There has been a lot of talk lately (and understandably so) about what our economic recovery may look like as we swim our way out of the depths of a pandemic onto more solid shores of stability. You can see on the chart that there are different “shapes” that economic recoveries look like.

I am no economist and this devotion isn’t about the economy, but it is about the shape of the world in which we live.

I read recently a quote from a UCC pastor who said this, not about the economy, but the world in which we live:

“I know how to live with a V, and I have even lived through a U, but I don’t know about living with an L. “

He went on to expound on the shapes using images of disasters or crises.

“The V refers to a time when the end of a crisis can be immediately seen, such as a hurricane. The U indicates a crisis where the end is further off, but can still be planned for, such as a volcanic eruption. The L refers to a crisis in which the end cannot be seen, and no one has a sense of its end.”

As the financial, human, emotional and physical toil of living amid a global pandemic and social unrest turns our shared experience into one of long suffering and uncertainty, we can easily see that we are, indeed, living into the “L.”

We Wait

We wait for things to get back to normal. 

We wait for a vaccine.

We wait for change – either in our lives, or our communities, our nation, or our world.

I have been reflecting on this idea of living into the “L”, and have been wondering what it means when we find ourselves stuck.

"L" for "Live"

Maybe, living into the “L” looks a little bit like this:

Live into the Laughter

– finding joy in the everyday. The silly cat who slips outside and comes home with cobwebs on his face. The laughter of a toddler in a bath. The voice of an old friend that rings out across the phone lines.

Live into the Listening

– listen, deeply and keenly to the stories of others. Listen to their experiences, their hopes and their dreams. Listen to the voices of others. You don’t have to agree. Just… listen.

Live into the Learning

– take this opportunity to learn more about those around you. Learn about racism. Learn about hope. Learn about grace.

Live into Living

– take glory in a sunset or a sunrise. Find time to freely live in the moment. Find time to live with those you are with.

Live into Loving

– which really is a compilation of all of these things.

"L" for "Love"

We love when there is laughter.

We love when we stop to listen.

We love when we learn.

We love when we acknowledge that this life, this one and only life, is a gift. 

We can do this – we can live into the “L.” We can listen, learn, live and love. That is, what we are called to do.

– Pastor Lauren J. Wrightsman