How do you feel about “two steps back?” You know, “three steps forward, two steps back”? When trying to move forward, no one likes going back again. Some say my country is in the “4th wave” of COVID-19, and it seems likely since we’re back near the peak cases of the summer of 2020. Some places are falling further back than others. We received controversial new mask guidance this week. No one welcomes this wave. We want to go back to normal, not back to a crisis.
Are you ready to move forward from COVID-19?
Our plane landed in Western Europe early in the morning. All the week before, I had been without wi-fi and felt very in the dark about the state of things. Coming out of the jet bridge, we walked into the airport and found ourselves truly in the dark. Shops were closed and lights were off. We passed quiet restaurants with stacked chairs and signs saying “Closed.” Monitors and messages repeated the word “Delta,” but they didn’t mean the airline. Before this trip, I felt like we were all moving forward. Backward was the last place I wanted to go.
Back isn’t where we want to be, but it can be the place where we grow. It can be where we experience the profound, have our greatest influence, or find our strength.
Having Influence in Going Back
After Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman, “… the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’” (John 4:28b-29) She shared all that happened in a town that had previously shunned her. Going back couldn’t have been easy.
Experiencing the Profound in Going Back
In Luke chapter 23 we read about the women who went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. In Luke 24:1, they went back to that tomb and discovered Jesus was risen–alive! It’s not easy returning to places of pain and suffering. In Luke 24:9 the women, “came back from the tomb,” and, “they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.” The men responded in disbelief as if the report was nonsense. The women who went back were the first to know Jesus was risen and the first to share the miracle. Going back had benefits.
Finding Strength in Going Back
Even Jesus modeled a willingness to be taken “back.” In Matthew 14 he received the horrible news about John the Baptist being beheaded, so Jesus withdraw to a quiet place, only to be followed by crowds. After healing, feeding, and dismissing the people, Jesus was worn and weary, so he went back—to a solitary place to pray.
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he again retreated, this time to a garden—to a solitary place to pray. Even as he became known as the long awaited Messiah, Jesus went back time after time to His Father for the refreshment and comfort he needed.
How Back Again Can Take Us Forward
I resist going back. One step backward feels like the step before falling backwards in a vulnerable posture. Lean back on one foot, and you’ll instinctively reach out to grab something to pull you—forward. Forward feels strong and secure. I’ve gone back before.
When we moved back to the US from living overseas, it felt like a step back. When we sold our home and moved into a borrowed one, it felt like a step back. When we worked through parenting the same disobedience we parented before, it felt like a step back. I would never think or choose to go back in order to go forward, but Jesus often takes us back to move us forward.
God explains, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)
Like you, I want to move forward to what feels normal and open and safe. I’m tired of lights being off and silent signs staring back saying, “Closed.” Going back requires more trust than going forward, trust that stepping back will take us forward.
God doesn’t want us to be in a place of darkness, disease, and death either. He’s already in the process of making all things new. He wants us to grow in grace and strength and wisdom when circumstances take us a step or two back, whether it’s a move, a relationship, or a pandemic. One day, there won’t be any more sickness or tears. Look forward and see that better days are coming.
Could God, in His mercy, let us fall back for our ultimate good? Could this actually be the way forward to a stronger, more mature, more compassionate faith? (Romans 5:3-5) We don’t have to experience a “4th wave” or any wave like we did before. We’ve learned a lot, we’ve gained strength, we’ve developed empathy, we’ve persevered, and we’ve grown. We can move forward.
Questions to Ask if We Go Back
Try asking yourself two questions. (Ask the 3rd if you have kiddos listening)
- What did I learn before that can help me persevere in new challenges?
- How can I do this differently than before?
- How do I speak about going “back again” to kids who are listening?
Try asking God two questions.
- How do you want to use this in my life?
- How do you want me to respond?
