The COVID-19 virus has taken over
our lives. Social media and regular
media alike are saturated with non-stop stories and posts allegedly designed to
keep us well-informed; but I think these outlets are fueling fear and panic
more than disseminating information. The
only good thing I can gain from this is that I haven’t seen any stories or
posts on politics or the 2020 election recently, and for that I’m very
thankful! But does this current
situation HAVE to take over our lives?
While it is inconvenient and annoying for all of us, shouldn’t we as Christians approach
something like this in a different way?
My mother quietly turned 90 years
old this past week, and making preparations for an upcoming family party to
celebrate her longevity has helped me to look at things with different
eyes. There’s a reason the Bible tells
us to respect our elders and seek wisdom from them. When I look at all that she has seen and
heard in 90 years of life, I am filled with awe at how resilient humans can
actually be.
Born just a few months after the
1929 stock market crash, the first ten years of her life were permeated by the
Great Depression – and then there was a long world war. All of her formative years were spent seeing poverty around her, shortages for everyone, government rationing (during the war),
and lowered expectations of what we
all deserve. As a result, my Mom is
probably the most frugal person I know (except for maybe my Dad before he
died). The culture of her childhood was
much quicker to share with neighbors and help others – because everyone
was in
the same boat together.
Not so in the 21st
century. Although King Solomon (the
wisest man who ever lived) told us that “there
is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes
1:9), we seem to think we are currently in an unprecedented situation that
we somehow must seek to control for our own benefit. So it doesn’t matter if my neighbor has
enough toilet paper or food to eat; all that matters is that my family has enough to last until the
end of time. But Christians should be
different. We shouldn’t be giving in to
fear and panic like everyone else.
Why? Because we have been told not to cling to
this life (Luke 17:33), but to see
it merely as a stepping stone to eternity with God. The only purpose of our life on earth is to
grow more Christlike and bring glory to God – thus preparing us for the eternal
life we were created for. This
life is NOT the point! In times
of crisis, it is important for us to remember this and model this for
others. If we fully trust only in God – who alone is certain and
unchangeable, we will understand that whatever
happens to us in this life is within his sovereignty and designed for our best
– no matter how painful it might be from a human standpoint. If COVID-19 is contracted by me or someone I
love – even if it brings death to our family – God loves me and knows what he’s
doing! I am not more important than anyone else.
When I think about the positive
things we Christians can be doing during this crisis, I don’t have to look any
further than at Jesus’ example. We think
we are “suffering” right now; but imagine what it was like for the fully divine
ruler of the universe to make his dwelling place on earth (John 1:14). Every moment of
Jesus’ life, his experiences were totally “other” than what he was accustomed
to. If you think it’s difficult to deal
with some of the people you know, imagine what it was like for Jesus!
Yet his example for us was to love everyone, have compassion on them when they were off-base, pray for them, and sacrifice his own rights for the sake of others. Prayer should be first and foremost – it is
one of the few things we can do consistently from the isolation of our homes. But let’s make sure we aren’t using our
prayer time to further our own self-interests by asking God to keep us and everyone
we love safe and protected. While Jesus
told God exactly how he felt about his upcoming suffering and death, he quickly
submitted his will to God’s will in
regards to his own problems and devoted most of his prayer time in the garden
to lifting up others, including us. Are
we praying for the families who have lost someone during this crisis? Are we praying for the isolated and confused
elderly who can no longer be visited by their family members? Are we praying for people to be open to hear
the gospel and for changed lives during this difficult time? The list could go on.
Most people in our society are
responding to COVID-19 in self-protective ways and trying to get whatever they
think they deserve – at the store,
from their employers, from the government, etc.
But as Christians we know that none of us actually deserves anything but suffering and death. By God’s grace, we have all been shown mercy
and given a way to eternal freedom. Does my response during this worldwide
crisis lead others to the truth, or do I look just like everyone else?
