With God’s help, we will get through this

I can’t remember not going to church with my family on Easter, but that is exactly what happened Sunday thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike years’ past, there were no sunrise services, no Easter lilies at the front of the church, nor did I buy a new Easter dress to wear. There was no big family dinner after services.

Instead, I worshiped in my home via live streaming over my cellphone, something I’ve done now for four weeks.

But, one thing did not change — the message of Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection and victory over the grave. It was a message of love and hope that I needed to be reminded of at a time when my world has been turned upside down by COVID-19.

If someone had told me a year ago, heck, even six months ago, that we would be unable to gather for worship services, I would have called them crazy.

But, here we are. This is the new world we are living in.

It’s a world where we can no longer walk into a restaurant, sit down and order a meal.

It’s a world where toilet paper and hand sanitizer have become hot commodities.

It’s a world where believers have had to find new ways to come together — separately that is — so they still can worship.

It’s a world where simply visiting my family and friends may put them at risk. That right there has been the hardest adjustment for me.

It’s hard not to worry about my family, but I pray every day for their safety, and I know my heavenly father is watching over them, just as he is watching over me, as we continue about our lives during this uncertain time.

As I’ve heard so many say, we will get through this … with God’s help, I know we can.