Health Spiritually?

BY REV DR FOREST KOH NAM SENG

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

- ROMANS 12:1

I had a phone conversation with a close friend during my SHN. We had a good conversation, a long one. I shared with him my joys and fears in this time of transition and he told me about his life near retirement and how if the pandemic were to drag on, he would be forced to close his business. He also shared with me the joys of being a grandfather. 

A few days after our conversation, I received news that he had a stroke, and the doctors worked tirelessly to bring him back. When I visited him right after I finished serving SHN, he was still in the ICU, unconscious. His left brain was severely damaged. During my limited visit, I prayed for him, talked to him, and sang to him – to no response. Recovery will take a miracle: He has been unconscious for 82 days now.   

In times of crisis, what can we do? When all possible avenues and resources have been explored and expended, what is left is — to wait; anxiety, exhaustion, weariness building up. Every day, we are reminded of a desire to do something. We must do something, even if it is something meaningless and potentially harmful to ourselves. When our loved ones are suffering, we are willing to do whatever we can. We are willing to sacrifice, even our lives. 

The whole world suffers from the effects of the current pandemic. Many have lost their jobs, familial issues have surfaced, the economy is tanking, and all of those things are disastrous enough without the hundreds of thousands of lives that have been lost.  What can we do with a situation like this? There is a lot that we have already done (and continue to do). So, as a church, what are we doing, and are we doing the right thing? 

Our church has been closed for 30 weeks; many are already asking when we can resume physical worship sessions. When can we start to have normal activities in the church? Seeing as some churches have started physical worship with 50 persons, and as from 3rd October, the capacity has raised to 100, when are we going to reopen?  

These are all questions requiring careful evaluation and preparation. More importantly, we also must contend with the issues that surfaced: How can we keep ourselves safe and healthy during the pandemic? How can we keep ourselves spiritually healthy when church and worship will never be the same as before? How is our relationship with God, with our church, with our loved ones, and with our neighbors?

My friend remains unconscious, and we continue waiting for him to wake up. His family visits him every day. While they take care of him, they have to remember to take care of themselves. Sometimes, they force themselves to eat and sleep and exercise. Life has to go on.  

In this pandemic, what are you doing to keep yourself healthy? When going to church is no longer the same, what can we do as a body to keep ourselves spiritually healthy? How do we maintain our spiritual disciplines? 

Praying for you and with you…