It’s been said that “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.” It could be that something you took for granted is gone and now you miss it. Or, it could be that when you’ve lost something you thought was really important you discover that actually wasn’t. You just don’t know . . . until it’s gone.

For example, did you stop to think today about how wonderful it is to not have pain in your feet when you’re walking? We take our feet for granted, but if you get pain in your feet or if something about your feet keeps you from walking, then you realize just how wonderful it would be to have good feet again.

Or maybe you’ve had the opposite experience. We can get so tangled up with people and things which we may think we really want and enjoy, only to realize when it’s gone how draining and difficult those things made our lives.

I wonder if kids know what they’ve got in their health and strength. Many kids are really excited about what they can do on their smart phones and tablets and game consoles. But those things will always be around and the technology will only get better and better. Meanwhile, their youth and their strength and eventually their health will diminish. A woman I know who is in her 90’s recently told me that “youth” is wasted on the young because they don’t realize how precious it is.

At times like this, we have an opportunity to evaluate what is most important in life. We hear lots of kids saying that while it’s been nice to be off from school, they’re kind of bored and they miss seeing their friends. Sure, they’ve got social media, but they’ve discovered that “it’s not the same.” Many kids complain about having to go to school . . . until they can’t. And while they can’t do after school activities or hang out at the mall or go to movies, maybe they’re learning that getting to know Mom and Dad who are working at home isn’t so bad.

For those who don’t get seriously ill or aren’t at risk of dying from this corona virus, there may actually be a silver lining to these strange times we’re in. Times like these can lead us to view our family and friends differently, as more valuable than we thought before this happened. Times like this can get us thinking about and even talking about spiritual issues like “Does God pay attention to what’s going on? Does God care? Will God be there to watch over me if I’m sick or What happens when a person dies? Will we see them again? Will we know each other? Maybe the things we talk about in Sunday School and youth group and Bible classes are more important that I thought.”

This is something I’ve been noticing in the past couple weeks: I’ve noticed a couple who usually like to go out and socialize with lots of people who’ve now discovered the simple pleasure of sitting together around a back yard fire or just playing a board game. I’ve noticed a man who’s concerned about a parent with emphysema who shouldn’t go out because they’re at high risk; but now their adult child realizes that they need to pay more attention to the needs of their aging parents.

Perhaps, like me, you’ve heard similar things from those who lived through the Great Depression or the years of World War. People have commented, “We didn’t know that we were poor.” The family would be together working in the kitchen or sitting around the radio. People would write letters or visit with the neighbors. Kids would be outside until dark and then up with the sun, not realizing that by being active they were combating obesity or diabetes or heart disease. People didn’t have to go to the gym because they worked in the garden or walked to the store

Now, I’m not saying that this pandemic is a good thing. Many people will get very sick and many will die. But there are some lessons in life that don’t get appreciated or valued unless they are learned through hard times. You may not appreciate the promise of our Lord Jesus who said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” until you actually experience some trouble. And what did the Apostle Paul mean when he told the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Maybe the anxiousness we have about these uncertain times will help us see the calm and peace which God can give.

In the same way, sin is not a good thing at all! But if you’ve committed a whopper of a sin then you can see better the grace and mercy of God in offering free and complete forgiveness through Jesus.

We can’t help but have our lives shaken up by this pandemic. But perhaps this is a good time to look carefully and evaluate the things that we once thought were important and the things that we didn’t. Maybe we need to re-prioritize things. And I think we should take another look at what God says about the priorities that we need. He is, actually, pretty wise, you know! For instance, you may have thought “You shall not take the name of the Lord Your God in vain” simply meant, “don’t cuss or swear.” But maybe in all of this we can see more clearly the great blessing and privilege we have to call upon God, by name, when we need Him. Hold onto God’s Name as precious and holy so that when you really need it you will realize the great blessing and power that comes with it. See the difference? Maybe there is more wisdom and insight in the Word of God than we had thought! Well, of course there is. But this is a really good time to think about it.

Please pray with me: