Right Where We Are

I was driving my car on a backcountry road, through the small rural town that I grew up in, enamored by the peace and the calmness of that beautiful Saturday afternoon. Before I passed our town's volunteer fire department, my mom told me to pull off the side of the road into the fire department parking lot, to take a glance at a translucent white box. I wasn't originally sure what it was or what to make of it, but all I could notice were the 3 words fixated on the top of the display: "The Blessing Box". I asked what it was and my mom explained to me that the church I grew up attending, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, created the display for citizens in my community that are in need. As illustrated on the box, you may take what you need and bring what you can. When I noticed the white box at first glance, I thought to myself of what a small, nice gesture it was. With more focus, it became increasingly apparent that this box wasn't all so little, as what first seemed like a distant display was now not much of a display at all. It became more than that, as with further attention and detail, I realized what the box truly meant and was designed to be: a blessing in the present for us right where we are.

As all of you know, we are living in a temporary "new normal". Our traditional routines, schedules, and plans have been turned completely upside down. College graduations have been canceled. Sporting events have been postponed. Church gatherings are now almost virtual. Most states, if not all, are under a stay at home order. With each passing day, the question persists of how much longer this time will last. I myself, alongside many others, have been asking this same question over and over again. This questioning first started when I came home a few weeks ago just to visit for the weekend and now I have been in Maryland for approximately 3 weeks and counting. While I have enjoyed being home and have savored every second with close friends and family, I realize it can be hard for any person to have their standard routines, practices, and way of life gone astray. Trying to adjust to this, I vowed to keep in touch with my friends and some family back down in North Carolina, where I currently reside for my job, but it feels all too distant to not be able to see my cousins down there, my friends from my college days, or visit the church that has become my home away from home.

Regardless where an individual resides, challenges related to the coronavirus and outside COVID-19, have continued to put a damper on our way of life. With bleak outlooks becoming all too familiar, we may forget to recognize some of the things that provide us encouragement, favor, protection, comfort, etc., throughout this trying time. In contrast, some of these things are blessings that we have already identified and should continue to count as everlasting blessings. These include all healthcare workers, first responders, postal workers, grocery store employees, manufacturers, and all other essential employees. Their tireless and unwavering commitment to their communities is the epitome of bravery. No formal recognition or words of thanks can go far enough to describe the impact that they have had on areas affected by this virus. Their service reflects the true meaning of The Blessing Box: meeting people right where they are.

In fact there are many blessings, even the ones we may not acknowledge as much, that still serve the same purpose. I have to remind myself of just how important these very things are, since it is all too possible to be drenched by the storm clouds of tribulation that surround us day in and day out. When I first drove by the fire department and my mom pointed out The Blessing Box, I failed to see the greater importance of what was in front of me. I only recognized the box as a display where people can come and go to take as they please, which was a kind act in a small community. As I pondered about the various other things circling in my mind, I didn't even give a second thought as to what I had just seen. It was only after glancing again, evaluating carefully the intricate details, that I fully understood the powerful symbolic meaning of what this box was. It is a representation of the life of Jesus, a reminder of God's presence in our lives, and one of many blessings that meets people right where they are. In fact, all of these factors are one and the same.

The celebration of Good Friday and Easter is a testament to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection and the life that He lived. Jesus' existence was the very example of God present among His people, as God took form being both fully human and fully divine. God's reminder to humanity that He has not forsaken us comes in various forms, all equally beautiful, equally powerful. The greatest love story ever told is the greatest blessing that we could ever have. The significance of blessings is that they are based in love, and love serves to root out fear so that we can enjoy the present moment we have in our lives. The reason this is so valuable is because when fear clouds our vision of losing something important, we lose sight of the blessings we have now. But looking closely at the beauty in the present moment, as hard as it may be, inspires us to meet other people right where they are. In essence, we become blessings because in reality we are blessings.

As God ordains you to be a disciple and declares you His beloved child, He does so because of one thing that is so powerful that it transcends all understanding: love. We are called to be blessings to one another because that is what we were intended and created for. We were formed and made in the image of God, which is an image of love. So let us remember as The Blessing Box says: it is okay to take what we need and bring what we can, because the blessings in our lives are there for us always. Paying close attention to the intricate and important details, even surrounding us right now in the present moment, can open up our eyes to a God so wondrous and so extraordinary that we become nothing less than the blessings we were always meant to be. The beauty of it all is that it happens right here and right where we are.