I’m not sure if it’s rooted in rebellion or our natural progression, but teenagers love blasting music. Since the dawn of the iPod, big stereos have slowly been replaced by throngs of earbuds and headphones. Either way, teens love it, and it also provides another element they love… escape.
 
Truthfully, we all enjoy an occasional escape. However, one thing that the COVID-19 quarantine has done is making escape difficult. When our routine and personal space are given extreme limits, it seems that those limits are also applied to our patience and threshold for conflict. Unfortunately, it’s no April Fool’s joke that the quarantine in China has led to a massive spike in divorces. It is imperative for us to recognize that group isolation breeds frustration, and that it should be handled instead of ignored.
 
Lent reminds us that Christ not only came to provide eternal salvation, but a living example and power through the Spirit to redeem our hostility steeped in pride and selfish desire. Paul told the church in Ephesus that Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection tore down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles – a cultural impossibility. If Jews and Gentiles are now brothers and sisters, how much more does God intend for us to lovingly approach our biological family? One of our church values is freedom in reconciliation, and we have several stories our members could share on achieving peace in conflict.
 
We might be using the walls in our homes to avoid dealing with conflict. Christ shattered that spiritual wall, and He calls us to forgive and seek reconciliation because He reconciled us to the Father. Allow for space, but don’t let tension build at home during this season of isolation. Love well, and look to Christ as a model for how to provide that love and surrender of condemnation.