LDR. That’s “long distance relationship” for you who belong to my generation. The pandemic has shifted practically all our relationships to long distance mode. We call it social distancing so that even our neighbors become “far”. One of the casualties of this behavior is our communication with others. Even in the best of times, communicating with loved ones, colleagues, and friends can be challenging. Now it’s much more so.
Of course, we should be thankful for the multitude of communication channels available to us. Just imagine if this pandemic happened before the advent of smartphones and the internet. At least, we can still hold meetings, worship together, and even “attend” weddings via Zoom and FB live, among others.
Still, there is no substitute to face to face communication. Studies have shown that there is a significant difference between talking to a person in the real world instead of the virtual world. For example, it is much easier to get angry at someone when we see only his/her virtual face or avatar. This tendency explains the word wars that frequently erupt in chat groups.
Reflecting on all this, I realized that we Christians have been communicating all along with Someone we have not seen. We denote this as prayer. God is spirit, and no one has seen Him. Yet by the eyes of faith, we call on our heavenly Father multiple times a day. We thank Him for all our blessings and experiences in life. We present to Him our petitions and supplications while submitting to His will.
As the pandemic rages on, we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Believing that God is the sovereign ruler of all creation, we know that He can stop this virus. Trusting that He is a God of love, we are confident that He has a good purpose in allowing His children to go through this trial. At the proper time, He will say stop, and the pandemic will become history.
At times, it seems that we have an LDR with our God given that He is a transcendent Being. In reality, He is one sincere prayer away from every believer in Christ.