What emotions rise to the surface every time you hear the word “corona”?

It’s my hope to move you through your emotions by giving you four steps to lead you to a place of hope, along with an awareness of the authority and power given to you for such a time as this.

Have you been out walking a lot recently? Maybe you run into neighbors and there is an exchange of banter over shared experiences. I notice the word “corona” is rarely mentioned, yet everyone understands the reference.

This virus is giving us a global focus, and a sense of unity. It seems odd. This unnerves me, and leads me to look up the meaning of the word “corona”.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “corona” as, “something suggesting a crown.”

How does that impact you? I feel a little sick.

This little “c” word, corona, seems to see itself wearing a crown. It’s vying for a place of power and authority over your life and mine. It’s certainly holding most of us captive.

In my uneasiness, the Holy Spirit whispers, “Christ is the ‘C’ word!”  

But what does it mean for him to be the ‘C’ word for you?  

Read with me, the Gospel of John, chapter 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Christ is the ‘C’ word. He is the Living Word and is still on the throne. What does that mean for you during this time?

What if every time you heard the word “corona” it caused you to shift your focus to Christ?

I am not trying to be flip or give you a pat cute answer for what you’re experiencing. But what if a focus on Christ could help?

How do you shift your focus?

These four steps are helping me. Hopefully they will help you too.

1. Acknowledge your feelings to Christ
   Speak out your feelings to Christ. He cares for you and wants to meet you there. Can you invite your children or spouse to do this too? As you enter into this, I believe you will move naturally to the next step.
2. Receive Him as the Word of Christ
   Receive Him as the Living Word. Who does Christ need to be for you right now? If you’re grieving, does He need to show up to you as Comforter? If you’re overwhelmed, does He need to be the Overcomer? If you’re angry, does He need to be Peace. If you are sad, does He need to be Joy? Can you receive Him? Can you let him be the Living Word to you now?When you receive Him as the ‘C’ word you are learning something new and pressing deeper into who He is. This may be transformational for you as you grow in knowing Him, which leads you to step three.
3. Give the Word of Christ to others
   How do you do this? In step two, when your personal experience with Christ transformed you, you now have the authority to release this to others. People you connect with will be sharing their struggles with you during this time. They may not know Christ as you do, so you could offer them prayer. Now you might feel awkward about this, or they might. I get that. What helps me is to say, “I know this might seem awkward, but all I can offer you is what has helped me: prayer. Can I pray for you right now?” I haven’t had anyone say no to me yet. It doesn’t need to be a long drawn out prayer. Just open your mouth and let the Holy Spirit lead you.You have the answer for hurting people and can give the living word of Christ to whomever he brings in front of you.
4. Release the Word of Christ to the world
   This is a significant time, and your prayers carry authority and power. I want to encourage you to join with all the believers around the world to pray. To pray for God to heal our land and shorten the length of this virus.

I have found repeating these steps throughout the day to be helpful.  It’s my hope they will be a good strategy for you to reset your focus every time you hear that little “c” word to the big ‘C’ word: Christ.

Scripture Reading:

John 1:1-5
Genesis 1
1 John 1

Reflection: 

1. What emotions are associated with “corona” for you? Is there one emotion that is holding you captive?
2. Who does Christ need to be for you right now (Comforter, Overcomer, etc)?
3. Can you look for one person to show up in your life this week who needs your prayers?