'I manage the Glo bookshop in Motherwell. It’s an independent Christian bookshop and part of a wider mission organisation.

'Before lockdown, bookshops had been struggling anyway. Because we own the building, we were insulated from some of the trials on the high street, where rents and rates have been going up. But we have been fighting for every penny.

'Then coronavirus hit. We took the view that we needed to close the bookshop and the coffee shop that we run. All the staff, including me, went on furlough for two months.

'We re-opened at the end of June. We know that the rest of the year will be a real struggle for us. We normally do a lot of external events and conferences during the autumn, which, by and large will disappear. We have to take it as it comes and ensure that people have a good experience when they come here. People are still nervous about coming out.

'A really significant and helpful text for me over these months has been Isaiah 49.8-9 which is about the restoration of Israel. It’s intensely emotional to read it. It had a context for the people of Israel, but also a context for people, like myself, in lockdown. It’s full of promises that I have been able to hold onto and trust.

'Right in the early days of lockdown, when we didn’t know how things would go, this kind of gave me a longer context to the whole thing, that meant I was able to draw breath and look to the future and know that God was still making these promises today. Now, as we recover the business, it makes me take the long view and look to the days ahead.'

Do you have a story to share? Email mybible@biblesociety.org.uk

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