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Writer's pictureGayle Pulliam

I wonder...

Updated: Jul 8, 2021

I wonder about lots of things. I really do. Things sometimes connect in my brain in strange, relational ways that get me thinking, mulling, pondering. I wonder if there are other people out there who connect the dots of life the same way I do.


Who knows? Maybe you do.


A week or so ago I read a blog post from a gal I've been following for years. Her family made a move to Michigan a couple years ago and traded in a sweet, older home for a newer, builder-grade model. The post that caught my eye was one referencing her storage closet. To be honsest, I was kind of amazed that closets could even be that big! The space was impressive, as was the amount of stuff she had stored in there. She was reorganizing, and though her skills were admirable in both aesthetic and use of space, I couldn't help but wonder... why? Why would there be a need for closets so large they could conceivably house a small, smart car?


I'm not judging, I'm really not. This woman makes her living from social media. Her livlihood depends on rotating decorative items in and out with the seasons. For her, it works. It just got me wondering.


How much is enough?


On the other hand, there was the Instagram post I saw this morning from another "influencer" I've connected with the past several years. She advocates "small" living. Though I don't agree with everything she promotes, I am absolutely fascinated with her ability to transition spaces according to need. Her home in Venice Beach was less than 400 sq. ft., but life there was large. I wondered again.


How little do I really need?


Combine all these musings with thoughts on 2020, the pandemic, and living life in isolation, and you've met me where I am today.


As homes have gradually increased in square footage over the past several decades, we have seen the inverse happening with family size. Houses boast more space per person, but all that extra space seems to be doing is causing less and less interaction among family members. Huge game rooms trump what not-so-long-ago would have been large outdoor yards for kids to play and neighbors to gather. Shared sibling bedrooms have all but disappeared in favor of each child having his own space.


With all we're gaining, it seems we're losing lots too.


Enter the pandemic of 2020. People were virtually prisoners in their own homes. We were, in many cases, voluntarily self-exiled from the rest of humanity. We worked from home, shopped from home, schooled from home, worshiped from home. Alone. Detached. Stressed. Depressed. We did what we could to keep each other safe. We did it out of love and concern for our neighbors.


Yet.


Yet, what we did also took a toll. We weren't meant to be islands. We were created for community. When God created Adam, He said it wasn't good for man to be alone. It's not. Lonliness is painful. Isolation often creates more problems than it fixes.


That's why I got to wondering in the first place.


What will life look like in a post-pandemic world? Will architects and engineers design homes of the future based on our needs during the pandemic? Will houses get bigger still in order to accommodate a plethora of activities that must be met within the confines of our own four walls?


A schoolroom. a chapel, a media center? Will there be refrigerated drop boxes included in the design for interaction-free grocery deliveries?


Obviously, I'm being a bit facetious here, but then again... I wonder.


What will happen to relationships if this trend continues? To families? To community?


I wonder if this would be the beginning of the end of life as we've known it.


These thoughts have been rolling around in my head, trying their best to be strung together in some semblance of cohesive meaning. Some idea. Some plan to reconcile it all.


Bigger isn't always better, but does it have to be bad? Must we live in small spaces in order to salvage connectivity?


Can't individuals living in isolation for whatever reason also experience a sense of community? If so, how?


We have learned a great deal from the past eighteen months... about life, about how much is enough, about how little we really need, about family and community, about faith and hope... and love. We have been forced to the edge of self-examination and to the depths of the truth of the Almighty's Word on the subject.


I wonder if it all doesn't boil down to this: No matter our circumstance...


We need God.


We need each other.


The two greatest commandments.


However we move forward... whatever that looks like... those are the things we must reconcile. Those are the two truths we must never let go, not as individuals, not as family, not as community.


As long as I'm trying to connect the dots, I wonder, because the picture never quite comes into clarity.


I may wonder... but He knows, because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Times keep changing. The world keeps changing, but He remains...


Changeless.


His purpose steadfast. His plan secure. He asks only that I trust and obey... and move just one dot at a time with whatever He puts in front of me.

As long as I can do that, I need wonder no more. He's got this. He always has. He always will. He's a God of relationships, and salvaging them, in every way they can be salvaged...


is His forte.









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