The coronavirus is scary but so was the day the bottom dropped out of my parents’ world. They were both 29, parents of 5 and 2-year-old girls when the doctor diagnosed Dad with multiple sclerosis. My father was in the third year of his dream job as a county extension agent, but my parents knew the swift progression of the disease would lead to a very early retirement. The early days of his disease were grim and frightening, and yet my parents kept going and made a good life for our family. Perhaps not the life we expected, but a life full of joy and sorrow as all lives are. 

The coronavirus is scary but so was the night my 2-month-old baby quit breathing in my arms as I nursed him. My husband revived him, and the ambulance took him to the hospital, where the doctor discovered the problem. My baby and I (but not my husband) were life-flighted 750 miles away for a corrective surgery with no guarantee of success. I sobbed for the entire flight and begged the nurse on board for reassurance she couldn’t give. I felt more alone than I’d ever been before or since, and yet I kept going. After many more surgeries and procedures, our baby recovered. Our parenting journey wasn’t what we expected. We grieved, and sometimes still do, for the pain he experienced. But we found joy, and still do, in being our son’s dad and mom.

 The coronavirus is scary but so was day my husband learned the factory where he worked was closing. The day he learned he would soon be out of a job. We had 2 young kids, 1 of whom had big medical needs. We’d just bought a house, and didn’t know how we would make ends meet. But the job loss led to retraining money, and my husband became a nurse and got a job at a regional hospital where he’s worked for almost 30 years. In a few weeks, he may be caring for COVID-19 patients in their ICU. Perhaps not what we expected for his last few years before retirement. We are concerned, and we are taking precautions. And yet we are not fearful. Instead, we find joy in our daily walks together and in the life we have shared.

The coronavirus is scary but so was Christ’s arrest on a Thursday night more than 2000 years ago. The disciples had given up jobs and family to join His ministry. They had followed Him for 3 years and dreamed of the kingdom He promised would come. In a moment of betrayal by one of their own, everything they had hoped for the future vanished. The next day they watched as their Leader was mocked, tortured, crucified, and laid in a grave. Most certainly, this end was not what they had expected.

For 3 days they mourned.
For 3 days were utterly bereft.
For 3 days they despaired.

But then, in the most amazing “but then” in human history, He rose from the dead. 

Mourning turned to joy.
Bereavement turned to amazement.
Despair turned to hope.

The coronavirus is scary and we can’t see how this pandemic will end. But because Jesus rose from the dead, we know He is with us. We know that life on this earth will forever be a mixture of sorrow and joy mingled together. We can look back and see how God has been faithful in past hard times, and we can trust Him to work in our present circumstances in ways we can’t yet imagine or conceive. 

This Easter, we can celebrate without fear because we serve a risen Savior. 

He is with us.
He is for us.
He is our hope.

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the monthly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for both at the bottom of this page.