​Thank God we don’t have time machines! 

I don’t know about you, but if God had allowed some scientist out there in the world to invent a time machine, I would probably spend the majority of my time inside it, rewinding to countless scenes in my life that I would greatly love to “do over.” 

And that’s why the God who exists outside of time and space has seen fit to make us humans here on earth live a very chronological existence. 

This summer has taken on a strange tone and mood for me. After being home for several months as a result of the COVID pandemic, the normal school year detox and relaxing that would take place has been given a head start. Relaxing on the porch with a cup of coffee clad in my comfy t-shirt and yoga pants has been the norm for months. I have enjoyed soaking up all the downtime and letting the non-essential details of life take a back seat. So much good in our family has come out of this time, but there is one thing that can never be granted a lackluster determination. Relaxed living can’t mean relaxed parenting.

The year was 2014. Every morning I dreaded getting out of bed to start another day. It was a hard year to say the least. I really needed to see the Lord work in a special way. I determined to begin the year by asking God for miracles, and I started a list in my journal for those miracles. Day after day passed with weariness, but my miracle list began to grow. If I were to show you that list today, you would think 2014 was the best year of my life!

Being a Christian brings with it many blessings, but life, even the Christian life, is full of challenges. Moving forward in God’s ways and in God’s work takes intentionality and effort.

Whether you’re a dramatic Disney villain ranting about insufferable princesses or a stressed-out mom picking up after your cyclone of children passing through the house, you’ve probably been caught talking to yourself at least once in your life. The truth is, we all find the idea of talking to ourselves rather funny. We have pictures in our minds of those people that usually take the form of absent-minded scientists or psychotic mental patients. Either way, they’re slightly insane.

By Shelby Abbot

You had it all planned out. You were doing your research and fine-tuning your resumé. You were preparing for the future: graduation in May, summer internship that would go through August, saying “yes” to the dream job where you knew you could make the most impact, earn some money, get married, buy a dog, raise a family, change the world, die peacefully in your late 90s while holding hands with your great-grandchildren.

You know, normal life planning stuff. But then…

As my husband and I have traveled to several different countries, we have done our best to try the various foods of the world. In Brazil we ate many kinds of fresh fruits, which were picked right off the trees, and tapioca pancakes (much like crepes) with various fillings and toppings. Israel introduced us to falafel and hummus with pita bread. We continue to try to reproduce the satay chicken with peanut sauce we ate in Indonesia. And Italy, maybe my overall favorite, had an abundance of food on every corner in every city—breads, pastries, pastas, and, of course, gelato. ​

​This world is a crazy, unpredictable place. I don’t think I’ve ever struggled with the fear of the unknown more than I have in the past few weeks. We are all going through a time when our natural reactions and even our solid spiritual responses to life are being turned around. 

In times of crisis, our thoughts naturally turn to our loved ones, but in a pandemic, we cannot visit them.

In times of loneliness and fear, we are guided by the Spirit to turn to the body of believers to bring us comfort and point us to truth, but we can’t even attend church services. 

In times of uncertainty, we fall back on our comfortable routines and schedules to keep our minds off of the hard questions, but right now many of us are left with little to occupy our time. ​​