For many of us, the Covid-19 lockdown has presented many frustrations, challenges and stress.

Fliss Tunnard, a United Reformed Church Related Community Work (CRCW) student, reflects on the highs and lows of organising her wedding during the pandemic and how her faith and verse Philippians 4:6-7 helped her navigate these difficult times to find joy in the simple things in life. 

Last year, as I watched many of my close friends get married, I looked forward to the day when it would be my turn, my time to have a big celebration with all my nearest and dearest.

As lockdown struck, my fiancé and I both suddenly realised that our wedding, the wedding we had been planning for and saving for throughout the last two years might not be the exact day that we had hoped for. I’ll confess to you all, I had become carried away with the idea of the big wedding, agonising over tiny details and worrying about the aesthetics of it all.

At one point I even seriously enquired about fireworks! I mean, who do we think we are, Harry and Megan?

But, what lockdown actually did is that it forced my fiancé and I to spend unimaginable amounts of time together. Our whole pace of life slowed down. We had days and weeks of quality time, the likes of which we’ll probably never have again. We planned our meals together, headed off on our weekly shop as if it was an exciting night out, had chats on our lunch break, danced around the house and went for walks, mostly to feed the horses that we discovered in a field round the corner. It was brilliant.

I moved through a process of being anxious about everything to simply trusting in God and his plans for our lives. I love this verse from Philippians. It’s one of my favourites and I find it so comforting.

I believe Paul wants us to have God’s joy in every situation; not just so that we will be happy people, but so that we can be effective witnesses of Jesus. Our worries turn to anxiety when we lack faith in God’s role as our Sovereign Lord and provider, and when we put ourselves at the centre instead of God’s kingdom and righteousness …

Read the rest of Fliss’ reflection here.

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_{Published: 24 August 2020}