Disorientation

COVID 19 Invisible Disorientation

Covid 19: The Virus that has disoriented many of us!

Orientation is when everything seems right. It comes out in Psalm 23. It begins: The Lord is my shepherd, nothing is lacking in my life. My soul is quiet next to his presence. The way before me is clear. I know where I’m going. God has come through. Nothing is lacking.

It’s hard to describe current times as that. Theologically, all of these are true. Experientially, not so much.

Disorientation is a good word to describe the state of my soul these days. All the writers of the Psalms knew times when their soul was out of sorts. It was a time when things didn’t seem right with the world and what was going on right around them, in their own lives.

Routines are disrupted, confusion about what answers to grab onto, worldview distortion (I thought the world and God was this way and now I have to think differently about the world and God). What’s around the corner? I am not sure. Turns out control IS an illusion.

Disorientation peeks out in Psalm 23 also: Dark valleys surround me. Evil lurks.

Without abiding in the presence these can overwhelm. But not for David. Could be so for me. He can tell the Presence. I can too: from irritation to calm, the mind racing toward worst case scenarios to best case scenarios, from worry to resting in Abba, from fear (expecting what is bad, evil) to hope (expecting what is good because it’s in the nature of God to be good and not bad). David can sense the fear he feels take a bow to the gift of shalom. The strong instruments and hands of protection surround me (see also John 10:28).

It’s time to put this psalm to memory. Go to bed with it. Wake up with it. Caress it daily with your presence, your thoughts and let it embrace you and Reorient your life around its main center: God in all his fullness: Abba, Son, Spirit.

A path to reorientation: While reciting or reading Psalm 23, pause often, read and reread. Think about what you’re reading. David was a fellow pilgrim who knew crisis. Think of the Good Shepherd who also experienced all you are experiencing with faithfulness to the same Abba. We are in Him.

Then pray, with prayer being: “Two who love one another talking about something of mutual interest to both of them” (Dallas Willard). These circumstances are of mutual interest to both God and me. Those contracting diseases, those being healed, those dying ones, those care workers who are exposed, my own feelings and uncertainties, the development of my own character in times of trouble, my family with 8 grandchildren who can’t understand and will have this as a historical marker in their lives for a long time.

Then rest. Stay with the thoughts, the feelings that arose, the presence you felt a couple of minutes more. Let your final Amen be a graceful and trustful leaving all in God’s hands.