It's time to heal | Faith | thesheridanpress.com - The Sheridan Press

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The transformation from tadpole to frog is a miracle in God’s creation. The evolution from one way of being to another is part of this glorious Kingdom of God.

God is continually calling us all to be transformed into something greater, something God intends us to be. In our humanity, life and all of its entanglements get in the way. We will always be different tomorrow from who we are today, always in transformation.

The past 24 months have magnified changes in our lives. I don’t believe our psyches can fully comprehend how we have evolved due to this pandemic. If we could identify and list the effects on each of us, there would be some overlap and some personal differences from who we were in March of 2020. I would like to share with you a personal change for me.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic my wife Nancy Jo and I were living in Casper; a weekend in March like many of us that is etched in our minds. A virus lockdown was looming on the horizon. I walked into Sam’s Club on that fateful weekend to purchase a bag of coffee beans and was met by a buying frenzy.

Standing in line with my bag of beans, I was astounded by the heaping shopping carts. The anticipation of some impending shortages was creating shortages. Hoarding became an acceptable way to live. Our society was evolving in response to a perceived fear of the unknown of tomorrow.

Since that momentous weekend in 2020, we have been blessed to call Sheridan our home. You know what it is to proclaim, “I’m from Sheridan!” There is a sense of pride that goes with living in a place that values nature and abundance in God’s kingdom.

The evolution of surviving two years of pandemic has caused me to live differently than I ever have. At times my eyes convince me that there is scarcity in a grocery store. Perhaps if I need or want a non-perishable item, I may buy two or three when one would be sufficient. I feel the desire to hoard for personal comfort driven by the fear of scarcity.

It is in these moments of doubt that I need to trust. Trust that my “daily bread” will be sustained by God. Conversely to live in the fear of scarcity will lead me further from a relationship with the Messiah.

Jesus tells the disciples to go and proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them in Luke 9:3, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money — not even an extra tunic.”

Jesus also teaches in Matthew 9:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also.”

These Gospel readings speak to me about trusting in God’s kingdom and God’s people. Christian communities will respond to a sister or brother’s need out of their abundance, not living in scarcity.

We have evolved into a society that trusts scarcity. The abundance that many of us live in today is the abundance of fear, scarcity and lack of trust. The tadpole does not transform into a frog in an instant. We are very seldom transformed into who God intends us to be overnight; it takes time. Time to be in relationship with God, hearing and listening to the word, loving God and our neighbor. I pray that we all can continue to be transformed into who God intends us to be, not what the pressures of today intend us to be.

A transformation that allows us to love our neighbor, who is on the school board, the person down the street who volunteers to be an election judge. A transformation that respects the dignity of every human being. The disciples were transformed through a relationship with Jesus. We too are being transformed in our relationship with Jesus continually becoming who God intended us to be. Miracles are all around us. Let us rejoice and be glad in them.

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