It’s a warm, dazzling spring day. The birds are chirping, the forsythia is yellow and cheerful, and the sun is shining. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and I feel as though I’m walking through a magical fairytale land.

The surrounding beauty almost leads me to believe that nothing is wrong in the world, but on a day like today, that simply isn’t the case. The vacant parks and the uncertain glances shared by people as they pass by each other quickly, wearing safety masks or quietly holding their breath, remind me that this is no ordinary day in the park.

As COVID-19 begins to spread through our country, social distancing has quickly become our new normal. I used to smile and greet people that I walked past in the park, but now the presence of anyone else feels like a threat.

I celebrated my birthday with my family over Facetime and Facebook video chat. Weddings have been postponed, stores are closing, and employees are out of work or working from home. And it all happened in the blink of an eye. One minute, everything was normal and the next, our whole world got turned upside down.

It’s at times like these that our faith truly gets put to the test. Right now, the best thing to do is to follow social distancing guidelines and find ways to stay sane during this quarantine. Don’t forget to pray — pray for your health care workers, for the government officials that make all of the decisions, for all the essential workers who are out in the thick of things, and for our world in general.