Happy Monday!

Wow!  What a past 18 months or so it has been!  We have been up and down and all around.

For a year or more, we were pretty isolated, seeing very few people outside of our own household.  For quite a while, we were even missing our church families.  Children couldn’t attend school in person.  The people in nursing facilities were in lockdown for months on end, never seeing their loved ones.

I get that, to a certain extent, but when you start looking at the traumatic effect of that kind of isolation, you have to start weighing the pros and cons.

I know in my home, we tried to be very careful.  We still got the virus.  I can see both sides.  I know I hope to never see those effects on our senior population and children ever again though.  I can’t help thinking of all those parents/grandparents who passed away or suffered for so long, all alone.

After a year and a half, I know my comfort was knowing I was never alone.  Not just my husband, but my personal Savior, Jesus Christ.  When I was very sick, I could feel His presence.  That was what helped me get through it.  I feel His presence every day and that is an amazing comfort!

And so it is with each of you.  Once you accept Him as your personal Savior, you never have to be alone again!  Thank you, Jesus for your constant love and presence!

Pray Unceasingly!!

Lois

You are not alone.

Right now, many of us are navigating how we can re-establish connections with friends and family we haven’t seen in a while.

This process takes time, and it can seem frustrating. But even when we feel alone and disconnected, we can seek connection with God through prayer, and ask Him to help us reconnect with the people around us.

God is always with us, and He loves it when we seek out honest conversations with Him.

A Prayer for Connection

 God, for many of us, this past year was filled with isolation. Despite technological advances, we watched relationships change and drift apart—and we grieved the loss.

But God, we know You can redeem what’s broken. You care about community, and You created us for connection. And, You also gave us Your Holy Spirit who understands what we are facing and prays on our behalf. So, when we feel alone, please remind us that You are near—and that You’re not done working.

Re-establish our relationships and show us how to make meaningful connections—even if it feels uncomfortable at first.

Ultimately, we want our loneliness to lead us closer to You and to the people that You’ve called us to love and support. So, take our isolation, our disconnection, our social anxiety, and our fear—and turn it into something beautiful that draws the world closer to You and to each other.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.