On Lockdown

Last week, my school went on lockdown.

It was not fun. In fact, it was quite scary. I won’t give all of the details, but pretty much, what happened is that there was a threat of an active shooter on a neighboring campus. (In the end, nobody got hurt, thank God, and the suspect was peacefully detained when he turned himself in after a few hours).

Other than the experience being scary, the second relevant adjective to describe the situation was inconvenient. We were on lockdown and told to “Shelter in place,” so we had to put our entire days on pause to stay where we were until the long-awaited All-Clear signal came.

I think our lives can be like this too.

So often we have these agendas or callings, actions that we feel God wants us to take. And yet, like those of us “sheltering-in-place” on campus, we are stuck. It’s often frustrating and inconvenient, especially because our time waiting in those dark rooms can feel like an ineffective waste.

BUT! This period spent waiting does not have to be wasted time. It can end up that way if we misuse these seasons of waiting by sulking in discontentment or by wasting our energy toe-tapping in impatience. But if we make the most of where we’re at, God can use this time for so much better.

Because, while being stuck waiting does not feel ideal, I think God– like our Campus Safety department– knows what He’s doing when he keeps us in a certain place for a time.

Whether in a darkened classroom, hungry for a snack because it’s been been four hours, or in a season of life where you’re hungry for action, starving for change– waiting isn’t fun. But until the lights come on, the doors get unlocked, and you’re free to go to complete all the things on your agenda, you have 2 options:

1. You can sit there and complain about how you can’t do what you’d planned/wanted to do so badly, or

2. You can make the most of your present situation.*

(*hint: This is the better one!)

I saw both of these things happen when my school went on lockdown. I had some friends complain to me over text about how hungry they were, and how they could have been doing so much better of things in this time that they were stuck. And those complaints were completely valid.

But there were better ways to approach the situation; ways to make the most of the waiting. For example:

From one classmate, I heard a story of how the teachers used this as an opportunity serve others, as they generously bought snacks from the vending machines for their hungry students and brought them back to the classroom to share.

I heard of necessary productivity, as many people spoke of getting all of their homework done in this time, since they had “nothing better to do” in their current locations.

But my favorite lockdown story is one of finding community. The day after lockdown, I saw a stranger say to her friend, “I’m about to go hang out with the friends I made yesterday in lockdown!”

The friends I made yesterday in lockdown. This girl used her time being stuck to make friends!

This is what made me realize that we need to make the most of our waiting. Because God doesn’t keep us stuck in one place for no reason. Sometimes he keeps us from leaving so soon so that we can prepare to go out into the world. Sometimes he keeps us so we have time to meet the people we needed to impact or be impacted by before leaving. Sometimes, it’s for our own good, because there’s dangers or obstacles outside that we’re not ready to face yet.

So until you finally get the “all-clear” from God, make the most of your situation. Don’t complain; just be present with the people you’re with. You might learn a valuable lesson in that season of in-between-where-you-want-to-go and stuck-where-you’re-at. God doesn’t waste time, and neither should you; this season exists for a reason, and since you’re stuck there anyway, you’d may as well find it.

So next time you feel like you’re stuck (yet know exactly where you want to be), don’t make the waiting something you merely endure. Make it an opportunity to grow, and look for what God needs you to find in that Meantime.