Has our world been flipped upside down or what? I could never have imagined we would be in the midst of a global pandemic. In fact, I didn’t even believe it was likely at all. From my experience as an ICU nurse and seeing the seasonal flu and other diseases run through communities; it is unreal that this COVID-19 virus is wreaking the havoc it is. Unprecedented really, that what can be described as a weak virus in comparison to others, shakes the earth so hard.
But that’s not what this blog is about. Here we are, in the middle of a season full of uncertainty and constant fluidity. We can talk for days about the moment to moment developments, but let’s not. This situation has driven anxiety to the highest marks. Panic. Let’s not sugar coat it, just look it straight in the eye and call it out. What is worse than the virus is the fear that is grafted to it. Fear cleared the shelves at the stores. Fear drove discord into governments to the point of slow action. Fear is keeping our faces glued to the internet... worried about ‘homeschooling’... terrified of the uncertain finances. I do not for a second downplay the reality of the situation. As a nurse, I’m seeing firsthand how it’s affecting our hospitals and critical services; it’s unsettling.
What I want to do instead of exalting the fear and this pathetic virus, is to shout from the rooftops (and articles) the answer! Fear goes when faith arrives. Fear and faith are on opposite ends of a continuum. As we move towards faith, we are moving away from fear. Same is true for the opposite; the more fear and anxiety and worry we think about, the further we become from faith. To break it down further, it really depends on what you’re putting your faith in. If our faith is in wealth, certainly we know that can fail. If our faith is in ourselves, and our ability to roll up our sleeves and get ‘er done, at some point we will fall flat. When we put our faith in our government, our spouse, our job. we are destined to be let down.
The only true and stable, life-giving, never-failing force to put faith in is Jesus. Wherever you are on your journey, please don’t tune me out. I am not religious, I am in love with Love, and I want to share His truth with you during this turmoil filled time. This is how I keep calm, how I am walking in peace, how my life is sustained regardless of the crazy world around me.
My faith is very personal to me. I didn’t have it until I was an adult. One of the very first things I learned to do was to literally believe the words in the Bible were for me. Psalms 91 is one of the first chapters that I began to put faith in and it transformed me. I want to unpack some of that for you now. Why? Because Coronavirus is stocking the earth with fear, hoping to catch you. Psalms 91 is our promise that we don’t have to give in! Not fear, not disease, nothing is stronger than the promises below. To make it clear, the words of the Psalm will be in Blue, and mine in black.
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