Photo by Dallin
1) A call to faith: I put this first because it is most important. You can believe in God way more than you can believe in your president or your doctor or your instinct for self-preservation. Listen to a few promises: God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) The Lord Himself goes before and will be with you; He will never leave You nor forsake You. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8) No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) He has us covered. We don’t have to rely on earthly precautions (not that we shouldn’t use them!). This is what practicing faith means: I trust You for this situation, Lord, and for my well-being. I trust You for my loved ones. Show me how to help.
A practical response: My wife used to tell our kids a story about a man who was sitting on his roof, trapped by a flood. A guy in a boat came by, offering to take him to dry land. “No thanks,” he said, “I’m trusting God.” Next came a helicopter, throwing down a rope ladder. Same answer. The man drowned. In heaven, he accosted God. “I put my faith in You, and what good did it do me?” God replied, “I sent you a boat and a helicopter—what else could I do?” Faith does not say “Don’t sweat it”—faith says “Respond.” Like old James said, faith without works is dead.
2) An opportunity to love our neighbor: As I’ve said before, everyone is your neighbor. You might think of your neighbor as the homeless guy on the street corner (he is)—but he/she is also your spouse. Families have to draw together in time of crisis. We have to take care of one another. Then we need to look outward—for opportunities to do good for others. Just expanding the circle of people you check up on is loving your neighbor.
A practical response: One obvious irony in the time of COVID is that a major way of loving your neighbor is to avoid human contact. We have to take seriously our responsibility not to spread the virus. We can still reach out—check up on those we know are alone…pay attention to the Neighborhood Watches on our social media…write a check…share our toilet paper!—but we also have to follow public health guidelines.
3) A chance to unite our world: This is not a national issue—all over the planet, people get this virus. We want them to recover from it, and we want to prevent its spread. WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL—let’s figure it out together. A prognostication: if we can show a degree of cooperation in combatting the virus, think of what that could mean for climate change, human rights, etc.
A practical response: We have to be judicious in what we watch and say and share on social media. We have to bury the political hatchet—this is no time for finger-pointing. Cooperation and the sharing of information have to be our priorities. If you go to worldometers.info, you can track the spread of the virus throughout the world.
4) A time to strengthen the family: If you are taking it seriously, you are staying in close quarters with a select few (your family) most of the time. God has been stressing this to me—the challenge to be a loving person begins at home. You can’t fake love…you have to choose it. I know that our electronic devices open a gateway to the whole world—but let’s not forget human contact. If the corona virus somehow rearranges your life to spend more time with your family, please see that as a benefit.
A practical response: The best thing about electronics is the access it gives us to one another across the planet. I spoke with my sister Diana, who lives in Spain, this morning. They are beginning their second week of mandatory quarantine. I gave her a series to watch—she gave me a book to read. I have a bunch of family in the Seattle area—it is both comforting and scary to read their messages. Karen and I have been trying to self-quarantine, but we chose to go and have dinner with Zack and Kallie and the girls. Family comes first.
5) An invitation to draw nearer to God: Because that is what it is, most of all. Not that He is perverse and has created an awful scenario to bring us to our knees. He is constantly continuously creatively beckoning to us—we just become a little more receptive when we are going through hard times. But what a comfort! If the corona virus opens your heart to God, the response has to be gratitude.
A practical response: Like my pastor says, it’s prayer time, it’s prayer time, it’s prayer time.
The only way the corona virus can be a positive is if we focus on making it a positive. For all the reasons listed above, this is a time that calls for a response. We have to decide we will make the world a better place. In a time of global distress, the opportunities to help others are limitless, whether you are isolated in a room or serving on the front lines. Instead of riding it out, we have to make a difference. Let this time of crisis draw us closer together rather than driving us farther apart
Keep writing Dallin — I enjoy the mental challenges of some of your stories. as a Catholic (lapsed But still having the guilt) I am faithful. In talking to other Catholics I have learned we are never taught to open The Bible or encouraged to read it. So I am always a little embarrassed by that and by my laziness! A family member my Mom’s age ( Den’s sister-in-law) always had her Bible and I noticed all kinds of writings in the margins in different colors. I asked her about it — she was always rereading her Bible and “ at different stages in my life with added wisdom my interpretations were different” Before her I never knew anyone who “read” the Bible — I was gifted my very own Bible by my hubby for my bday! I struggle reading it — but I’m a work in progress! Well this was a ramble! Stay healthy and as always a warm hi to Karen!