I started off my morning longing for the beach and feeling borderline angry about not being able to leave the house and enjoy my beautiful island.

A few days ago, I left home to pick up my child on a neighbor island.  When we returned, we ended up facing a 14 day quarantine for making the choice to leave the island.

I knew that I was taking the chance that this would happen. Yet, it was more important for me to have my child by my side and not risk being barred from seeing him as a result of new travel regulations due to the COV-19 crisis.

I understand the effort to keep the people of Hawaii safe during this pandemic, but it’s odd to live in such a beautiful place and not be able to enjoy what it has to offer. 

I then remember it’s all about mindset. In Ephesians 4:23, the bible says to “be renewed In the spirit of your minds.” As much as I try to do this regularly, sometimes I need a reminder and today was one of those days. I really believe that God speaks to us through different methods and today he did through my mother. I was sitting having my coffee and I got a text from my mom with this beautiful rendition of the song “It is Well.” It’s performed by a virtual choir and recorded on their phones.

As much as I’m bothered by not being able to socialize and enjoy my friends (and FYI I’m an introvert so that says alot), I find it inspiring how people manage to renew their minds and make the best of this quarantine. It is really showcasing the power of creativity. I find this very encouraging and it gives me the hope that beautiful things will emerge out of these dark times. So, make the choice to renew your mind daily and know that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).