鈥淧lease keep shopping and travelling to essential needs only.鈥 As if we haven鈥檛 heard those words!
Essential is the key word in our lives these days; your grocery shopping list, like mine, is broken down like this: 鈥渨ill get if its on sale,鈥 鈥渞eally need鈥 or 鈥渁bsolutely essential.鈥 Gone are the days of browsing through the mall before catching the bus back home. The former as I鈥檝e mentioned in other articles, formed much of my social life. While neither of those things are deemed 鈥渆ssential鈥 they definitely filled my life with enjoyment.
Back to the question of what鈥檚 essential, though. This week I was speaking with a family member living in Toronto and she noted that pandemic restrictions have created an entirely new definition of what it means to be considered essential. 鈥淚n the large store where we buy groceries, major sections have been closed off 鈥 we can鈥檛 even buy socks now,鈥 she told me. I guess the warming weather does make those items less essential so let鈥檚 hope things improve before winter returns.
In the meantime, I found this on FaceBook and it鈥檚 so good I have to share it in a 鈥減ared down to meet word count鈥 format. In any format, here are the items mentioned by the anonymous author of this great list.
Not Everything is Cancelled: Sunshine is not cancelled nor are, love, relationships, reading, naps, devotion, music, dancing, imagination, kindness conversations and hope.
By God鈥檚 grace and help in this difficult environment, we can still enjoy hope. This week I鈥檝e been meditating even more on the promise of God that says to us:鈥淵et in all these things聽we聽are聽more聽than聽conquerors聽and聽gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us].鈥 Romans 8:37
Now claiming and living that most essential something.