"Though the body is shut in, though the flesh is confined, all things are open to the spirit. In spirit, then, roam abroad; in spirit walk about . . ."
Tertullian, the ancient church father, wrote a profound letter to Perpetua and the other young Christians with her in a Roman prison. He was coaching them through the imprisonment, the isolation, the upcoming martyrdom—so full of potential emotional and spiritual pitfalls. Odd as it seems, his letter rings true for us today, in our coronavirus lockdowns and our uncertain times.
As we encounter fear for our families and futures, it seems that our fleshly tendencies toward selfishness, division, and lust are exacerbated and revealed. Perhaps we've had a first few days of staying strong, but at some point the Lord's purpose for our individual hearts in this lockdown will become apparent: up to the surface comes the dross, visible in all its slimy, grey grime. Mothers who are suddenly homeschooling may be the most vocal about it, but fathers who are contemplating losing their incomes and singles who are getting a bit too much "community" with their housemates and older folks who are becoming more and more isolated are all feeling the deep effects as well.
Honestly, we're surprised by our own susceptibility to irritation and fear, which bubble up and become visible inside this "lockdown" pressure cooker. It's even more surprising to find out that the "holy" persecuted Christians, already imprisoned and sentenced to death because they had tenaciously held on to their faith in Jesus, were discovering the VERY SAME PROBLEMS inside themselves. So, they had faced down the threat of death and stayed strong, but they hadn't arrived at the simple Christian maturity to handle the practical irritations/limitations with grace? Unbelievable.
Tertullian coaches:
- Satan will try to set you "at variance with each other" (dissensions, fights, etc.)
- Don't let "this separation from the world alarm you" (for "the world is more really the prison . . . you have gone out of a prison rather than into one.")
- You have "lost some of life's sweets", but even businessmen understand that it is good to "suffer present loss, that after gains may be the larger."
According to Tertullian, there are massive pluses to being forced into one room instead of being able to walk around the streets freely. We don't see prostitution, immodestly dressed people, idolization. We aren't being persecuted or grieved by watching evil around us. We have liberty to pray. In his words:
"You
have no occasion to look on strange gods, you do not run against their
images; you have no part in heathen holidays, even by mere bodily
mingling in them; you are not annoyed by the foul fumes of idolatrous
solemnities; you are not pained by the noise of the public shows, nor by
the atrocity or madness or immodesty of their celebrants; your eyes do
not fall on stews and brothels; you are free from causes of offense,
from temptations, from unholy reminiscences; you are free now from
persecution too. The prison does the same service for the Christian
which the desert did for the prophet."
I have friends who are angry about the economic devastation of what they see as government overreactions and are reevaluating their plans for the future, and others who are taking joy in more time with their children and less time obligated to "good" social/church events. I know some who are intensely fearful of falling ill or who are freezing up on the path God already set before them, and others who are pushing through fear to try to take joy in serving those in pain. We are a mixed bag . . . faith and fear fight for ascendancy in one soul, and the turmoil inside unsettles us.
My pastor reminds us often that God is a master of 10-dimensional chess. The coronavirus is not about you — that's not why half the world's population is on lockdown and the global economy is shot overnight. It's God's judgment on the world's rampant bloodshed and perversion. It's Satan's attack on the human race and the growing movement of large Christians gatherings. It's God's invitation for His people to reset, reevaluate, and resume the core activities of life in Christ Jesus. It's nature's stingback at being genetically manipulated, poked, twisted, and misused. It's a humbling . . . potentially clearing the way for a revival. It's a pruning of the church and a shaking of the world. It's many more things. And while they all together form a perfect storm — one that could forever change the way life in our century is lived — you have not been forgotten on those waves.
"Peace, be still." And even the wind and the waves obeyed Him. Remember:
"The prison does the same service for the Christian which the desert did for the prophet."
So in the midst of the world's perfect storm and your refining-fire "prison" (a.k.a, home lockdown), when the outcomes are unknowable, we have an invitation from God, who calls us those "who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom 8:4).
There is a great invitation before us, the same one that was before every imprisoned Christian before us. "Life" is upended — but was that really "life", or was it merely existence? I believe we are meant to find REAL life in the middle of these days, on these particular pages of plot twists and unexpected disasters. It is there for the finding and the taking. But, as Tertullian coached Perpetua, it must be chosen . . . choose the Spirit and not the flesh. Who knows where God will take us!
"Let us drop the name of prison; let us call it a place of
retirement. Though the body is shut in, though the flesh is confined,
all things are open to the spirit. In spirit, then, roam abroad; in
spirit walk about, not setting before you shady paths or long
colonnades, but the way which leads to God. As often as in spirit your
footsteps are there, so often you will not be in bonds. The leg does not
feel the chain when the mind is in the heavens. The mind compasses the
whole man about, and whither it wills it carries him. But where thy
heart shall be, there shall be thy treasure. Be there our heart, then, where we would have our treasure."
I encourage you to read the whole letter to the imprisoned — you'll be surprised how helpful an ancient church father can be in modern-day troubles. To read, CLICK HERE
I encourage you to read the whole letter to the imprisoned — you'll be surprised how helpful an ancient church father can be in modern-day troubles. To read, CLICK HERE
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I've dropped the ebook price of Perpetua for April to make it more available for all of those who are stuck at home and longing to be free. We may be in lockdown, but we might as well travel to the ancient Roman Empire while we are! It's now $3.99 — Please let your friends know, too. https://www.amazon.com/…/dp/B07RCDHG21/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0… )
