Light in the time of COVID

Habang umiiral ang Enhanced Community Quarantine at patuloy ang gobyerno at mga frontliners sa pagpuksa sa ating unseen enemy, marami sa atin ay humaharap din sa kakaibang challenge. Ang challenge na ito ay how to beat boredom and unproductiveness. Actually, hindi ko na mabilang ang mga Tiktok videos at mga social media bingo na nakita ko. Patunay lang ito na habang marami ang natatakot, ang iba naman ay nababagot.

To state the obvious, hindi lang FB, Twitter at Tiktok ang pwede mong gawin while on quarantine. Here are some ideas:

Organize and clean your personal files and piles.

Remember the time when you said, “magkaroon lang ako ng extra time, maglilinis talaga ako.” Ngayon, marami ka nang oras para gawin ang bagay na ito. Dus off your bookshelf, your cabinet, your shoe rack. Maglinis at mag-rearrange ng personal na gamit if needed. Hindi ka lang nakatulong sa pag-declutter, organizing will surely make you feel accomplished.

Learn something new.

Naglabasan ang mga free tutorial video and webinar this ECQ so grab the opportunity to learn something new. Maaari mo ring tapusin ang mga librong matagal nang nakatengga sa shelf mo. Personally, I use this time to read the books I bought at the last MIBF and Big Bad Wolf.

Take charge of the chores.

Hanggang may natitira pang hugasin sa lababo, walakang karapatan mag-My Day na wala kang magawa. This ECQ, be of help by doing some household chores. Huwag mong ubusin ang buong maghapon sa pagtulog o sa panonood ng KDrama. Lalo kung hindi ka naman naka-work from home, ikaw naman ang taya sa kusina at ilang gawaing bahay.

Finish a “faith project.”

Make it a goal to finish something this ECQ – be it a song, an artwork on  canvas, a web comic, a discipleship module for your church, a book, or a blog series. Maximize this time to finish something na matagal mo nang gustong tapusin ngunit kinakapos ka ng panahon.

Be physically present with your family.

Ngayong nasa bahay ka lang, there’s no reason for you not to be with your family. Huwag palaging magkulong sa kwarto o kaya’y nakatutok lang sa computer o cellphone mo. Talk with your parents. Kumustahin mo sila. Sabayan mo sila sa pagkain, sumama sa movie time at makipagtawanan. Pramis, it will be worth it.

Spend more time with God.

Have an extended time with the Lord. Ngayong marami kang panahon, hindi mo kailangang orasan at madaliin ang Quiet Time mo. Spend more time in worship, in reading the Bible, in prayer, and in meditation. Lalo ngayong panahon, we are called to intercede for the nations, the government and all the frontliners. This is the time for Christians us to step up.

In addition, knowing that social media plays a vital role in information dissemination especially this time of COVID-19, we can be of help by doing these things:

Share faith, not fear.

Marami na ang nagpapanic at nag-aaway online dahil sa mga unverified information at mga fake news. Huwag nang dumagdag pa at maging fake news agent. Be careful and responsible of what you post online. Hindi lahat ng nakaka-intriga ay tama at totoo. Do your part. Instead of carelessly sharing unverified information, gently instruct people what they ought to do.

Encourage our frontliners.

Marami sa kanila ang takot at pagod na, subalit dahil sa tawag ng tungkulin, they risk their lives daily for us. If you personally know someone in the frontlines, send them a message of appreciation and encouragement. Tell them that you are praying for them – and do so! It sure means a lot to them.

Donate and participate in worthy causes.

If it is within your means, maaari kang magdonate sa mga reliable and trustworthy fundraising projects na tumutulong sa ating mga frontliners at families heavily affected ng ECQ. Kung hindi naman, tumulong sa pagkalap ng donations sa personal network mo. Our highschool batch spearheaded one. You and your network of friends may spearhead one too!

Stay at home.

This is the very essence of ECQ—for us to do our part by staying at home. Ipagpaliban na muna ang ibang gawain sa labas lalo na kung hindi naman talaga importante. Makipagtulungan sa kinauukulan upang hindi na kumalat pa ang virus at magtagal ang krisis na kinakaharap ng bansa. Ang hindi natin pagsunod ay maaaring magdulot ng kompromiso sa iyo, sa pamilya mo o sa ibang tao.

Ang ganda ng paalala ni Apostle Paul:

“So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes” (Ephesians 5:15-16 TPT).

We are in a challenging situation. Hindi lang boredom at unproductiveness ang issue natin. Marami ang nakakaramdam ng takot at pangamba habang ang ilan naman ay tila walang pakialam. Marami rin ang misinformed. With the extended time that we have, ano ang maaari nating gawin para sa kanila?

Why not take full advantage of our time and use it for worthwhile things—to learn something new and be productive, to improve our relationships, to increase our faith, and to make a difference in the lives of people. Naka-quarantine ka man ngayon, ang influence mo ay hindi. Let us be God’s light even in this time of COVID.

Si Marts Valenzuela ang kuya mong hindi marunong mag-basketball, lumangoy, o humarap nang maayos sa camera. Bukod sa pagtambay sa mga bookstores at mangolekta ng mga libro, mahilig din siya sa sinangag at sinigang. Naging fan din siya ng AlDub at Kalyeserye. Minsan din siyang nangarap na maging rapper. Busy siya ngayon sa discipleship ministry sa church at paglilingkod sa mga pastors and churches ng kaniyang denomination. Kung hindi siya nagbabasa o kumakain, siya ay namumundok, nagbibisikleta o nagsusulat ng mga hugot sa kaniyang blog: www.heartsandhalo.blogspot.com.