My Praise Carried Me through The Pandemic

By Sonara Carter-Barber

The pandemic caught many of us by storm. We were side swiped. It

came quickly and knocked us off balance from our daily routines.

There have been times during the pandemic where I felt locked down

and could not breathe. The most challenging part of this pandemic for

me is that my swimming routine came to a screeching halt! It felt like

the end of the world. I almost cried at the thought of losing the ability to

exercise. Swimming has benefitted me mostly due to the osteoarthritis

in my knees.

Despite the negative consequences of the pandemic, there has been

something positive about working from home. I am intentional about

going outside to enjoy nature while getting natural vitamin D from the

sun.

We have heard about the many lives lost from COVID-19, and it is

totally devastating from the high numbers. What brought it home for

me is knowing people personally who not only contracted COVID-19

but dying from it. Losing friends, church family members and not being

able to express my heart to them and say good-bye took the air out of

my balloon. Funerals were limited because of the severity of the virus.

Each time, I learned of someone I knew who passed, it made me grieve

my mom all over again. It almost became overwhelming. I knew it was

critical for me to get help with my emotional breakdown. Therefore, I

decided to join Grief Share, to help me process my emotions. Grief

Share is a friendly, caring group of people who walk individuals through

their life’s most difficult experiences. Grief Share support groups meet

weekly around the world. Individuals do not have to go through the

grieving process alone. I participated in a Grief Share support group

online via Zoom weekly. It gave me a safe place to share while helping

me to maintain emotional stability. The group members were some of

the most beautiful people I have ever met. I looked forward to

participating in this online community.

The pandemic represented WAR for me. This meant, I had to fight for

what I knew and believed. God is in control. My politics did not change

despite the virus in the air. As of this writing, California has 2,670,962

confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 29,701 deaths. There have

been more than 367,000 individuals died in the United States. There

was a lot to be concerned about for certain. The unemployment rate is

in the US is 14.70%. The unemployment rate in California is 8.20%.

Businesses have closed, stores have gone out of business, and

individuals have lost their homes and were evicted. California employers

sought to reduce labor costs and laid off, furloughed and reduced the

compensation for city, state and county workers. All have different impacts

and ripple effects. However, God is still good. “Victory is mine” and

nothing I hear on the news can change my mind. I kept proclaiming all

is well. I put a smile on my face to go with my belief. I was determined

to hold on to my faith. The messages I heard over the years surfaced

when I felt exasperated. This made me reflect on my history with God.

I did not realize I had built up as much timber (prayers stored up) until I

was walking to my vehicle after work. I looked at how far away my

vehicle was parked. My knees were in severe pain and I had a long

walk. Without realizing it, I began thanking God for all the wonderful

things in my life. I gave Him glory for the good day I had at work. I

found myself saying these words, “Lord, I bless and honor you. I delight

in you. There is nobody like you Lord. Your name is great. Halleluiah,

Thank you Jesus. Glory to your name”. Before I knew it, I had arrived at

my vehicle. I rolled down my window as I drove to my swim. I smelled

the fresh air and said, “Lord I thank you”. It felt empowering to bless

God. It is a beautiful thing to have a grateful mind during a difficult

period. I was determined not to be ruled by my environment.

I arrived at the pool and began to swim laps. As I swam back and forth

this experience (of praising God during difficult times) dominated my

thoughts. It felt amazing to mentally overrule my circumstances and to

dominate my thoughts with the goodness of God. It was clear to me

that I had to write and share this experience. I did not allow the

pandemic to steal my PRAISE. My brain was stored with excerpts from

a sermon by my pastor, Bishop Noel Jones. I remember him saying, if

you lose your house, don’t lose your mind because you will need your

mind to get another house. Don’t lose your mind if you lose your car,

you will need your mind to get the next car. Don’t lose your mind if the

man leaves you, you are going to need your mind for the next man.

These words and Bishop Noel Jones many sermons were deeply

embedded in my spirit and represented strength for me. I was not going

to lose my mind because of the pandemic and my pain.

I knew if the government failed, God will not fail. I was determined to

maintain my faith. God’s word cannot return void. I will continue to

stand on the promises of God. On the solid rock I stand, all other

grounds are sinking sand. Because God is my solid rock, I can

maintain my trust in Him during the midst of this pandemic. God is on

my side. He has the whole world in his hands. My PRAISE took me to

another level in God. “God inhabits the praises of his people.” Psalm

22:3

Written By Sonara Carter-Barber

Holistic Lifestyle Advocate Program Graduate