Reflections on Faith &
Life for the Years of Winter
I “went” to church in
Bloomington, IL last Sunday, even though I was in Bloomington, IN. Well, that
was one of the places I worshipped. What with “streaming,” and the miracle of
time zones, one can be a lot of places in a short span of time.
Jennie Edwards Bertrand,
the pastor at Hope Church in the IL Bloomington, referenced something I wrote
about social-distancing, and in trying to explain my credentials noted that I
am, myself, in the highly vulnerable category for Covid19.
That’s always such a shock
to me, to learn that I am no longer one of the cool, healthy young people. Being
on the end of the vulnerability spectrum got me to thinking: How can an old
person, someone who is vulnerable himherself, be helpful in this Corona virus
crisis? We are not just vulnerable victims. We can be part of the solution. We
really need to do our part to help. Here’s how:
1.] STAY HEALTHY. In all
ways. Yes, make sure you do all that is necessary to avoid the virus—washing
hands, disinfecting, wiping down, staying home--but don’t get sick at all.
I realize we don’t have total control of that, but we have quite a bit. The
less we require of the medical system—in doctors, nurses, facilities, supplies,
etc—the more doctors and nurses and beds and supplies are available for people
who do get infected with the virus. First, stay healthy.
2] BE FRUGAL. Don’t waste
stuff. If we waste food and other supplies, someone has to bring those things
to us, replace them for us, and those delivery people—family or friends or
store employees--get exposed in the process. Make do. Use work-arounds.
3] STAY HOME. They call it
“self-quarantining” these days. This is mostly a follow-up on # 1, but it’s
worth a category by itself. If we just stay home, we are putting less pressure
on ourselves and everybody else.
We
are fortunate to live in an age that is remarkably adapted for staying home. Read
on Kindle, do virtual museum tours on line, use Netflix and streaming for entertainment,
Skype with family and friends, listen to music via YouTube and iPads and CDs.
There are DVDs for movies. You get the idea. It’s not all that boring to stay
home.
You
don’t have to keep standing appointments. Yes, I know that you get your hair
done every week or every month at the same time and you’ll look like a shaggy
dog unless you do, but looking nice in your coffin is not really necessary.
Besides, shaggy dogs are cute.
4] DON’T USE THE MEDICAL SYSTEM
IN PERSON [unless you have to]. We can access our doctor in a Skype kind of
way. We’ve never done it, but she gave us an instruction thing that tells us
how, and we know how to read. Meeting her electronically keeps us out of places
where viruses congregate and keeps her clear, too. She can even look at the
gash on your head electronically and say, “No, I don’t think your wife did that
accidentally while you slept.” Anytime you can keep in touch without
touching, do it. And don’t be a hypochondriac.
5] SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE.
Yes, we are mostly on the receiving end at a time like this, but if you have
extra toilet paper or hand sanitizer or large print books or cat food, share it
with a neighbor. Just leave it on the doorstep. [Unless it’s toilet paper and
it’s raining… Oh, that’s a good song title, “Toilet Paper in the Rain…”] It
will save someone having to get out into the virosphere to deliver.
6] "BE AS WISE AS SERPENTS AND GENTLE AS DOVES" Mt 10:16. DON’T FALL FOR SCAMS. There
is no magic potion or chrome snifter or anything else that will hold off or
cure the Corona virus, regardless of what someone on TV or on the telephone
tells you. The old warning is accurate: if it’s too good to be true, it’s neither
good nor true.
Scam
artists believe that old people are stupid and easy to manipulate. Don’t let
them prove it. Hang up. Turn ‘em off.
“The
devil is a fraud and a con man.” God is not. Christ will go through this with
us, but he won’t charge anything.
7] “PRAISE THE LORD &
PASS THE AMMUNITION.” Pray. But don’t stop there. Prayer is not the only tool
God gives us in this world. Jesus said we are to love God “with all your heart
and soul and strength and mind.” [The Jesus quadrilateral. Luke 10:27]
Recently
I saw a post that said, “Pray like Jesus but wash your hands like Pilate.” Good
advice, except Pilate probably didn’t hum “Jesus Loves Me,” to time his
washing, the way I do. [“Vulnerable old people to him belong, they are weak but
he is strong.”]
Be well! And may the peace
of Christ, and the piece of soap, be with you.
John Robert McFarland
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