Vol. 22 No. 15 | April 13, 2020
Give Me Something To Do
Millions of people, more than we could have fathomed a few weeks ago, are now unemployed due to COVID-19. And even those who are fortunate enough to be employed, are often at a loss for what to do.
One afternoon, when I slipped (or fell headlong) into a particularly deep abyss of helplessness, my favorite line from Sense and Sensibility came to me. It’s during the scene when Marianne falls extremely ill. Her suitor, Colonel Brandon, paces the halls, desperate for something to do to try to help her, and pleads, “Give me an occupation, Miss Dashwood, or I shall run mad.”
You may be feeling something similar. Give me an occupation so I can support my family. Give me something I can do to help the frontline workers. Give me something I can do to make life better for people who are struggling…
Earlier that same day I was reading the Jesus story from Luke 4.
When Jesus stood up to read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:17-19, NIV)
I can’t touch a blind person’s eyes and make him see. I do not have the means to feed all the hungry people in my community. And I don’t have the power to go into a hospice patient’s room and heal them.
But I do have the capacity to listen to my wife, friends, and co-workers when they need to share their fears and concerns. I can share the good things I see and hear with people who might need their spirits lifted. I can listen to what the Spirit is saying and maybe calling me to do. And I can proclaim there is freedom in Christ, and even in these difficult times, God is with us and His favor is on us.
I hope you will be gentle on yourself and others this week. And remember, you can’t do everything, but you can do something, and you can do it with love, compassion, and kindness.
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2020 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved