REFRESHING THE BONES...
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • ROOTS
    • Testimony
    • Linda
    • Dad
    • Grandpa
  • Profile

Love in a time of pandemia...

3/27/2020

10 Comments

 
​Everybody's gotta live 
And everybody's gonna die…
Everybody's gotta live…
before you know the reason why. 
http://www.songlyrics.com/love/everybody-s-gotta-live-lyrics/
This song from back in the day reminds me of what life felt like without Christ… except the words aren’t dark enough. If there is no God, I will live and die… and I will never know the reason why.

Being in Christ changes everything. I will still die, but now I know the reason why. And I know where the Lord has promised to take me when I do. Nothing that happens here will ever change that.

Lots of takeaways from this Pandemic Season.

Planet Earth has never felt smaller. I can freak out about how a new virus presents an immediate danger to me. Or I can embrace some helpful truths it forces upon me.

It levels the playing field. Better said, it shatters the illusion of distinction. It brings into focus the stupidity of tribalism… the hubris of privilege, entitlement or racial superiority… the false security of gated communities and healthy money markets. We are all equally fragile, equally vulnerable, equally mortal.

I was born in 1950. I am not the last of the Mohicans, but I am one of the last batch of baby boomers. That means I was not here for World Wars I & II, the Great Depression or the 1918 FLU PANDEMIC that swept away millions.

As age catches up to me, I struggle with a harsh irony. My strength wanes while the desire to be useful intensifies. Why am I still here? At times I have wondered, but not now. Now I live in a globally cataclysmic moment. I can feel Mordechai’s steely-eyed glare as he asks me: “and who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14. 

Our Gospel is still the eternal Gospel. It still needs proclaimed as widely as possible. It still needs lived in a loving, calming and dignified manner. 

In our pandemic I have been gifted with… 
  • an answer to prayer… 
  • a season of clarity… 
  • an opportunity to truly live large.  

Today is my time to shine. Yours too, right?

"And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." Isaiah 32:17

"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!”" Psalm 40:16
 

10 Comments
Karen Couch
3/27/2020 04:21:41 pm

Thank you brother Greg! Much needed word at a time like this!
God bless and keep you safe!
Karen

Reply
Greg Smith
3/27/2020 04:26:11 pm

Thank you Karen for your sweet words... Praying for you and everyone connected with DBC...

Reply
Rebekah Smith-Lueb
3/27/2020 06:31:34 pm

Isaiah 32:17 is exactly what I need to be reminded of every single moment of my day. As the physical manifestations of anxiety show themselves, my brain can be at peace in Christ. This probably sounds like a contradiction, but it is true for me.

The other great reminder is that we are all equally fragile and needful of the gospel: from presidents, prime ministers, dictators, the rich, the middle class, the poor, across every race and nation.

Reply
Greg Smith
3/27/2020 09:27:05 pm

No contradiction at all...! We have limited control of our physical well-being. We are usually expected to live with the cards that were dealt to us. That means finding peace, liberty, and spiritual maturity in the midst of our maladies.

It is comforting to know that we are fragile and needful... we are just the kind of people the Lord calls unto himself. 1Cor 1:26-31.

Reply
Tom Bragdon
3/31/2020 01:56:10 pm

You have been divinely gifted with clarity and insight as well as the ability to communicate with such passion and sincerity. Your ministry has reached far beyond the Yucatán Peninsula! I treasure your friendship.

Reply
Greg Smith
4/1/2020 11:20:37 am

Dear friend... thank your for your precious words. It is so encouraging to hear from you. May the Lord protect and use you as he always has... and more each day!

Reply
Steve Chambers
3/31/2020 01:58:32 pm

Great words brother Greg.

Reply
Greg Smith
3/31/2020 03:32:40 pm

Great hearing from you Steve... thank you!

Reply
Brian Massey
3/31/2020 02:36:35 pm

Great insight! I cannot fathom how someone goes through this pandemic without Christ and the comfort he gives.

Reply
Greg Smith
3/31/2020 03:35:16 pm

Thank you Brian! Truly, a time to pray for folks who need the Lord...

Reply



Leave a Reply.


    ​Yes...! As of July 5, 2020, my book is now available on Amazon.com.
       It's a new book about an old problem: the cross and the crown… the Gospel and politics… do they mix? Should they mix?
       If my words generate some reflection and healthy conversation—as in more light and less heat—I will be satisfied.
       For feedback or questions, feel free to use the email link below.

    RSS Feed


    Picture

    Greg Smith

    Greg grew up in Menomonee Falls, WI. His ministry began in 1976: 5 years in Central America, 37 in Mexico. Church planting and discipleship have been his passion.

    Greg enjoys being married to CAROL AHOLA-SMITH since Oct.20, 2018. Both have been missionaries (Japan and Mexico); both watched their first spouses precede them in death.​

    ​Together, they have a heart for writing, mentoring and teaching.  They enjoy long walks and good coffee.


    CAROL'S BLOG
    LivingTheJoy.net 
    ​
    "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."  -Matthew 13:44

    GREG'S other BLOG

    BILINGUAL DEVOTIONAL
    Concise devotions in Spanish and English, along with some lengthier essays… Designed for personal spiritual growth and to help anyone studying English or Spanish as a second language to improve their skills… Rev 14:6

    Categories

    All
    Hope
    Intro
    Kingdom Principles
    Marriage
    Nothing New
    Resolution
    Role In Society
    Vision

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016


THANK YOU FOR READING!​​

Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.   ​- Proverbs 25:25 
Creative Commons License
Refreshing the Bones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • ROOTS
    • Testimony
    • Linda
    • Dad
    • Grandpa
  • Profile