opinions regarding vaccinations or masks, and so much more.

Contemplate this in crazy covid times: If each one of of us could live out what the Apostle Paul exhorts us to do, life could be so much better. I encourage you to encourage your family and friends to uphold each other in living life better, living life God's way: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

Courage Through the Covid-19 Storm: Dealing with Tension

Tips for THRIVING

Tip #12 Manage emotions in a healthy way.

Listen to this blogpost on Anchor
https://anchor.fm/karen-sue-murdy/episodes/Courage-Through-the-Covid-19-Storm-Dealing-with-Tension-eeu7vi

and Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HrjTRGiBsnvWU17syAOEk

Do you feel the tension in the air?

Did you feel it in March as everybody wondered if Covid-19 was going to descend upon their
home and kill their family members?

Did you feel it in April as weariness of the stay at home orders felt exhausting,
as the weariness of finding toilet paper and hand sanitizer challenged even the most determined,
and as the weariness of the unknown wore on and on?

Did you feel it in May as people mingled words of fear, freedom, masks,
safe social distancing, vulnerable, open economy, unemployment, "subject to change"?
What's safe? What's not? What's the future hold?

It is as if everyone has the tension of a stretched rubber band.

And then the tragedy of George Floyd. The policeman who killed him, along with the other
policemen at the scene acted, horribly horrifyingly. I don't know of anyone thinks what they did
was right. What they did was clearly wrong. (My sympathies to the loved ones of Mr. Floyd.)

People exploded.  Peaceful protests I understand, but I struggle to comprehend how
burning buildings and harming more people solves anything in this complex issue.

Who is the enemy? Other people are not the enemy.
The enemy is Satan. Thankfully, Jesus conquered Satan for us.
We are citizens of Heaven, but reside only temporarily on this earth.
Because of Jesus death on the cross and His resurrection on Easter, we live with the
hope of Heaven, where death shall be no more.

In my extended Hinz Family, each week someone picks out the "Hinz Family Bible verses" for all
of us to read each day. Here are the verses my sister picked out three weeks ago for all of us to read
on these dates. It gives me goose bumps to think of how God was speaking so directly to me through His Word.

Tuesday May 26

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there
be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:4)‬ ‭

Thursday May 28

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:9-12)

Friday May 29

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight. (Romans 12:14-16)

Saturday May 30

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God,
for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."  (Romans 12:17-19)

In these days of tension, how can you manage your emotions in a healthy way?
What are ways you deal with emotions?
Here are a few good choices to think about: exercising, journaling, laughing, crying, deep breathing, being still. 

I challenge you to...Hold fast to what is good.
Live in harmony with one another. So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 

Covid-19 Challenge. 

Exercise often. 

Experience nature every day. 

Interact with others in outside settings whenever possible. 

Wear masks inside in public places. 

Wash your hands. 

Be thankful.  

Spread kindness and laughter.

Keep your eyes on God.  

Please "follow me" so you will be notified of when the next blog post is available.

FEAR

FEAR...the days following 9-11, the unknowns of moving, the safety of loved ones, and ????.  Fear all around. What do you fear?

My dear daughter-in-law, Lauren, addresses this in a post on her new
blog  I encourage you to read it, and also share her blog with other "20 something" year old people.
https://musingsofthe20s.blogspot.com/2019/10/inaugural.html?m=0

The passage, John 14:27, was my theme verse in high school!  My ANTI-FEAR verse: "I leave peace with you, I give you My peace. I don't give it to you as the world gives it. Don't feel troubled or afraid." John 14:27, Beck, An American Translation, the version of Bible I was reading then.

May you know God's peace amidst the inevitable fears!

I Just Want to Go Home

"I just want to go home!" cried not only the Murdy family, but also the children of Israel, hurricane victims, refugees, and maybe you?!

Why DID the children of Israel of the Old Testament want to go back to slavery? I always wondered. Suddenly I understood! They just wanted to go HOME, back to familiar territory. As I house hunt and try to adjust to life in a new city, struggling to deal with my own feelings about home, I think about those children of Israel, who left their homes. What did God have for them? “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart before the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22) God does not depart from us either. In incredible ways, God has also been and continues guiding my family, by open doors (and closed ones, too), by words of trusted Christian family and friends, by our Bible readings and devotions, by messages from sermons and songs. God has brought us to this new place and we trust that He has a new home for us.

To the children of Israel and throughout the Bible, God reminds His people not to worry or be afraid. “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you: He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8) Almost every day I need to read this verse. What a sense of peace we have, knowing that God IS with us.

One of the many blessings of this new place is the people of Concordia High School. Last week at a Concordia  girls’ Bible study, Allie read this verse: ”For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city to come.” (Hebrews 13:14) Wow. Exactly what I needed - to be reminded that we have no lasting city or home on this temporary earth, but we seek our permanent home in the city to come in heaven.  

What about you? Are you in a place of just wanting to go home? I would love to hear your story. Feel free to email me at ksmurdy@gmail.com.

Where is home? Of course home encompasses so much more than a physical home. My husband, children, and I have been discussing home frequently these past few weeks and months. How easy it is to be connected to our earthly homes.  But God has prepared the best home for us in heaven. Let us all keep a perspective, not becoming too attached to this earthly place, but keeping our eyes on our perfect home awaiting us in the city to come, heaven.

Exercising, Eating, Stewardship, Lent...How are these related?

Four sons...Cars. Cars. Cars. Cars. A common topic at our house.  Throw in some beach walks contemplating stewardship combined with hearing an excellent sermon and here is what happened:

Exercising, Eating, Stewardship, Lent...How are these related?

My friend bought an old, but low mileage, cute Volkswagen Bug. But this car had sat. Almost immediately, the car’s fuel pump failed. Next the water pump failed. Soon the belts failed. And so on. Our bodies are very much like that little Bug. If we don’t use them, we lose them, so to speak.
Continue reading here:
http://blog.cph.org/everyday-faith/exercising-eating-stewardship-lent-related/

This article first appeared March 9, 2017 on the CPH Blog