Where Were You Three Years Ago?

March 2020, truly a month that would be difficult to forget. It was the month the world essentially shut down. We felt it coming in February and it hit different parts of the world and the country at slightly varying times. But by March it was official, we were in shut down mode.

We all have our own story, our own experience, our own emotions tied to this time three years ago. Really tied to the past three years altogether.

When I think about the past three years, I can become flooded with those emotions that pull in a million different directions. The frustration I felt when schools were shut down, the defeat I felt daily trying to balance a career and remote school with two elementary aged kids, the fear I felt with the Coronavirus and all the unknowns it initially brought, worry for my immunosuppressed dad who lives alone. But mixed with that were wonderful things like our daily family walks where we would just talk and listen and laugh. Or the humor my family found in the way my stress cleaning was taken to a whole new level with all kinds of various cleaning hacks discovered.

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Many were hit hard by the pandemic in ways that can never fully be recovered from, like the loss of a loved one. Others are still trying to financially recover from the loss of a job or business. While some were overcome with the stress of a household full of people and no escaping to get any alone time, others experienced extreme loneliness and isolation. The past three years have brought immense pain to the world in many ways.

It’s natural to think back to where we were three years ago, two years ago, one year ago. Each year bringing us further from the hit of the pandemic but the impacts still being so strong in our memories or even still being experienced in every day life. I think about my kids and the education loss they experienced. I worry this could have life long implications; though I know they are in the company of most all others who were school aged when the pandemic hit.

I also allow myself to think about all the fun memories. My random Amazon purchases, or how I became oddly obsessed out of sheer boredom on how to fold towels in fun ways.

Where were you three years ago?

I can’t help but take a huge breath in and out when my mind starts to think about all that has happened in the past three years. It is a lot to unpack when you think about what the world endured.; how we each have a story.

iStock | Kwangmoozaa

I’d like to pray with you as you take a breath and reflect on where you were three years ago. Whether you experienced trauma or found yourself enjoying life during the pandemic; we can still all pray together.

Your specific conversation with God will be unique but that is the wonderful thing about prayer and about our relationship with Christ. We can pray as a community for others, we can pray for ourselves and our loved ones; we can talk to God about literally anything.

God, thank you for where we are today and how far we have come in these past three years. Thank you for the health of my family and for the strength of my children who have continued to endure even during extremely challenging times for them socially and academically. Please let us take the positives from the past three years and continue to weave it into our lives so it is not lost on us.
God, please continue to be with those who have experienced loss and are finding themselves in a continuous dark place. Raise them up to find hope and healing. For those who are experiencing loneliness, provide them with community and moments of joyfulness.
God, give us the reassurance that feeling vulnerable and reflecting on the past is a wonderful gift we have as humans. Emotions from the past are not a weakness but a tool to help make us stronger as we continue to learn and grow.
God, allow us to remember to breathe and reflect. Allow us space to grieve and to rejoice. No matter where we are at in life in this point in time, be with us.

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As we start to welcome the newness that the season of spring brings, check in with yourself and where you are at today; in this moment. Reflect on the past three years and where you are now versus then but also think about the next three years. The wonder of what is in store for you, perhaps goals you have set for yourself and ways you can keep chipping away to achieve them.

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations (Isaiah 61:11)

I love this verse particularly for us in the Pacific NW area who often experience rainy spring seasons;