Perfect Storm, Perfect Fear

If you had tried to design a scenario to frighten the most people for the longest period of time, I’m not sure you could have done any better than COVID-19. I’m not an epidemiologist, so I’ll spare you my own observations about where it originated or how it got here.

But now that it has become THE story of the year, and possibly the decade, we all must do some observing about what to do next.

Our church leaders, from the beginning, have encouraged everyone to follow the guidelines laid out for us by national, state, and local leaders. We have no reason to believe they were acting in bad faith, and in any case, it’s wrong to judge the past by the present. After all, we know much more about this virus than we did then.

At first, we were told to be wary of the disease spreading by our touching contaminated surfaces. Now, we understand that the virus doesn’t live long on an exposed surface, but what we believed caused us to disinfect every surface we touched. Well, that turns out to be good advice for many applications, since germs and bacteria of all sorts live on kitchen counters, for example. I’ve been carrying hand sanitizer in my pocket for years, so that’s not anything new.

Today, of course, we are aware that the virus is spread in person to person contact, and that is the reason for social distancing and masks. But this, too, is true of diseases from tuberculosis to the common cold. So the awareness of being too close to a diseased person is a good thing. We do want to avoid unnecessary illnesses.

But here is where it gets tricky. Apparently, unlike many illnesses that spread after symptoms appear, we are told that you may carry the disease without showing any symptoms, and pass it to others. While the jury is still out on how or how often that may happen, it implies that every single person you meet is a possible carrier, and that even after you tested “negative,” you could have picked up the virus that afternoon, and won’t know for certain for fourteen days.

No wonder people are confused. No wonder they are frightened. It is a perfect storm for perfect fear. Slowly, all of this will unwind. It already is unwinding, and the fog will lift. So don’t let the fear overtake you. This virus may baffle us and even the scientists. But God is not baffled, and is still on His Throne.

Jesus taught us to be “wise as serpents,” so please keep following the guidance of the wise. But He also taught us not to be afraid. He is a perfect shelter from this perfect storm.

“For I am the Lord your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, ‘Do not fear;
I will help you.'”
Isaiah 41:13


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