Have you ever seen Facebook be such an encouraging place? Where has all of the political bashing, elitism, showing off and griping gone? Okay, so it’s still there in small doses, but much of it has been replaced by sweet stories and hilarious memes that take the edge off of the coronavirus.
In fact, this pandemic seems to have brought out a lot of the good in humanity. People have shifted some of their mentality from hoarding essential goods to wanting to help neighbors. We’ve realized that there are others who might need goods more than us or who would have a harder time getting them without putting themselves at risk.
It’s made us realize how many non-essential things we’ve all had in our lives, whether it’s kids’ activities, meetings or work clothes. We’ve become a lot more thankful for delivery drivers, grocery store employees, and folks in the medical community who risk their own safety to care for the rest of us.
Stay-at-home mandates haven’t been quite as traumatic as I would have thought (yet!). I always thought that our society and economy would go in the toilet if we had to be locked down like they did in China. But it turns out that this has been a great re-centering for many of us. The church has responded mostly well in the midst of this, finding ways to gather online, serve the community and be a place of hope.
At the same time, many of us (myself included) have had loved ones directly impacted by the virus. There are folks we just want to give a hug to that we can’t right now. Friends are hurting financially. Uncertainty abounds.
Will America really have somewhere between 100,000 – 240,000 deaths? And why don’t we get this upset or amazed when many more than this are killed every year from smoking, hunger and abortion? Can someone show us all where the line is between staying informed and being addicted to the news? We have thousands of questions and very few, if any, answers at this point.
Nonetheless I’ve been mostly encouraged by the phone calls I’ve had with many of you. Most folks are keeping level heads about their investments and are staying vigilant in their social distancing. Many of you have encouraged me personally with your faith, acts of love and generosity, and hope in God’s ability to use this for good. It’s been a delight to shepherd you through these times, and walk together in this journey during a time that no one has ever seen before.
My prayer is that this results in more than just the “good in humanity” coming out. The Bible tells us that our good deeds are like filthy rags to a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). Not that God is never pleased with us, but rather that we can never do enough to earn our way to heaven. Instead, God has provided the way to heaven through Jesus, who said that he “has come that [you] might have life, and life to the full” (John 10:10).
So my prayer and hope is that when our investments seem to be evaporating at times, when our income might dwindle, that we will cry out to the God of the universe. That He might use this for the good of humanity. We cannot love both God and Money, and while no one would claim to love Money, these are the times that reveal what we hold dear in our hearts. Thanks for allowing us to be a part of the journey with you.
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