Red means stop. Green means go. But what does yellow mean? For some it invokes a sense of eagerness to make it through the light before it turns red. For others it invokes a simple pushing of the brakes. From day to day these two reactions are interchangeable. In the morning we might be rushing to work and develop a leadfoot. But in the evening, it might not matter if you hit a yellow light because you have the windows down singing to your favorite song.

What happens when you get a yellow light on your plans? When you are asked or told to pause for one reason or another. In March 2020, the world got a yellow and red light. Covid-19 made the world stop and pause. Our red light caused us to stop gathering in large numbers, hugging our friends and loved ones became cause for concern, and school stopped holding in person classes. So many “normal” everyday activities where paused and stopped in hopes of keeping people safe and healthy.

Living in this yellow light phase has been very difficult. What has your reaction been? Did you hit the breaks for a red-light full stop at work? Or have you continued to push forward in hopes of making the light? No matter your reaction the discussion has not been an easy one. For some the discussion to still work in your office, store, or shop outweighs the worry of being around others because you must provide for your family. For others working from home, removes some of the worry of human contact, and yet human interaction is what you crave the most because you are home alone day after day. It has been several months since you have been able to hug a grandparent or sing in the same room with your choir members.

What COVID-19 has truly paused is our ability to be in physical community with one another. It has been a trial-and-error phase on how we stay connected and yet protect one another. This was a yellow light none of us expected to ever encounter. Over the last 10 months our communities have been through an emotional rollercoaster. And it is okay if you are not okay. We are not meant to know every step of our journey. Bringing to mind the following scripture.

Psalm 46:1-7:  God is our refuge and strength, a great help in times of distress. Therefore, we will not be frightened when the earth roars, when the mountains shake in the depths of the seas, when its waters roar and rage, when the mountains tremble despite their pride. Look! There is a river whose streams make the city of God rejoice, even the Holy Place of the Most High. Since God is in her midst, she will not be shaken. God will help her at the break of dawn. The nations roared; the kingdoms were shaken. His voice boomed; the earth melts. The Lord of the heavenly armies is with us; our refuge is the God of Jacob.

Within the Short-Term Mission department we work with a group of young adults called the Trailblazers. Before the pandemic started these individuals where preparing to travel and spend 6 weeks serving along side of our Global Servants. But due to the pandemic they have been given a yellow light. They have had to pause their plans for physical travel until further notice. But that has not stopped them. Several in this group have taken a leap of faith and are serving virtually. This new adventure into virtual serving is a whole new world for all of us here. But we keep pushing through, when one way does not work, we try again. These young adults worked to prevent their yellow light turning red. That instead of accepting that fact that they cannot physically serve in country, they have found a way to still serve here in the states.

They only one that knows every step of our journey is God. Throughout the ups and downs of life God is there, watching over us, guiding us, caring for us. During our ups it can be easy to see Him. But during our downs it can be very difficult to feel His presence. But through those dark moments if we have faith, if we hold on to faith, we will see God, we will see His light comforting us, giving us the strength to take one step at a time. In time we will find that the dark is not so dark. During our yellow light pause I invite you to have faith in God. The faith that surpasses all understanding.

That is what has helped me. Faith in God to be strong enough to take one more step.