Memoirs Of The Quarantined
The following are journal entries from some Pack Your Bags students who went through a quarantined time, and felt the presence of God like never before…
“For some reason, I’ve always struggled with inner loneliness. No matter how many people are around me, I fight that deep dark feeling of loneliness…
When I was first quarantined, it was really hard because when I’m alone for too long, I start thinking negative thoughts about myself and my life. It just got worse from there… I felt so alone even with people saying it's not that long or you’ll be fine. For some, quarantine might be super easy, but for me, it wasn't at all. One Sunday night was really rough for me, I felt worse than I have in a long time. I was at my lowest point since quarantine started for me. I realized I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and actually do something about it. So I started playing worship music. Seriously, that completely changed my mood! I felt a peace that I haven’t felt before. It was as simple as just listening to worship and spending time with God. knew God’s presence and love was real, because for the first time ever, I didn’t feel alone.
It was hard to see the Holy Spirit at work until I was totally alone and had no one else to run to but God. It took me a while to fully surrender to the only One who will never leave me or forsake me.”
“For me, I'm a very extroverted and outgoing person which usually means that I'm surrounded by my friends from the time I wake up to well into the night (before curfew of course!) When I got the email letting me know that I would spend the next 14 days trapped in a new dorm room, I was filled with confusion, and I was upset with this new reality I was just informed of.
By about day eight, my mental health had dropped to a place lower than its been in a long time. I was filled with sadness and loneliness: thoughts which are usually foreign to me. On one of my many quarantine walks, I decided I needed to stop filling my time with video games and youtube... I turned off all music and just had an audible prayer asking God to forgive me from my disobedience and avoidance of him. I began to cry as I felt his hand of reassurance rest on my shoulder almost tangibly.
It was at that moment God had reassured me that even in times where I'm separated from my friends and seemingly the world I have Him. I was reminded He is all I need, and everything else in my life is a blessing He allows me to have. My encouragement to everyone reading this is that it doesn't take being locked away for two weeks for you to realize God is ALL we need. And we must submit to that idea and worship Him daily in the things we do, because when it comes down to it, every single day when we wake up, is a day God has blessed you with the opportunity to live
(Proverbs 16:3, 20)
(James 1:17-18)
“Being stuck in a room alone for two weeks was not only something I didn’t expect, but something I was praying wouldn’t happen to me. I am an introvert at heart; however, my friends in Pack Your Bags have really grown on me. Quarantine has made me miss the people around me so much.
I’m not going to lie, the first two days were pretty chill, I watched a ton of Netflix and went through all my snacks; however, the tone quickly shifted going into day three. I went from feeling calm, a little bored but still sort of entertained, to feeling complete and utter loneliness, sadness, homesickness, and extreme insignificance. I spent too much time dwelling on what I was missing out on and not dwelling in God’s presence. Quarantine shifted my focus onto Him, and I get to spend so much needed time with Jesus. This experience may not have been the best for me at first, but God has moved in my life through this and changed my heart.
The feelings of insignificance and homesickness completely fell away as well; my friends came to visit me at my window, dropped off little things at my door, and even went stargazing with me (20 ft. apart of course). Getting to see my friends here and there at my window has made me feel so much love and joy. Even when I was physically all alone in my room, God presence was powerful. He stripped all the distractions away and completely changed my perspective – from something so negative to something so positive – I am now at peace. Quarantine was literally God telling me to stop everything I am doing and focus on Him, and I am now more than grateful to experience this period of growth.”
These stories that were shared are real and raw. They provided a peak inside the mind of college students who experienced extended amounts of time of quarantine. But these stories also showed just how powerful our God is. He is present in the lonely, in the hurting, and in the isolated. May we never cease being amazed by the way our Lord connects with us, and may we continue praying for those who do not have this hope in times of loneliness.