Jennifer Wong
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the busiest groups has been the working parents with school-aged children. Every day, these parents need to juggle meal prepping, chores, homeschooling, and arranging activities for their children on top of finishing projects from work. Staying home all the time limits personal space and time for oneself, and the busyness easily makes one pay less attention or care to the people and things happening around them. Also, one may get so exhausted that they let go of the time to nurture their souls and spend time with the Lord.
As businesses reopen and the stay-at-home order is gradually lifted, we need to pray for ourselves and our family members to adapt to the changes in our daily routines again.
Pray for Yourself
1. Renew/Be persistent with your daily devotions – it’s important to let wisdom from the Word of God guide your decisions in a time of change; let God’s unchanging promises empower you to face the unpredictable circumstances ahead of you.
2. Make time for “self-care” — besides spending time with God, you need time and space to process your emotions, listen to the needs deep inside your heart, plan and arrange the work for each day, and reorient the focus and goal of your life.
3. Be disciplined and balance your activities so that you will not get exhausted and irritated by spending too much time on the internet.
4. Ask God to give you gentleness and patience when interacting with your family members and children. Always be thankful and treasure the precious time spent with your family.
5. Do not be lazy in returning to God’s house to worship – ask God for discernment and trust to attend worship in person at the right time. One can be strengthened by interacting with brothers and sisters, encouraging and praying for one other, and bearing each other’s burdens.
6. Ask God to give you a heart for souls. In a generation full of confusion, it is important to act on the love of Christ so more people can return to the Kingdom of God.
Pray for Family Members
1. Ask God to grant health to family members’ bodies and souls, and that they may have joy and peace that is from above.
2. Ask God to give family members a loving attitude in helping each other during the transition.
3. To learn to treasure family time more through the pandemic.
4. Ask God to help you, as a family, to find ways to use this crisis to be a witness of His presence and glory to an anxious and unsettled generation.
Pray for Reengaging with Society
1. To have self-control and act according to the government guidelines – after being “confined” for months, extroverts may jump in to meet up with friends. It is important to remember that all social activities should be conducted in a safe manner and with the protection of yourself and others in mind.
2. Let go of the worry that “I may get infected” and live the truth that life is in God’s hands, so that you can enjoy slightly closer contact with colleagues, friends, and neighbors again.
3. Be mindful in picking gathering venues and topics of conversation – nowadays, society is very divisive about morals, religion, lifestyles, and politics. We need to ask God for wisdom to avoid unnecessary arguments.
1 Peter 4:7-8, 10 put it, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins…Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” May the love of God and hope in Him lead us to steadfastly embrace the new life of a reopening society.
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