Crisis or Opportunity? Lessons From COVID-19 and Beyond

In Chinese, the word for crisis (危机) is famously said to also mean opportunity. Is that linguistically accurate? Eh, not really—but let’s not ruin a perfectly good motivational quote with facts. Because in life, it does feel true: every crisis brings with it a hidden opportunity.

Take Covid-19 for instance. Some people saw only lockdowns, masks, and hand sanitizer shortages. Others saw opportunities—Zoom exploded, online delivery boomed, even politicians discovered new ways to look heroic (or clueless) on live TV. The world learned that toilet paper could be worth more than gold in the right circumstances.

For me, every crisis I’ve faced has been a turning point—an invitation to shift, rethink, or just stop eating free office snacks like it was my last supper.

So here’s the big question: what opportunities did Covid-19 bring us?

• For some, it was time with family (and a reminder why family WhatsApp groups should have a mute button).

• For others, it was the chance to start side hustles, TikTok empires, or the noble art of baking sourdough.

• And for many, it was the first time they seriously asked: “What if there is a God—and what does He want from me?”

Remember that old saying: “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” When we hit the wall, it might be the perfect moment to finally look up.

The Bible tells us Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days before his answer came. Okay, but let’s keep it real—haven’t you also prayed, fasted, or at least begged for Wi-Fi to come back? Didn’t you sometimes get answers? Even if it wasn’t from heaven, at least from Safaricom or Airtel?

Now imagine this: what if, instead of endlessly scrolling, we used moments of crisis—pandemics, inflation, wars, or just daily stress—to actually pray? Not fancy, long-winded prayers, but simple ones. Honest ones. The kind that says: “God, I’m lost. Show me the way.”

Scientists will keep researching, leaders will keep making decisions, and yes, presidents will keep campaigning like it’s a sport. But you and I? We can actually add something to the equation—a cry to God.

Here’s the funny part: with over 400 religions on earth, it might mean 400 different prayers being shouted upwards. Who knows which one gets picked up first? Hopefully, we don’t find out that the right one was prayer #399.

But maybe, just maybe, the whole setup is intentional. That crisis—be it Covid-19, personal failure, or global chaos—is just an opportunity disguised as disaster. An invitation to turn, reflect, and connect.

Because when the president goes, the markets collapse, or the world shuts down, one thing remains: the chance to seek God. And maybe, that’s the only opportunity that never expires.

Let’s just pause and ponder this for a second. Since we have more religious people on earth than non-religious, what did they honestly think their Creator was doing when COVID hit us?

Do you think He sat back, crossed His arms, and said, “Good luck, mortals. Don’t forget to wash your hands”? Do you think He was ignorant of what was happening? Or maybe—just maybe—He was trying to show us something bigger.

Think about it: the whole world was on lockdown. Planes grounded. Nightclubs empty. Even your nosy neighbor couldn’t come to gossip because movement was restricted. Suddenly, families were forced to sit together at the same dining table (some for the first time in years). Nature started healing itself while humans stayed indoors—oceans got clearer, animals roamed streets, and the air quality improved.

So maybe the “opportunity” inside the “crisis” was not just about business, politics, or survival. Maybe it was God’s way of reminding us: You’re not in control. You’re fragile. And you need to rethink your priorities.

 

 

 💡 By the Way

Most of my recent work now lives at The Skywatcher’s Journal. Come join me there as well. In the meantime, circle back here for updates on this old blog—I’ve come to realize that sometimes, old is gold.

🎥 Oh, and if you enjoy video storytelling, check out my YouTube channel too 

How Much Suffering Before We Seek God?

How much suffering did man have to undergo before the whole of humanity decided to seek God out and let Him take charge? That was one query the Supreme Being might have been asking His minders often—if He exists, of course.

He introduced recessions, and we bounced back. He introduced AIDS and cancer, and we still kind of bounced back. Then He brought Covid-19, and the jury was still out on that one. Each time we survived, but never stopped to ask the harder question: Does God exist, and if so, why does He allow suffering?

We clearly couldn’t solve our own problems. Even after the world had been made a small village—courtesy of the Supreme Being, perhaps—we still couldn’t see beyond our egos, pride, cultural and religious affiliations. While Covid-19 ravaged the world, nations were more concerned with shipping back their citizens from troubled spots. Ironically, that very flight mentality is what helped import the virus to many countries. If God controls everything, was this another reminder of our weakness?

So, at what level would the world get desperate enough to seek the Supreme Being, in whatever religion or form He exists? That was, and still is, the big question in the Maker’s Abode.

Perhaps our Creator really wants us to launch a fact-finding mission. He may have wanted us to put everything on the table and devise a true test of finding God. We had done countless lab experiments on animals and plants, made startling discoveries in medicine and technology, but never once tested who was worshiping the right God. If we are so obsessed with proof of God, maybe calamities are His way of flipping the question back on us.

It would have been easier to answer is God real if only one person existed on earth. That lonely soul would eventually cry out to something higher, simply out of desperation. But with six and a half billion people, spread across diverse religions, sects, and belief systems—it may take nothing short of a miracle. And our Creator surely knows that too well.

Man is strange. He fools the chicken into thinking he has its best interests at heart, while planning dinner. The chicken might also be fooling something else, which in turn might be fooling its own prey. But who said the cycle started with man? Maybe man himself is the one being fooled. Why not? Think about it.

These calamities we face—recessions, cancer, plagues, climate change—might just be tools our Creator uses to reconnect us with Him. Yet every preacher and prophet of doom claimed they saw Covid-19 coming. What was it meant to solve? What have we learned? Most people were simply trying to stay alive. Until the next disaster comes, whether another pandemic or a global heatwave, will we finally decide to take desperate, meaningful measures to seek the truth?

So let’s cut to the chase. Is God there? Yes or no. And more importantly—does God exist in a way we can truly find Him? The answer might not be in books, grenades, or guns. But there is a way.

Watch this space.

We better cut to the chase? Is God there? Yes or no! Heck is there a way for  to find out.  Yes there is . Watch this Space!

 

 💡 By the Way....

Most of my recent work now lives at The Skywatcher’s Journal. Come join me there as well. In the meantime, circle back here for updates on this old blog—I’ve come to realize that sometimes, old is gold.

🎥 Oh, and if you enjoy video storytelling, check out my YouTube channel too