posture in the panic of pandemic
The world is in chaos - but you already knew that. To be completely honest, I think we often don’t realize the weight of things until we see them in our own universe, until they pop our own little comfort bubbles and force us into a new, exposed reality (another issue altogether). The Coronavirus has seemed a distant threat - at least to most of us bubbled Americans - until now, as the government issues a national emergency, gatherings are prohibited, businesses close, the stock market falls, and more. My Trader Joe’s line is around the block and my university has shut down classes until the foreseeable future. This is not at all how I envisioned my last semester of college, and I am actually pretty disappointed that I won’t get to finish out my education the way I’d hoped. It saddens me to think that the schooling I worked hard, paid, and prayed for may not even culminate in a graduation ceremony. There are worse things, I know, but we are all being hit in some wild ways. I did not expect an apocalypse at 22 years old.
So, what now? What can we do as we wait, as we feel stuck, as we get a little panicky at the grocery store and anytime we turn on the news? I have been thinking lately about how a large wave to a swimmer cultivates fear, but that same wave to a surfer produces joy. While this is perhaps the biggest wave some of us have seen in our lifetime, we can still choose to be surfers, looking to tribulation for the refining it’ll bring, instead of fearing it for the magnitude.
We cannot control circumstance, we cannot control adversity - but we can control our response. We can control our posture in the panic of pandemic. We can choose to be ministers of peace, cultivators of community, and broadcasters of encouragement as the world fills with everything but.
We know the social distancing, the isolating, the hand-washing is important, but I want to take a minute to talk about a few things regarding heart/mind posture -
1. Peace, in a time like this, is currency
There is a reason why we get under doorways in an earthquake, why we take shelter underground in a tornado - we want to be under what is secure when everything else is moving. In the same way, peace is what will buy us safety from this storm, it is what will counteract the chaos. And like currency, since it is precious and worth much, everyone wants it, few have a lot of it, and fewer are willing to give it away.
Jesus said that if you build your house on the rock, it will stand the storm or high water (Matt 7:24-27). THIS is the storm He was talking about. If you have done the work to build your house on solid ground, now you get to live in it, and operate out of that place. You get to be a giver of peace as well as a beneficiary. Stand firm, and invite people to stay a while. If you do not yet know this Jesus guy, His peace is accessible to you too, all you have to do is accept Him.
2. Feeling stuck is an opportunity for stillness
I hate being cooped up, I hate having nothing to do, I function best with a full schedule. And while I think the quarantine idea is smart, it makes me, and probably a lot of us, feel stuck. But sometimes when it feels like we are stuck, it is really an opportunity for us to be still. God does a lot in the stillness, and there are certain things that cannot be worked out unless we quiet down our minds and bodies enough to do so.
Take this as an opportunity to do and deal with what you’ve needed to, but never had the time for. Take the space to learn the language you’ve been wanting to, the instrument, the recipe. Send encouraging messages, write letters, make calls, pray and read and mediate. Also, while this may be a time to rest, it is also a time to rally. Get things done, set and follow through on goals. Do it in the time you have.
What have you been running right past in the race that you can only see when the pace is slowed?
3. If love is what casts out fear - then judging how others are handling things will not cast out anxiety
As tensions run high, and it gets easier to snap at people, remember that quelling fear takes love, not judgement or shame or anger. Only love. While it may be tempting to lash out at someone with a full shopping cart, and while we absolutely should be considerate of who may need more than others right now, we do not know the reality of everyone’s situation. You have no idea who is stocking up to bring items to shelters, who has an immunocompromised child at home.
Take a breath, be loving to each other, and watch the fear melt away. This is what God is - one of such love that we feel so protected and do not have to fear. 1 John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”, so it will not be anything else that combats how we are all feeling.
4. Be the (clean) hands and feet
Here are some practical things you can do - besides washing your hands -
Ask your friends with kids if you can help with childcare if they have children whose schools have been canceled - this is a tricky time for families, and parents (working or not) need a break. Since we are socially-distancing, this may mean just being in the same house.
Offer to get groceries for your friends with weakened immune systems
See what you can do to help your overworked friends in the healthcare industry - bring dinner to your nurse/doctor friends, water their plants, etc. Care for them as they care for us.
Get your things from small businesses - if there are small shops/bodegas, grocery stores, try getting your goods from there. A lot of them will be doing pick up and deliveries - we all need food, why not try these places first?
Check in on/send encouragement to/offer housing to - friends who may be stuck here from international countries, friends who deal with anxiety, college students who may have been kicked out of housing, anyone who may be quarantined abroad right now.
Volunteer at homeless programs, donate to your favorite non profit - human rights issues have NOT ceased just because panic is inward. If anything, things like human trafficking are increasing because of the diverted attention - these things don’t rest.
If you’ve bought a concert or theater ticket recently and it’s been cancelled - consider donating the money and not asking for a refund if possible - things like this can hurt the arts industry.
Bring things to nursing homes/call to see what is needed at your local homes.
There is peace for you in this. I want you to be encouraged and not isolated at this time. I know it is hard. Practically, our @girlswhogather team is putting out content EVERY DAY for the next two weeks to help you stay connected and encouraged (both ladies and men are welcome to join in) we will have live content streaming and encouraging messages put out each day by our leaders. Follow what we are doing on Instagram to be looped in.
My home church is connecting people who can help and who need help. Find out more here - https://saddleback.com/coronaresponse.
I want to encourage you too! If you give me your name and info below I will send you an email or letter to encourage you! You are NOT alone, and I would love to be a part of lifting your spirits in this time. We will get through this, let’s help each other learn to surf.
