On the front end of the coronavirus, many denied it would happen. Now we realize it’s real, it’s dangerous and its impact is overwhelming. Think about a video of a tsunami – from a distance the wave doesn’t seem that big. But as it gets closer, it leads to destruction. Today, we see how serious the virus is.

When we were asked to take measures at first it seemed doable because it would only be temporary. College students asked to extend their spring break, high school students taking online classes, parents becoming homeschool teachers – what was just going to be for a short while has now become longer term. Employees who first had hours cut are now being laid off, companies closing their doors.

We started making adjustments. But over time, those adjustments start to take a toll. Now we don’t know what we will need to change or for how long. Sometimes, we also are unsure if the adjustments we’re making are good to make. This is why community matters. Sometimes we need to reach out and ask others for advice. We need others, and others need us: the gifts we each have can help each other.

We see this example of community in the early church. In Acts 16, Luke writes that one of the apostles’ plans was to travel to Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit said no and stopped them. Then the apostle Paul had a vision in which he saw a man from Macedonia asking him to come and share the gospel with the Greeks. So, Paul and his companions travel further west and end up in Europe – which is how the Western world heard the gospel. That adjustment was vital to the spreading of the gospel. But take note – Paul shared his vision with the community, and they made the decision together. Even though the vision was to Paul from God, the community made the decision together.

So, what do you do when you don’t know what to do? Well, sometimes you just do.

1. Do what you should have been doing before this. Take care of life, but also take care of life after life. If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, or it’s been awhile since you’ve asked God for a new relationship – do it now. And if you need to mend relationships with parents, children or siblings – take care of that now.

2. Do what’s doable even if it’s brand new to you. Take the time to learn something new. Get out of your comfort zone.

3. Support the good that is being done by others. Even if you don’t agree fully with the person, the leader or policymaker, realize that supporting the good they are doing for the community, state or country, doesn’t mean you are giving up your integrity or giving someone a blanket endorsement.