ZPCBlog

About the author: Misty Soderstrom and her husband Stan have been members at ZPC for 20 years! They have two adult children who are both married - one daughter and one son. Misty has served as a ZPC Deacon and during non-pandemic times, she sings in the choir and coordinates ZPC's Inquirers Classes.

THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE: ISAIAH 2:1-5

I don't know about you, but this pandemic has left me struggling to focus. Pre 2020 I could sit down with a book and finish it in a 3 hour sitting, and praying for extended periods of time wasn't difficult. Now, this 15 minute daily meditation is a challenge. My mind jumped to other Bible verses even as I reflected on Isaiah 2:1-5. The picture of people making the pilgrimage, like an upward flowing river, to be near to God on his holy mountain, made me think of the six foot social distancing standard from the CDC. Even so, the hope that we have in Immanuel (God is with us) is the reassurance that calms my spirit. The act of spending intentional time with God brings me to the center of he who is truly in control. Nothing is surprising to God, he knew we needed him to draw near to us - Immanuel.

We need the peace that comes from time spent with God so we can reflect that peace in our families and communities. Don't be hard on yourself. This isn't for a grade, or to check off a spiritual milestone. It is like daily bread–we need it for our mental and spiritual health. Keeping a constant awareness of the presence of God is not something that humans do naturally, so it is helpful to use different tools to redirect our hearts and minds to Christ.

I saw a note on social media that someone posted, it said, "When you feel overwhelmed, you're spending too much time with the world and not enough time with God ... he is our peace."  That sums up for me.

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