A Stretch of Faith

A Stretch of Faith

“But why did God bring Covid?” my child asks—

Jumped straight into theology, age five.

Her mind wants what a quick “church” answer lacks.

We share the mystery, but start with facts:

Depressing data—many won’t survive.

Those first months almost no one could relax.

To go to shops again, we shop for masks;

Thank God our family, friends are still alive.

Soon Zoom screens compensate for what life lacks.

Our social groups and friendships face attacks,

As if the word “pandemic” brings divide.

Some Christians can’t face science and relax.

We pray for vaccines, wait, and eat some snacks;

Small things, great love still help our family thrive,

Find patient strength a quick “church” answer lacks.

Our ancestors faced doubt, we trace their tracks.

Our joy in daily living, still alive.

Time offers more than quick “church” answer lacks.

God still speaks—breathing peace—and we relax.

Author: Amy Ziegler

Amy Ziegler has a Ph.D. in English and taught composition and literature for 14 years. She also worked as an editor for a research center in Washington, DC. She has published academic articles and a dissertation on psychological abjection in 20th-century American literature. Amy currently lives with her husband and seven-year-old daughter in the suburbs of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She leads church groups and field trips, organizes play dates and closets, and makes as much time for reading and writing as this season of motherhood allows. She is passionate about encouraging others to accept their role in shaping God’s ongoing creativity in their lives.