As we move into September and yet another month of COVID restrictions and fears, this blog from Heather Holleman is too good not to pass on. She lists five things that we haven’t lost due to COVID-19:

• Supernatural peace: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thessalonians 3.16)
• Love: “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5.5)
• Purpose: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2.10)
• The ability to worship. She cites Romans 12.1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. And I have written that worship has nothing to do with whether or not we can gather in a church building. There are alternatives.
• Growth. Heather writes, “We haven’t lost our ability to learn and grow and mature. We haven’t lost our ability to self-reflect, listen to the Holy Spirit, read the Bible, and pray.” – Heather Holleman, August 30, 2020

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1.6, 7, NIV)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1.2 – 4, NIV)