Earlier this week, I am embarrassed to tell you, I joined in the grocery store hysteria that has engulfed our nation since we became aware that the Coronavirus COVID-19 has entered our borders. Yes, folks, I was among the masses that purchased larger than usual quantities of groceries for my family. Am I happy about it? No, absolutely not. But, when Super Rockstar came home Wednesday evening–he shared all of the meetings he had been in all day long about how his company is preparing for and handling this quickly spreading health scare.
The reality sank in. As much as I didn’t want to purchase more than our weekly supply of groceries–I can’t pretend that things aren’t looking grim: businesses and schools closing, sporting and entertainment events are canceled, travelling restrictions have been implemented and now they are enforcing a limit on large gatherings. We honestly have no idea how far this will go and we agreed that toilet paper wasn’t going to be the only thing we couldn’t get our hands on if things didn’t calm down. I now have to play defense because of the mass hysteria that is sweeping our land and clearing our grocery store shelves.
I felt silly as I filled my cart with several weeks worth of meat and bottled water. I felt embarrassed as I did my weekly pick up and there were quadruple the number of items more than usual that I had to cram into my car. And it was a bit humiliating as I waited late at night in the back room next to the deli section with a few select others to get a–just arrived in–package of toilet paper. The need to purchase something as mundane, but necessary as toilet paper on the down low made me feel both ridiculous and bewildered at the same time.
This is the world we now live in. Fear is driving every decision we make. We all talk so boldly about how we’re “not worried about getting the virus” and how we think “the whole thing has been over hyped”. And yet, there we all were–buying more than our weekly need because we honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next.
So, what really is there left to do?
I’ll tell you what I’m going to do…. pray. There is only One who has any control in this situation. Our God is the only One that can stop this. He controls the wind and the rain. He makes sure the sun rises and sets every day. And yes, He is the God of this stupid, ridiculous virus. Did He command it to spread? I don’t know. All I know is that there isn’t enough hand sanitizer on this entire planet to clean what’s really dirty in me. We are living in a filthy world right now. Sin is being celebrated as good. Righteousness is being called bigotry and hatred. So, what do we do when a dirty little potentially deadly virus –so microscopically small you have to view it through intense magnetization–shows up and takes over our world? We panic.
Listen, I am not one that usually looks for or finds spiritual messages in every tiny little situation in my life. But, this one seemed too obvious to over look. I don’t know if this virus is some sort of judgement day, but it certainly has grabbed our attention, hasn’t it? We want to avoid it. We don’t want to come near it. We are doing whatever it takes to make sure it doesn’t spread another inch.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if we felt the same way about sin?
Look, it’s fine to prepare for situations and getting a few extra groceries is a wise action. But, mistreating others in the midst of all of this is pretty telling that some of us are afraid of A LOT more than getting sick or not having a full cupboard. This Sunday (tomorrow) our President has called for a National Day of Prayer. Since most all of our church buildings are forced to close (due to no large gatherings of more than 250 people), I encourage us all to take just a few minutes out of the day to pray. To ask God for help, to heal our nation (and all others) from this scare, and to calm us in our fears.
“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
And for crying out loud–for all you that have accumulated a warehouse full of toilet paper–could you PLEASE just spare a square?