By Elliot Snuggs

Recently I read an article entitled “Leading beyond the Blizzard” by Andy Crouch, Kurt Keilhacker, and Dave Blanchard. You can find it at journal.praxislabs.org. It presented a very interesting simile. It compared the time we are in now with Covid-19, as a “blizzard.” But the article said what is coming is like a “little ice age.” And the ensuing question became, are we thinking just about the blizzard, or are we thinking about the new reality beyond the blizzard?

This is a question that is relevant to all of us. We are all dealing with the blizzard: drastic changes in family-life, work-life, and church-life; just to name a few. We have to deal with the blizzard of course, because if we don’t survive that, then it doesn’t make much difference what is beyond. But, for the majority who will survive the blizzard, what then?

This leads us into unchartered territory. Just like the “ice age” redefined the environment, our environment will be changed by Covid-19. But what will it look like? For how long? As believers, we know that our solid foundation is an unchangeable God (theologians say He is “immutable”). Moreover, we know He holds the future in his hands. But I do think God wants us to dream, to imagine, what this new post Covid-19 future will look like. He wants us to partner with him in shaping this new environment for the advancement of his kingdom. He wants us to understand his plans and purposes!

God conceals the revelation of his word in the hiding place of his glory.

But the honor of kings is revealed by how they thoroughly search out the deeper meaning of all that God says.
-Proverbs 25:2 (The Passion Translation)

Questions for you to consider:

Are you only focused on the “blizzard?” Can you create any space to dream about the “ice age”? Are you carving out time to pray, worship and discern God’s voice?
What do you know to be true about God and how He created us? How does this shape your dreams and imagination for a post Covid-19 environment?
How should we then live (tip of the cap to Francis Schaeffer)? Are we asking God for our family, our church and our work?