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Letters to Corinne

Lockdown Life: Thriving

Tuesday, February 16th, 2021

Thriving

Dear Corinne,

You asked if I found myself thriving in Lockdown? At times and in some areas of my life, I found that I was thriving. However, at other times the challenges of lockdown were not exactly conducive to thriving!

In the first Lockdown, the Shielding Group were initially allowed to leave their homes once a day for exercise. But then this was withdrawn and we were told to stay indoors or in our gardens. I was so thankful for my small garden!

With the joy of a daily walk outside removed, I had to think of an alternative way to exercise. So I decided to walk between my front door and back door. A rather boring pursuit, until I hit on the idea of turning it into a prayer walk! The Lord prompted me to pray for various people, events and situations. This led me to intercede for people and places I had never seriously prayed for before…..eg Burundi

The added bonus of walking in this way was, there were no hills to make me breathless and in the summer it was out of the sun and a cooler temperature!

I think there has been a lockdown lassitude that has affected many of us. Our normal pattern of life changed suddenly and tiredness crept in as we mourned what had been and adjusted to the new circumstances. This tiredness has affected our ability to thrive at times.

One of the things that has really helped me is a regular pattern of prayer and Bible reading…in season and out of season, whether I feel like it or not!

Leaning in to God focussing on praise and thanksgiving and trusting in Him to provide what is needed day by day.

I have been blown away by the myriad of ways God has sustained and encouraged me during the pandemic. Words of scripture, pictures, unexpected phone calls from friends and even a number of anonymous gifts!!

Shortly before the first lockdown, I came across this quote in an article called It’s Like in the Great Stories, Mr. Frodo (What Tolkien teaches us about living in a fallen world and not giving up) by Madelyn Canada. I found it encouraging and it seemed significant for me. I often returned to it over the ensuing months.

“Dear me and dear friend: don’t give up.
Get up in the morning despite the weariness and darkness however strong they presently feel and do what He called you to do.
Hold fast to the good He is and share Him with the world that’s perishing. It’s worth it. The new day that will soon dawn is worth it!”

Do what He called you to do – having a clear sense of purpose and direction was undoubtedly a key factor for thriving in Lockdown Life.

As you know, I believe God has called me to develop www.into-deeper-waters.com

I long to see people engaging in stillness in the midst of the busyness of everyday life and to listen to God. Discovering, exploring, and pursuing the ancient practices of stillness, silence, solitude and meditation, over the last 4 decades has been such a life changing blessing to me, in all the ups and downs and challenges of life. So I long for others to experience this too.

I found that the strategies which helped me to survive lockdown were life-giving for me. They contributed to an overall level of well-being, which helped me to mostly thrive, in the circumstances which Lockdown presented me with.

Let me know what has helped you to thrive in Lockdown Life?

with love,

Written by Dorinda Miller; © D Miller 2021. For full credits please see the site credits page
This letter is from the series: 'Lockdown Life'

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Surviving

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Midday Manna - The Amaryllis