JANUARY JUMP START

 A January Jumpstart sounds pretty jazzy.  

That’s what we’ve needed as we slog through another month of COVID while it flairs in parts of our country.  

It seems as if our ‘get up and go’  got up and went.  

For most of the country it’s cold and windy and not too much fun outside and the mask is the ‘in’ item of the day.  Which color or pattern matches my outfit today?  As for me, I simply throw on my plain white, soft cotton one or double mask with a blue paper one underneath.  

I am either working at home where I spend hours on Zoom or I am at the church office where I interface with co-workers only for meetings and worship services.  

Needless to say, my soul-battery has been drained many times as I teach and listen and commiserate and pray with others.  

The commiserating is simply sharing empathetic words with another who is having a hard time with this isolation.  My soul-battery needs a daily jumpstart because I’m busier than I’ve ever been . . .  too busy.  

The most aching of souls are the ones who thrive when in community.  They need that kinetic sense that one receives in a crowded room.  It’s the vibes of conversation, of seeing facial expressions up close, of jostling, elbow to elbow, with a pack of people that gives them the jumpstart.

I am blessed that I can hide behind a book or spend hours on my computer and be perfectly satisfied.  Until . . .  until I also find something lacking.  It’s that ol’ soul-battery that surprisingly gets drained.  Why is that?

“No man is an island, no man stands alone,” states the refrain from a well known song from scripture.  We were not made for isolation.  We were made to be in community, to jostle elbow-to-elbow, to share and receive wisdom from one another, to cry or laugh with each other.  We are meant to ‘jumpstart’ one another as we share, encourage, exhort and play together.  Because our community interaction has been so very  limited for nearly a year, we feel an emptiness that seems like a drained battery.

So, what do we do about it?

There are a few ‘fixes’ that most of us have be using.

First, we connect with one another in as many ways as possible.  

Phone calls and text messages go only so far.  

FaceTime is a bit better but that’s mostly for one-on-one conversations.  

Another solution we’ve been indulging in is Zoom meetings.  

Yet, even with Zoom, all I see is a distorted head from the neck upward that may be in such poor light that I barely see expressions. 

I cannot easily read the body language.  Try reading faces in 10 to 30 tiny squares.  The more people on a page, the smaller the face.  Jumpstart!!! please.

The next best alternative is to gather together, with masks,

chairs six feet apart, and simply enJOY seeing entire bodies.  

Do we dare?  

Indeed we do.  

I have heard so many creative options that are actually working.  Friends of mine live in an area where temps are only as low as the 40s in the early evening.  They purchased ski leggings and parks so they can dine outside in ‘safe space.’  The adventure of donning layers of clothing to dine out becomes a jumpstart for the week.  

Another friend attends a weekly bible study in the leaders’ driveway.  Each brings their own chair, water, bible and anything else they need as they sit six feet apart, masks on, in an ellipse.  They get to see one another even if they are bundled up.  Facial expressions may be difficult to read but reading body movements of one another seems to satisfy the soul as they discuss how Jesus feeds them with his word.

During the winters we are blessed to live in an area that is considered the tropics.  Yet, I find myself wearing winter clothing most days.  

We have enjoyed an exceptionally cool winter that enables us to embrace many outside activities including daily walks.  Hubby and I look forward to our prayer-walks when I do not have early morning meetings.  No masks, plenty of cool breeze, energetic limb movement and words that feed our soul seems to jumpstart us at least five days a week.  

January jumpstart may happen due to these desperate COVID days but  I believe we are learning new habits that we can use for the rest of our lives.  We are determined to fill our souls in creative ways so that our soul-batteries are never totally drained.  Perhaps you have created new ways to fill your soul-battery when you feel as if you are alone a bit too much.

Jumpstart may mean creating habits that begin the day.  

Make a ‘must-do’ list.  Must have coffee or tea, must sit in my favorite chair as I read the paper, must have at least 20 minutes for self.  Perhaps we can add a few more minutes each day to read inspiring words from a book of meditations or from holy scripture.  

Perhaps we can tuck into that schedule of habits three minutes to talk to God . . .  or just listen and wait.  Breathe in . . .  breathe out.

Ahhh, feel better?

Use some of those habits throughout the day to keep your battery full.

Breathe in . . . breathe out . . . share moments of gratitude with one other or write these moments in a journal.

At the end of the day, let’s count our blessings.

Give thanks that today we are alive and able to breathe deep.

Give thanks to God for creative ways you have jumpstarted your battery.  Praise the Lord with simple words like: Thanks, nice, love it. Praise God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the creativity given to us to jumpstart our soul throughout each day.