What Covid-19 Revealed in Us

Disclaimer: I DO believe Covid-19 is real. We have lost loved ones to it. My entire family had it and I am still struggling with loss of smell and hearing loss. Every autoimmune condition I have has flared since having Covid-19. I do not for one instant doubt that it is real or that people have lost their lives to it.

We are approximately 535 days into “15 Days to Flatten the Curve.”

Most Americans were agreeable to stay home, “social distance,” wear masks, and wash their hands. Initially, we could only guess the effects of a novel coronavirus on our population. So, we did all the things, and we waited.

We waited for daily news conferences that gave the latest details about symptoms, infection numbers, and deaths. We visited our state’s department of health site (sometimes hourly) to see the sickly greenish yellow areas light up on the map as case after case and death after death were updated.

We were scared. None of us have ever lived through anything like this before.

*Some of us know at least one person who has had Covid-19. Most of us know many people.

*Some of us have had it, recovered, and still have lingering side effects.

*Some of us had it and were asymptomatic.

*Some of us never contracted Covid-19 and have been vaccinated.

*Some of us have recovered AND been vaccinated.

*Some of us have recovered and have chosen not to be vaccinated.

*Countless people lost loved ones to Covid-19.

There has not been a single person who has not been affected by Covid-19 in some way, shape, or form. It has touched each and every life. It has been no respecter of persons: male, female, young, old, healthy, unhealthy. We will never forget this time in our lives.

Right now, social media is very loud.

People debate mask-wearing versus non-mask-wearing. They argue over vaccinating versus non-vaccinating. They share videos and memes with information regarding treatments and medical opinions. And, more likely than not, the information is inconsistent at best. One group gives data and statistics to back up their claims, and the other side presents their evidence and it is exactly the opposite.

Because of the stress we have lived with for the last nearly 18 months, fuses are short. Generally pleasant people are no longer pleasant. They have become rabid in their attempts to win people over to support their opinions based on all the news they have binged.

We can no longer reason with each other because something so much bigger is at play here.

The biggest thing Covid-19 has revealed in us is FEAR.

We are afraid and when people are afraid, they are not rational.

People are dividing themselves into “us” and “them.”

FEAR is a divider.

But it’s not just fear of Covid-19, it is a fear of dying.

I’ve heard it said, “Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.”

Isn’t that the truth?

Even Christians, WHO HAVE THE HOPE OF CHRIST, have become some of the most fearful, judgmental, and hateful people during the duration of this pandemic. Instead of holding fast to the hope we have in Christ, we too, have fallen victim to this pandemic of fear.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it should not be so!

We have a hope and a faith in the One who has overcome death and the grave!

In Christ, we have the promise of eternal life. What more could anyone ever want?

We had a spiritual mentor many years ago who told us when facing illness, his response was, “God will heal me here on earth below, or off to Heaven I will go.” And isn’t that the way we all should be living?

***Christians, look UP.***

“God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NASB)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NASB)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

We’ve been living with a spirit of fear for nearly a year and a half. But, that spirit of fear is NOT of God.

God has commanded us to be strong and courageous. And the only reason we can do that is because of HIM.

He will not leave us.

He IS our strength.

Christians, stop fighting.

Start looking up.

It’s time to shake off the chains of fear and move forward.

And if you are not a Christian, please reach out to someone you trust who can tell you how you can become one.