Latha obair tòiseachadh

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16. 3

Today the news is awash with stories about getting back to work: here, there, everywhere. Hairdressers is Germany, builders in England, yacht-ies in America - they are all at it. There is a cruel irony for us in Skye, as it comes hard on the heels of the spike of coronavirus cases which was announced over the weekend at Home Farm in Portree. Our thoughts are with residents, staff, families, friends and neighbours and we are holding them up in our prayers.

When our time comes, we shall be just as anxious to get back on track as the rest of the country, as the rest of the world indeed. Yet was there ever a moment when that cherished proverb was truer: Latha obair tòiseachadh? Commentators have remarked that convincing everyone that it is safe to resume work, school, socialising... will be harder than shutting it all down. We may well be amazed at how used we have actually become to lockdown. Like monkeys in a cage, we might find that when the door is finally opened we are not as eager to get out as we expected.

Now is not the new normal. The new normal is what we shall need to create when the restrictions are eased and as we muster the energy to get going again. Some things will fall back into place, others will need to change and some aspects of life we will realise we are better off without. What is going to be important is that we exercise discernment, which is where the other proverb on this page comes in: "Commit to the Lord... he will establish your plans."

That is not as indulgent as it sounds. What it means is that the best way forward out of any crisis, and into any opportunity, is to proceed prayerfully and faithfully, committing our intentions to the Lord. Because he is the one who will guide our judgment. He is the one who will see us through. Most crucially, he is the one who will stick with us through thick and thin. And, if today finds you paralysed with grief or worry, he is the one who is holding you now.