Alternate title: How we stand together, by staying apart. One of the best parts about Restore as a community of believers is that the place in which we meet has never been the focus of our coming together. In the last ten years we’ve never had a building that was 100% ours. We’ve borrowed, rented, and shared. Like a hermit crab who casts off their old shell whenever the need arises we move forward. And we can do it because we are dedicated to the cause of Christ and to one another.

We can do it because we are fully solidified in our hope for the future. Paul tells us in Romans 5:5, “…hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” We can look forward with the hope in our hearts to a time when things are better than they are now. Some won’t see it this side of glory but know in your heart that things will get better one way or the other.

For me this social distancing/quarantine/shutdown mostly means I don’t need to put on real pants unless I want to. I can do my job most days anywhere with my computer and an internet connection, and I have no cute, little disease vectors to homeschool and feed. Others of you, however, have much more complicated lives. You may have a job that doesn’t translate to working remotely, you have kids that are home all the time and they need educating, and feeding, and may not understand why you’re not allowed to go out and do anything fun.

Amid the fears of infection, we must all do our best to remember who we are and whose we are. We may not be able to come together on Sunday mornings the way we would prefer but know that we are all in this together no matter what. Socially distant doesn’t mean relationally distant. Reach out to someone, make a phone call, send a text, share the love that God has poured into your heart even when you’re fearful.

Now wash your hands and don’t touch your face.