There is no question that the time in which we are living is marked by uncertainty and fear.

As I wrote this column at the end of March, we heard Gov. Tim Walz was adding additional weeks to his stay-at-home executive order. The coronavirus pandemic came on so quickly and has made such a devastating impact that it caught most of us unaware and ill-equipped to manage our day-to-day experiences.

Most of us have never seen such an upheaval or confusion in our lifetime. We may have heard stories of the Great Depression, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the day President Kennedy was assassinated, or perhaps we lived through the horrors of 9/11. The coronavirus pandemic certainly rises to the level of these catastrophes. As we are living through this time and experiencing it firsthand, we will have tales to share with grandchildren and great-grandchildren that will appear fabricated or fictitious.

Yet, we are also witnessing the kindness and generosity of health care workers and other service-oriented professionals who stepped up to the challenges presented by this lethal enemy and stared it down with their commitment to the common good. There’s a lesson here for marriage: What if each individual in a couple made the clear and unswerving decision to make their marriage the best it could possibly be, just as these professionals have done to protect us?

We would likely see happier, healthier adults, as well as stronger, more resilient families, if each individual of a couple embraced the commitment of his and her wedding vows. So often, we are referred to as a “disposable society.” We consume and we discard. When we get bored with something, we look for the next shiny object to distract or entertain us. However, Christian marriage was never intended to fit into this category. Rather, it was intended to provide lifelong, committed, adult growth for individuals of the marriage contract, and thus a stable environment for the children created through the union.

ACTION CHALLENGETake time to talk with your loved ones about the lessons you have learned from this difficult time. Decide to infuse moments of connection and creativity into your family routines, so that you continue to hold on to these lessons for many years.

As we faced the pandemic, we’ve all likely experienced moments of panic, depression, fear or disbelief. We may have felt we could not take one more day of isolation, and yet we were helpless to resolve the situation. We have had no choice but to live through it as best we could. We may have been surprised that our best was sorely lacking, and that we had few resources to address the dearth we encountered.

Today is a day for rejuvenation and recommitment to becoming the mentally and emotionally healthy adult we had hoped to become, and address misconceptions about the inner strength we thought we possessed, but found we did not.

If you have used this time to become closer to God and immerse yourself in his word, you may have found you have accepted the uncertainties. This is the essence of our faith: that God is with us in every moment of our lives, not just the contented times, but also the contentious ones.

This, too, is the message of the cross and the promise of the Resurrection. Jesus knew he would be resurrected following his death, and as he entered into his passion, he embraced it all as a moment to fully experience the presence of God the Father. Psalm 22 begins with the grieving expression “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” only to conclude with “And I will live for the Lord; my descendants will serve you. The generations to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.”

In a time of uncertainty, one thing is assured: God’s presence is with us. Let us look forward to the ways we will live our lives in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic and all it has taught us about living a good, healthy, adult life. Commit yourself today to never forget these lessons as you embrace each new day with gratitude and the commitment to be the best you can be today.

Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.