Fear and Faith

We are in the middle of an unprecedented attempt to contain, no, to slow the spread of a virus we've never seen before.

There's a lot of information out there - some true, some false, some just plain stupid. I'm not writing about any of that, because I'm not an infectious disease expert. There are a lot of reactions out there that fit those same categories. I'm not writing about any of that, either, because my mama said if you can't say something nice...... Anyway.

There's a notion out there that fear and faith can't coexist. I'm not a Bible scholar, I'm just a human. A real, flawed human. And I'm telling you right now that fear and faith are both very present and very real in my life.

I am afraid of the virus, a little. I am afraid of the longer-term impact of these lifestyle changes on my life and the lives of loved ones, a little more than a little. My fear is, admittedly, guiding some of my choices right now. I am reading as much as I can about what's going on, partly to know more, partly because I can't stop. For me, this is a fearful reaction, but it has good results in that the more we know, the better we can do. I am following CDC recommendations to stay put, and while this an EXCELLENT thing to do, I'll admit that I'm partly doing it out of fear, as well as just common sense.

I guess what I'm saying is, fear can motivate you to do smart things. Just don't let it motivate you to do dumb things - which I'm not even going to get into, just because. (Just, please use your brain, okay? Okay, that's really all I'm going to say there.)

Even in the midst of fear, I know, without doubt, that my God is so so good. I know that even when life is hard and messy and uncertain and downright scary, God is still good. How do I know? Because of faith.

Faith that the God of Heaven promised to watch over and protect me - go read Psalms 91. Now's a good time; I'll wait.

Faith that the Creator of the World made me - and you - and put us right here, right now, for such a time as this. What are you going to do about that?

In the coming days and weeks, as this pandemic likely gets crazier before it calms down, I hope you look for God. Look for ways that He shows up - for you, and through you. Because in times like this, God uses ordinary people to show up and impact lives.

So, find a way to help someone out.

Speak peaceful, comforting words to someone who is letting their fear run rampant. Don't speak more fear into an already fearful situation. (I'm talking to myself here, too!)

Listen to the experts as they try their best to walk us through this, and give some grace when it seems like they're stumbling. In fact, give grace all around - the whole world is struggling to figure this mess out, and there will be missteps that are crystal clear in hindsight. Give grace.

Look for the good, and be the good, in these crazy times.

Because God is good, even if you're scared.