I had a co-worker of seven years who resigned and worked abroad in 2015. She came back two years ago and we met for coffee, catching up, and reminiscing about the years we worked together.

In that conversation, she told me about life working in another country, the joys and challenges one would face. Then, she said, “it is true what you told me years ago that God is my great reward.” She realized that with all this world can offer, at the end of every day, she was still crying out for God’s presence more than anything.

I think about that conversation and I realize how true it is for a lot of us. We often look for things in life that provide comfort and happiness. Too often, these are temporal highs. They give us the pleasure we need, but are also too often immediately gone when our source is cut off.

This season of extended quarantine has brought to surface a lot of the realities of life. I myself have come to realize the different things I can do, and the necessities I need. However, it has also brought to light the many more I can do without. I don’t  need a new set of exercise outfit to actually exercise. I don’t need a daily dose of espresso or latte to be productive at work. More gadgets and accessories than I can use, are actually of no use. I had a lot of things in my daily life that are now all considered non-essential. As a result, I have come to realize that so much of what we give our time and resources to are not a necessity.

The things that brought pleasure were all temporal. Now, in this lock-down, we are all experiencing making peace with where we are and what we have. We’re all realizing, well I hope we are, that we will actually survive despite the absence of so many things.

As we may be nearing the transition to a lightened community quarantine, I hope we will come out of this season with a greater appreciation for the things that truly matter. That the lessons we are learning will continue to shape the life we will live beyond this crisis. More than anything, that we will experience the reality of living in view of God as our great reward.