A message from the CAU Chaplin
03/25/2020
The Awakening Part 1
You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light.Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test
everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions
of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. It’s embarrassing to even talk
about what certain persons do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the
light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper! Get
up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Ephesians 5:8-14
As events unfold around the world and the media breaks in with the latest news, many of us are wondering: Why is this happening? How did things change so quickly? When will things go back to normal? Is this the “new normal?”
Understandably, we are concerned for our family, friends and the future. We feel unsettled, but the good news is that there is more to our reality than what we see. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the people of Ephesus, he implored them to wake up from their uncertain reality by focusing on the truth of God. Similarly, we can choose to linger in the litany of questions for which we do not have answers or we can trust in the promises of God. We can exist in the “what ifs” or we can live in the certainty our faith. We can be lulled into hopelessness or we can be alive and thrive in hopefulness.
Social distancing may be our new normal but it does not mean that we should disconnect from one another. Perhaps, this is a time to help a neighbor, donate to a food bank, pray for caregivers on the “front lines,” or even reconnect with loved ones who have been pushed to the bottom of the “to do list.” This may also be a time for each of us to decompress and center, recommit to our faith, rediscover those things that once fueled our passion, or recalibrate our life in relation to our goals.
Beloved, you are not alone! God who promises to be “an ever present help in times of trouble” is with you and we, in the Office of Religious Life, are also here to support you. Should you need a word of encouragement, prayer, or a sense of community, we can be reached via phone at (404) 880-8041 or via email at tlawrence@cau.edu.
Rev. Dr. Tonya L. MilesUniversity Chaplain
Clark Atlanta University