Be Still: Faith and Selfcare During Covid 19

  During these times, it can be difficult for us to stay in peace. The other day someone sent me a text message of news that shook me to the core. To be honest it brought some fear into my spirit. Immediately I begun to panic and fear took over me. The news at the moment surrounding Covid 19 is not the best. In fact, watching the news about the amount of persons who are infected has caused a considerable amount of anxiety.  Well that morning, I became a victim to fear. The thing about God is that He allows us to go through our bouts of fear and then the still quiet voice of the Holy Spirit draws us back in to calm down. After a 20 minute panic, I stopped in my  tracks.

In Warrior Women's Ministry, the theme for this month has been about overcoming fear. How could I be speaking about this and yet be attacked by the same fear? I knew I needed to seek God in prayer and ask for His peace to cover me. In that moment God began to remind me of His promises over my life. In these moments, I find ways to be still in God's presence so I can clearly hear His directions and intentions for this season. One thing for sure is that the stand still we are in as a world, has yielded more time for me to experience the stillness that God requires of us in the midst of Chaos.   This stillness is the only thing that brings, peace and assurance. Stillness in these moments is what enables us to  hear the deep things that God wants to reveal to His children.  

If I could offer up ways that I have been maintaining this stillness. I would sum it up in the points below: 

1. Prayer Walks: Every morning I wake up, with a bible verse and I take a walk. During my walk, I talk to God.  I listen to uplifting songs and I decree the verse over my life. For now the verse I have been speaking over my life is :  2 Timothy 1:7. I have ensured that the verse is written across my heart and I trust God for a sound mind in this season.

2. Writing: Writing is an outlet for me in this season. I do a lot of writing which has helped me journal my thoughts and document what is happening on a daily basis. I have also found writing to be therapeutic, because spending time in God's presence means a lot of words get released by the Father.

3.Watching news for 5 minutes: I have been intentional about not indulging in too much of the news as news reports of Covid-19 have been overwhelming . My strategy has been to read the highlights of news for the day.

4.Listening to Music : Worship music and old christian hymns  have kept me through these times. I particularly play them throughout the day and also at night if I have trouble sleeping.

5. Switch off from non essential messages and emails: I ensure that I only respond to urgent emails, and take my time to respond to others. 

6 Creative Projects: One of the things I have been doing is working on creative projects that God has been laying on my spirit. I find that though I am working remotely, fueling some of my energy into creative work is helping me cope with the times. So whether it's an article, a newsletter activation, a new business idea etc. these have been helping me. 

7. Face Time Family members: I love my extended family especially my cousins. We don't get to see each other much but in this season we have been intentional about calling each other, scheduling face time dates and just catching up. I didn't realize how much I needed this until we started doing them.

8. Clean up digitally and offline:  From little things that include clearing out my emails,  fixing  areas in our home, "spring cleaning"  has been helping me clear my mind. 

These tips have truly been my coping mechanisms. So when people ask me how I am fairing along the are some of the things I have been doing. For those who are home, enjoy time with your families. For those who are working as essential staff please know you are in my deep prayers and thoughts. Wherever you find yourself in this season, take time out of your day to just Be still. 

MBK. 

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