Last week we marveled at the positive take aways from even something as negative as the coronavirus. We were struck with how the actions of a few could literally touch the world. It is pay it forward in the worst sense.

Somehow as the news gets darker, I am pulled even more strongly to the opposite direction to seek goodness, love, and peace. As it becomes clearer that what we each do matters, we can become more incentivized to bring even more good into this world, to expand our loving relationships with others, to think beyond ourselves and our needs. Global trauma sparked by a few reminds us that we are one family, fractured as is obvious, so all the more needing to be united in Him.

As I write this, I am anticipating our first havurah planned for this evening at our home in Florida. At the Borough Park Symposium, I bought yet another Bible, so I have several to share. We had planned to follow the schedule for the this week’s Torah and Brit Chadasha readings. “Coincidentally” in this week’s mail, two books arrived from the UMJC that could have arrived at any other time. Yet here they are, ready for use: At Messiah’s Feet, by Dr. Stuart Dauermann, a study guide with questions on various Brit Chadasha passages about Yeshua, and With One Voice – Messianic Jewish Torah Commentaries, a collection of Rabbinical writings on each week’s Torah portion edited by Rabbi Russ Resnik. It’s as if HaShem is equipping Sid and me for just this moment in His perfectly synchronized timing.

This morning as I was praying and talking with HaShem, I reached out to my cousin who is fighting multiple myeloma. She is a mainstream Jew but over our time together has been open to conversations about Messianic Judaism, as has her adult son. When I reached out to her again about attending our havurah, this morning she said yes. Such a blessing. “Coincidentally” another person who will be attending with his wife are two long time Ruachites who now live near here, “randomly” noticing we were close by through Facebook pictures Sid had posted. Neither we nor they knew they lived in the area. Not to mention Phil and Connie and Jeanne Miterko with her Messianic Jewish friend who are visiting. Looking forward to an evening filled with the Ruach.

The point of sharing this is as a reminder that each of us has within our daily lives choices we can make to reach out and share the love of our Abba with others. It doesn’t have to be a havurah. It’s as simple as a phone call to another who may have less opportunity for interactions with others, or to one suffering a health issue, or just to someone you love or hope to get to know better. It’s as simple as being kind to the grocery store bagger and the waitress or waiter. It’s thinking about how to lighten the load of another, to expand our relationships, both deep and superficial, to put HaShem front and center in our daily lives at all levels.

As we intentionally think about how each of us can share love, share Him, we fight the coronavirus. We can’t cure that disease, but we can help to allay fear of sickness, of being alone, of no hope, of death. Perhaps we are on the training ground now for more challenges ahead, this time frame being a harbinger of what may come. All the more reason to mobilize the love troops, get in shape to powerfully be a messenger of His Love to others, the best vaccine ever.

Shabbat shalom.
Diane