The holiday season can be stressful. Add in a pandemic, divisive political environment, and fewer daylight hours, and you’ve found a recipe guaranteed to produce stress, anxiety, or despondence. During times of prolonged stress or anxiety our physiological survival response mechanisms work harder, overriding the emotional decision-making centers in our brains that allow us to make healthy relational adaptations. In fact, the emotional and relational regression that occurs during such seasons is likely even worse than you think.

As disciples of Jesus, one of the biggest challenges during a season like this is to navigate it in a distinctly different way. Jesus expects us to experience the pandemic differently. Jesus expects us to experience Advent differently. Jesus expects us to engage in relationship differently. Jesus expects us to persevere.

How does God’s Word give us eyes to see these circumstances or our response to them differently? How does Scripture engage our imaginations so that we can see different options or have a different perspective?