On our way home yesterday, I decided to swing through a drive-thru. We rarely go out to eat, so it is a very special treat for my kiddos. We were set to get home later than normal, so I thought it would be nice if I did not have to make lunch when we got home.
My 3 and 5 year old were in the backseat begging me to go in and eat instead of doing the drive-thru. Although that may have been fun, the only reason we were getting fast food was because I wanted to save time. Eating in would have caused a potential nap disruption -(Gotta protect that nap time at all costs!). I carefully explained to my little two that we needed to get home for nap.
If you have ever tried to reason with a 3 year old, then you know that one answer will just evoke more questions. None of my reasons were satisfactory. In an attempt to stop their endless requests to eat in, I said, “We aren’t going to go in because there are germs.”
Apparently, I have coronavirus on the brain.
So as we are sitting in the drive-thru line, my 3 year old sees a man walking into the restaurant and sounds the alarm, “That man is going to get germs!!”
Ahhh ha ha ha! I’m glad it is still cold outside, so our windows were securely shut, and we did not embarrass the sweet gentleman who was destined to get germs. Something about her sweet concern for a stranger warmed my heart.
I have seen a lot of flippant opinions thrown out on social media as we all try to wrap our minds around the coronavirus situation. This is something we have never experienced before. This is new territory for us all. There have been other health scares but never a world-wide pandemic, at this magnitude, in our lifetimes. We are walking in unchartered territory, yet there are already so many critics.
Only after we are on the other side of this, will we be able to see and evaluate clearly – and learn for next time.
In the mean time, I can not see how it is helpful to criticize. Is it because some of us are hoping for the “I told you so,” at the end of the story? We are right in the middle of this piece of history. Should we really judge the whole story before we know how it ends? The people who have the power to make community-wide decisions are doing the best they can with the information they have. Will they get it all right? (Wouldn’t it be great if they did?) If (when) they get it wrong, then we will learn from this. Let’s not forget our shared humanity.
Like our leaders, we are daily making the best decisions we can with the information we have (washing our hands, deciding when and where to go and with whom, deciding how much toilet paper we should really buy, etc.). Our choices are just as important (maybe even more so) as the decisions from our leaders. Will we consider how our neighbor is doing? Will we do what we can to ease the burden of others? Will we allow ourselves a little discomfort and disruption if it has the potential to help others?
I am not afraid of getting the virus. I really am not. I am a relatively young, healthy person, so I hear that my risk is low. But that is not the source of my courage. I feel brave because I still believe in the goodness of God. Whenever I am faced with something scary, I have learned to take a step back and remember that I can trust God. He will never leave me, no matter what I may face.
I also believe so much good can come from this tough time.
One of the reasons I love winter, particularly for the snow days, is that I appreciate being forced to lay low. I appreciate having a forced disruption to the daily grind because I am not likely to make the choice on my own. Life keeps moving forward and we tend to get swept away with it unless something forces us to pause.
The coronavirus is forcing us to pause. This virus is forcing us to do things a little different. It will inevitably force us to look from a different vantage point, and when we get a different view, great things can happen.
We have an opportunity to come together as a community (figuratively, not so much in a physical sense). We have an opportunity to look at things a little different – maybe gaining greater insight and understanding into the lives of one another. We will have an opportunity to slow down and give more time to people and less time to chasing the next buck, adventure, possession, etc.
We also get to do a little cleaning at home. Again, I am talking about the figurative, but also maybe the literal as well. (I am hoping my house comes out a lot cleaner after all this.). We can ask ourselves questions like:
What was my initial response to the news of the coronavirus? What percentage of my response was rooted in fear? In trust? In pride?
What is my attitude toward schools closing and travel restrictions and all the disruption? Am I viewing this situation through the lens of heaven? Would I be happier if my attitude is tweaked?
The good news is that, not only does God promise to work all things for good (Romans 8:28), but He is always at work in our lives helping us to become more like Him.
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” ~Hebrews 13:20-21
Let’s do the cleaning. Let’s pray for those with whom we share this planet. Let’s take this opportunity to slow down and invest in what is most important.
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