Personal Lessons I Learned from COVID-19
For some of us, the hardest part of the COVID-19 lock-down has been the necessity to live with ourselves. It has driven us to places of personal introspection we did not necessarily want to go. However, I trust the time has not been wasted for me or any of us. Here are a few personal conclusions I have come to, some very elemental truths I have known but shunted aside prior to this quarantine period. Bear with this potpourri of thoughts. It may be excellent emotional therapy for you to make your own list.
1. A soft answer turns away wrath. In-the-midst of my frustration, I am tempted to lash out, rant, accuse and pontificate on social media platforms. It is so easy to attach myself to the negative, critical and judgmental rhetoric I read from other believers. I hope that I have learned, and will not forget, that the Gospel is ‘Good News’ and that I need to share this good news with optimism and excitement. An old adage says: “You will attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.” I hope I am a sweeter person because of COVID-19.
2. Freedom is an amazing blessing that I should not take for granted. With surprising rapidity, all the things I simply assumed were my rights were curtailed. For seven weeks, I have had just a little taste of what much of the world lives with all the time. Sir Winston Churchill stated in his indomitable way: “Democracy is the worst form of Government, except for all others.” I trust that I will never assume on my civil liberties again and will treasure them as never before, whilst being less arrogant in demanding my rights and much slower in complaining about my lot in life.
3. Material possessions should never become an ‘opiate’, distracting me from spiritual realities. All the money in the world has not been able to buy an ‘antidote’ for an unseen virus that strikes indiscriminately. Like most in my culture, I find that it is easy to become attached to the comfort of the accoutrements I collect. My life is cluttered. I need to pull Richard Foster’s book, “The Freedom of Simplicity” off my shelf at regular intervals and thoughtfully read it. I hope COVID-19 has re-taught me both the wisdom and the joy of living simply.
4. The pace of life sometimes deprives us of living. Frenzied activity can become the super-sonic jet that takes us to our early grave. For the first weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, I found myself on ‘rapid pace withdrawal.’ I felt somehow less because I couldn’t rush. Subtly, even though I preached against it, my self-estimation has become somewhat connected to the performance of my role. I hope that I have learned that Jesus is more interesting in ‘who I am’ than in ‘what I do.’ I hope that I can practice enjoying the country roads of life, rather than pelting flat out on the autobahns.
5. We have only today. The prophetic prognosticators preach bold messages concerning the future. Ministries are built into empires by preachers who separate people from their finances by frightening them about the future. Are these the end times? Signs seem to indicate that they are. Can we be sure? I think not and Jesus warned us against being arbitrary in our apocalyptic proclamations. This we do know for certain. Jesus warns us to live prepared always (see the parable of the 10 virgins – Matthew 25). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clearly articulated the need for us to live in the blessing and provision of today. I hope that I have grasped this truth in a tighter grip and I can live out my natural life here, one day at a time.
6. The Gospel is without chains. In 1949, Mao Zedung declared The Peoples’ Republic of China officially atheistic. There were approximately 4 million Christians in China at the time. Despite severe and inhumane persecution in the intervening years, it is now estimated by Open Doors USA that there are 97 million Believers. You can’t stop the power of the Gospel. In, mid-March 2020, doors on Churches were closed and locked around the world because of COVID-19. Pastor and Leaders went virtual. The result has been an estimated 40% increase in Church attendance globally. I hope that I can exit the COVID-crisis more convinced than ever that the Church simply cannot be stopped.
Al is an experienced pastor and counselor who works out of our ABNWT District Resource Centre in Edmonton as the Pastoral Care Coordinator. A pastor to the pastors, Al is a friend, mentor, and confidante to all.