Pray For Religion
Before I begin, let me say this clearly:
If conversations about religion or personal beliefs offend you…
This may not be the space for you.
Because what I’m about to share…
Is personal.
Since January 2020, I’ve had this feeling.
A strange one.
One I couldn’t quite explain at first.
It felt like God—YHWH, Jehovah—was trying to get our attention.
And I know how that sounds.
But hear me out.
When the new year came in, something felt… off.
I didn’t cook my usual New Year’s Day meal.
I didn’t feel that excitement of “new year, new me.”
It was like anticipation had been replaced with uneasiness.
And I couldn’t shake it.
Then came January 9th.
Like I always do, I checked the news.
And that’s when I saw it…
Reports of a mysterious pneumonia coming out of China.
Something about that stuck with me.
It wasn’t just another headline.
It felt like a warning.
Chinese New Year was approaching.
Travel was happening.
And here was this illness spreading.
I remember thinking…
“Is this going to reach us?”
And then another thought hit me.
“This sounds familiar.”
Because I had been sick before.
Really sick.
The kind of sick that lingers.
The kind that changes you.
And I didn’t want to feel that again.
Not ever.
Fast forward to March.
Now it’s here.
In the United States.
Spreading.
And I’m watching people brush it off.
Calling it “just the flu.”
“Just a cold.”
And I’m sitting there thinking:
Have you ever had pneumonia?
Because this doesn’t feel like something small.
Then came Friday, March 13th.
A day that’s usually lucky for me.
That day?
The President declared a national emergency.
My house was filled with mixed emotions.
My kids?
Excited.
Me?
Terrified.
Because all I could think was:
“God… what are you trying to tell us?”
And that question didn’t leave me.
It only got louder as time went on.
I started noticing things.
Listening differently.
Watching more closely.
Seeing how certain leaders—spiritual and otherwise—were responding.
Seeing how people were placing their faith…
And where that faith was being directed.
And it made me pause.
Not to judge.
Not to accuse.
But to question.
Have we lost our way?
Have we become so focused on people, power, and positions…
That we’ve drifted from what we claim to believe?
Again…
I’m not here to create conspiracy.
I’m not here to speak against anyone.
I’m just asking a question.
Could we, as a whole…
Be doing things that are out of alignment with what we say we stand for?
Because if we’re honest…
Nobody is perfect.
And whether you believe in God or not…
Whether you follow religion or not…
You can’t deny that something about this time…
Feels heavy.
Feels like a series of events that keep building on each other.
And for me…
It feels spiritual.
Like a moment of reflection.
A moment of accountability.
A moment of pause.
I don’t have all the answers.
I’m not claiming to.
I just know what I felt.
And what I still feel.
Something is shifting.
Something is being revealed.
Something is asking us to pay attention.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
It’s not about fear.
Maybe it’s about awareness.
So as we move forward…
Whatever you believe…
Wherever you stand…
Take a moment.
Reflect.
Ask yourself the hard questions.
Because sometimes…
The message isn’t meant to scare you.
It’s meant to wake you up.
And listen…
When January 1 rolls around?
I might still be torn between saying “Lord, thank you” and “Jumanji” 😂
But one thing I do know is this:
I’m paying attention now.
