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My devotionals I read every morning have really been on point as of late. With titles ranging from ‘Hold Tight’ to ‘Do Not Fear’ to ‘Trust in the Troubles’ – the message they have brought me each morning is a much needed one. Even with all the unknowns; even with all the fear; and even with changes that we are experiencing, I know that God is in control of it all.
Over my close to 40 years, I have got to experience many things; some bad but way more that are good. Each experience helped build me into the person I am today. As I learned to manage stress, defeat, and doubt through a variety of experiences, each of those experiences was preparing me for things I would encounter in the future.
Am I worried about the COVID-19 world we live in today? You bet. I use what God has given me to do my best to stay safe. We now carry around hand sanitizer as frequently as we have our cell phone with us. We wear masks when we are out and we try to limit interactions with large groups of people. We do our best to promote healthy lifestyles through exercise and eating right. We do our best to make smart decisions based on what we know.
Does this mean we stop living? No, it doesn’t. Life must go on and continue through and past this current hardship. I still have to work to provide for my family. We will still support local stores and restaurants to do our part to help our friends and neighbors. We will still visit with our neighbors. We will still attend church. We will still serve our community. We will just do it with the proper safeguards in place.
I will end this week with an excerpt from my devotional this week. It is a great book titled Soul Fuel by Bear Grylls. In it he writes: “By turning our attention to God, we gain real perspective and hear the essential instructions He’s been handing out since the time of Moses-Do not be afraid. (Numbers 21:34)”
I choose to focus on the good we can do during this time, the kindness we show others, and the understanding that we are all in different places in our lives. Be safe and stay healthy.

Chris Kovatch is a resident of Orange County. You can reach him at news@orangeleader.com