Psalm 46:10- The Stillness of our Time

It is a Friday morning and as usual, you are rudely awakened by the blaring of your alarm clock. Grumbling, you lean over to turn it off and begin to start your regular routine. After thirty minutes to eat, change and gather your school supplies, you are ready. You’re at the door and about to start walking to the next train station when you feel a slight buzz in your front pocket. Curious, you pull out your phone and you see you have an email notification. You open it, deciding on reading email as you walk down the busy street. The email reads:

ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS,

DUE TO THE RISING CONCERN OF COVID-19, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO HAS DECIDED TO CANCEL ALL IN-CLASS GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE COURSES. . .

Frozen, you stop mid-step. Confused, you read it over, again and again, only to feel raising panic and fear in your chest. . .

This was the reaction that the majority of students felt when they woke on that day in March to that frightening email. Perhaps for some it wasn’t so scary, instead, it was a bearer of delightful news. I know it was for me. Commuting for two hours a day really drains you out physically, mentally and financially. Regardless, if you felt a sense of joy or horror, we all ended up asking the same question:

What now?

Since in-class lectures, tutorials, practicals and seminars were out of the picture, everyone wondered how a virtual course would look like. For some it was their professor sending out prerecorded videos to their students. For others it was students joining in an online zoom conference. However, for the very few, students were instructed to hand in assignments and were not required to attend a class as their professor ended the course right there and then.

Thankfully, the Fall/ Winter session is over. Students now are either enjoying their summer vacation safe at home, or in the middle of their summer courses from the comfort of their bedrooms.

Quarantine has been an interesting time. There are days when I look back fondly at the old days where I wish that I could freely explore the city and meet up with my friends with no fear of contracting this virus. Yet as I reflect on these trying times do I realize that I should not scorn Quarantine, instead celebrate it.

Before the severity of the virus struck, we were busy people, always rushing out the door, always running out of time. As a result, we have sidelined the things that matter to us: Our friends, our family, and more importantly, our relationship with God.

Let's be honest, we are not the best when it comes to putting our faith first. We are always putting God at the bottom of our to-do list. Which is a shame considering He is the one who granted us the gift of free will. Even though he allows us to do what we wish, he wants us to choose him, despite the fact we are busy. According to Psalm 46:10, it states:

“Be still and know I am God.”

So when the quarantine began, it was as if the world came to a halt. Even though inside we are quivering with anticipation, the entire world has stopped spinning, everything is still. For the first time in forever, we have the freedom to do whatever we wish. At home, we can watch that TV show we always wanted to watch, write that book we kept putting off, call a family member, etc. Even if some of us have summer school or a job, we still have more time than we had before.

It is in this time of rediscovered freedom do I realize that we finally have the chance to give God the time he needs. We don’t have an excuse anymore. Instead of wasting our time filling our pleasure, we should slow down in this quiet time, return to the Bible, speak with our Creator.

Because just like everything on this Earth, this quarantine will end. It may be soon, it may be later. Regardless, I don’t want to be the person who wasted their time. For once places start opening up, time will start speeding up again, and I will fall into the same trap of neglecting God. That is if I don't make the choice now and bring Him to the top of my list.