HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC? | PHIL MANN
How do we respond to the coronavirus pandemic? We are living through uncertain times that I have certainly never seen before. Everyone is trying to work out how they respond to COVID-19 and what this might mean for their immediate and long term futures. The situation is changing so quickly that it is hard to keep on top of everything but here are some of my thoughts that might adapt as the situation changes.
1] IT’S OK TO BE AFRAID. For some of us, what is going on around the world will be creating a lot of fear. Perhaps you have a fear of the illness itself (although for most of us, catching the virus will be no worse than a common cold and you might not even know you have had it!)? Perhaps you’re one of those who have underlying health issues, or you are over 70 years old, or you are pregnant and for you the virus might be far more serious? You might be fearful for loved ones and what the virus might mean for them. For others, the idea of social isolation is truly terrifying and the impact of people socially distancing themselves could have a huge financial or economic impact on your life. It is absolutely fine to name the fact that you might feel scared.
The challenge is what we do with these emotions and how we choose to react to them. When I read through the Psalms, I see King David pouring out his emotions and feelings to God. At times he just seems to lift the lid and go at God with what he is thinking and feeling. Psalm 13:1-2 is a great example:
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?”
God is big enough to hear our complaints and our emotions. If you are feeling scared, take those emotions to God and pray, pray, pray! Tell Him how you feel and, as you pour out your heart, God will be able to pour Himself into you. Speaking as a Dad, I know that when one of my girls just cries at me it is so frustrating as I don’t know what the problem is but when they tell me what is wrong, I can actually do something to help them. Your heavenly Father wants to hear what’s wrong so that He can help you!
2] LET’S NOT LIVE OUT OF FEAR. Having said that it is ok to be afraid, we are called not to live out of this fear. Fear cannot be the driving factor in how we respond.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
I think there are some practical things that can help us with this and things that we can to do to help others:
Only get advice from official reputable sources and choose what you allow to fill your minds. If you are allowing your Twitter feed to shape your responses then you could be in trouble. Get official advice from Public Health websites and try to follow the Government's instructions
Think about what you put out on social media. We can choose to add fuel to fear or dampen it. Let’s be kind and responsible, let’s not make light of things and please be gentle with how others might be feeling at this point. I also don’t think criticising leaders who are trying their best to navigate us through this situation helps anyone. Let’s choose to be gracious, grateful and generous at all times
Please don’t panic buy! When those who have the ability to hoard things do so, the vulnerable in society suffer. There is plenty to go round so let’s make sure people have access to that. The early church in Acts 2, “shared everything they had.” They even went as far as “selling their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.”
3] LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR… We have an incredible opportunity to actually and practically love our neighbours at this point in time. Sometimes we can get into all sorts of theological tangles about who is my neighbour and what does this actually mean but let's take the opportunity to take this verse at face value and practically love the people who live next to us. This could be your uni halls, on your street or in your block of flats. I have three immediate ideas of what this might look like:
Wash your hands - it seems so simple and so obvious, but washing your hands could help protect others. Please keep high standards of good hygiene at all times
Jesus “washed people’s feet.” Don’t worry, I am not asking you to do that, but Jesus did it to set us an example of how we can serve others. Find ways to serve your neighbours. If you are healthy and able, drop a note through their door, offer to go shopping for them, find ways to practically serve them
If you are able, shop local and shop independent. There is a great level of fear within the small local businesses. They are the ones whose livelihoods depend on a regular income which could dry up in the coming weeks. Let’s love our neighbour who runs a little independent shop by shopping with them if we can
4] ...AS YOURSELF. We must take care of ourselves in the midst of all this. We must work on taking care of our own mental wellbeing so can I suggest:
Stay connected as much as you can. We are blessed with incredible technology that allows us to video call and message people all over the world. Use this opportunity to stay connected with as many people as you can. Even the introverts who are loving the idea of some self-isolation time will need to be in contact with other humans at some point. Make the effort to call and to look out for others
Stay healthy. Experts tell us that eating well, sleeping well and exercising are all crucial to maintaining your mental wellbeing. Try to keep to a healthy sleep routine with a regular bedtime and waking up time. Make sure you don’t binge-eat but maintain a nutritious diet and get out when and where you can. Sure, the gym might not be possible but we can go for walks, runs or bike rides where possible. We have the beautiful Peak District on our doorstep so go exploring
5] BUT IT ALL STARTS WITH “LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” I hear so often from those who I have the privilege of pastoring that “I don’t have time to read my Bible or to pray, life is just too busy.” Well, for a lot of us that is about to or already has changed. We are being given the gift of time and a different pace of life. Please don’t just miss that gift by binge watching Netflix (other streaming platforms are available)! There is nothing wrong with catching up on the odd box set and enjoying a slower pace of life, but let’s take the opportunity to grow in love with Jesus. We can use this moment to build new rhythms of spiritual disciplines and a simple and great way to start is to read Scripture (I suggest starting in one of the gospels and reading all about Jesus) and to pray! There is so much to be praying for right now so let’s cry out in prayer for our world, for our leaders, for those who are afraid or ill and for our health professionals who are on the front line protecting and looking after us all.
Imagine if we came out of this season stronger, healthier, more generous and kind, and more ready to share the love of Jesus with a world that so desperately needs it!
