THE NOSEY NEIGHBOR- My shield

THE NOSEY NEIGHBOR

JUNE GLOOM con't. , June 19, 2020

I want to write about…I want to write about, nothing much.

.Every morning I get out of bed, put my feet on the ground, get in the upright position and begin walking.

Half the walk is retracing my steps.

I left the house in the spirit of undying adventure. I have been so blessed by losing myself among the beauty of the neighborhood, however, this morning, perhaps because I stole forth earlier than usual the adventure began to fizzle.

Half the walk is retracing my steps.

What is it that makes it so hard sometimes to determine whether, I should

and where I will walk. Eastward I go. I was not excited. The neighborhood seemed to stretch ahead. Not much seemed to inspire me to go the usual distance.

A gloom enveloped my imagination as I put in more steps than pauses. My spirits rose and fell in proportion to outward dreariness. Stiffness and soreness followed me all the way.

The longing for things to be back to normal, I get it. It is tiring to keep adjusting.

Today, the word “shield” has stuck out to me.

I am now going to refer to “shelter in place” term as “shielding”. I do not see an end to risks.

The continual breezes and wind have been a provision from the Lord to allow some sort of shielding while lunching with others.

We continue to live in extraordinary times.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” ~Psalm 28:7

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Psalm 3:3

The fourth piece of armor Paul discusses in Ephesians 6 is the shield of faith. He tells us to take up the shield of faith in order to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Our faith can guard us during this time, the same way a shield would during battle.

Faith can protect us when we experience anxiety and fear.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” If we have faith in God’s promises, we do not need to fear.

I am not negating the fact for reasonable, wisdom steps to avoid exposure to protect and provide.

These are some of the shielding measures I have been personally taking:

Keeping the number of visits outside to a minimum.

Going outside on photo walks when there are fewer people around, such as early in the morning.

Ideally spending time in open areas.

Taking particular care to minimize contact with other people

Avoiding going into enclosed spaces, as well as shops and other buildings if I don’t have to.

Spending as long as I feel comfortable outside.

Spending more time with windows open.

As you wear that mask or shield think of it as your first line of defense. It guards, it deflects, it incapacitates the invisible enemy, be it virus or sin.

2Barbara Mason and Linda Treanor

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