All nonessentials are closing. This phrase is odd and weighty. While I don’t love that this will cause businesses to close, people to lose their jobs and in person experiences to be lost, the word nonessentials has caught my eye.
First I had to think about what I consider nonessentials to be. I mean getting a latte from your favorite local coffee shop is always a highlight. But is a 5 dollar latte essential to everyday living?
Dictionary.com defines nonessential as..
adjective
not essential; not necessary:Nonessential use of gasoline was forbidden during the war.
noun
a nonessential thing or person.
So in other words something not needed or not aloud.
Then I thought about what God says is essential, bread and water don’t even make the cut.
Matthew 4:1-5 (NLT)
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Matthew 21:21 (NLT)
21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.
God says that faith is essential! That going to the source of life is essential. The source of life can be found in God’s word, in worshiping, in serving, in engaging in conversation and in prayer.
Together dictionary.com and GOD can help us see that despite the loss we are feeling, we haven’t truly lost what is essential. YOU see we still are able to read our bibles whenever we would like. We can worship our Lord whenever we would like. We can watch sermons and go to church whenever we would like! We still have what’s truly essential.
So yes, we maybe losing out on cherished events and beloved rituals, BUT we have the ability to still have a relationship with Jesus! Makes me giddy just thinking about it!!
Today my prayer for you is that you would find peace and joy in the ESSENTIALS of today.
