Scripture: Jeremiah 29:7 – “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (NRSV)
We are not always in the place that we want to be in life. Sometimes we get uprooted from our homes and must make a new life somewhere else, like Riley Andersen in the 2015 film, Inside Out. Riley is an 11-year-old girl whose family moves to San Francisco from Minnesota. The story is told from the perspective of the personified emotions inside Riley’s head as she struggles to accept the sadness that the loss of her home brings, but also provides her the strength to make new memories in a new city.
The Book of Jeremiah also tells of a time when the people of Jerusalem were exiled to Babylon after being conquered. They were angry and scared and sad over the loss of their homes. And while Jeremiah wanted them to keep their faith in God, he also knew that no good would come from their being miserable in their present reality. They had to bide their time until their dreams of redemption might come to pass.
We may also be feeling like we are being dragged off to places we do not want to go. People often must leave their homes for financial and health reasons. All of us are ready to move back to that mental place of normalcy from the exile of coronavirus. But for the time being, rather than just wallowing in misery or anger, we can try to make the best of our bad situations, praying for small victories until we get what we really want. Our world pales in comparison to the promised Kingdom of God, but with every positive prayer, act of kindness, and experience of joy that we find in our broken world, we get one step closer to that Kingdom for all.
Prayer: God, help us to accept the things we cannot change and to find the beauty all around us. Amen.
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