Consistency

These past few months have been filled with inconsistent schedules in my household.

We have not known from week to week or sometimes day to day what our schedules would look like.

This inconsistency and unknowing has, in turn, filled me with great unease.

School schedules have been up in the air because of weather and the rising number of Covid cases.

My husband’s work schedule has been erratic to say the least for the same reasons and more.

I cannot reliably set a schedule a week ahead of time—thought of scheduling a month ahead seems just absurd at this point!

I am a person who loves some order—some consistency. Predictability is my friend.

But the last few years have been a deep dive lesson in learning to live without such luxuries as consistency and predictability.

And for me, that is not easy.

I am fatigued from having to wake each day and face the unknown.

Who will be in the house today? How many lunches need to be ready for school? for home? Which after school activities are actually happening this week? Which got cancelled? Who is available to drive my child? Who is quarantined this week?

I miss the rhythm of ‘normal times’. I miss the stability of consistency. I miss the certainty of knowing what each week should look like. I loved the pattern to the week, the month, the years.

It can feel like there is nothing to ground me.

But I must remember that it is God who grounds us.

It is God who is consistent.

Even in the midst of the unknown, God holds us close.

Even in the midst of changing schedules, God is unchanging.

Hopefully that reminder will help me (and you) face the uncertainty that comes tomorrow and the inconsistency that will wash over us again and again as we walk through these uncertain times!