Life During Contamination

Here we are months into this pandemic. Life seems to be recovering, but it’s going to be a long up-hill climb to return to economic normality. Yet, it will not be anything like it was. Our normal has changed. It may never be the same again. Life in contamination is weird enough without thinking too far ahead!

We so easily use words like Pandemic… Epidemic. Endemic. Outbreak… Whew. Too many words and no one thinks about what’s going on, only that it’s scary times for many folks. What do these words mean?

• Endemic is something that belongs to a particular people or country.
• An Epidemic is a disease that affects a large number of people within a community, population, or region.
• A Pandemic is an epidemic that’s spread over multiple countries or continents.
• An Outbreak is a greater-than-anticipated increase in the number of endemic cases. It can also be a single case in a new area. If it’s not quickly controlled, an outbreak can become an epidemic.

So. We are faced with a “pandemic” because the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading around the globe. It makes me wonder about all the recent Zombie movies and storylines! In “World War Z” it came from a rapidly moving virus. 12 seconds or so. That’s all it took to move from an attacked person until they become the attacker themselves.

Today’s storyline has the virus spread out over a multitude of scenarios and symptoms. You can be sure we’ve not seen the end of this, and it may only be the tip of an iceberg of the future.

Think About It

If we are dealing with anything that can be spread to anyone else, then we should take personal ownership of it, and then do what can be done to prevent others from catching what we are facing.

There. That being said, why has it taken so long for us to realize the importance of protecting others? For years we’ve gone into the public spreading germs of all kinds when it would have simply been best to stay home. Cold. Flu. Gasp! Even measles. Mumps. Skin diseases. Breathable problems that pass from one to another. Tuberculosis.

Who is immunized? Vaccinated? Are we safe? Do we take chances? Can we trust each other? Anyone?

Of course, staying at home is not always a possibility. Not every person is so equally blessed to be able to work from home. There are all kinds of penalties for missing too much work, school, or life in general. Often it comes down to money. Technology. Career.

With the current scare, and I personally believe much of it is an overblown frightening event, people staying home (isolated) are coming down with the virus. It seems to be jumping past solid walls, inhabiting open-air spaces, and must be a “super” virus. Able to leap tall buildings! Travel faster than a speeding bullet!

What’s Next?

What will we do when it’s time to start meeting in crowded spaces again? Someone looking ahead posted this list of questions, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

• When will people feel safe enough to walk in our doors? How do we make them feel safe?
• Will we need to always do things Online as well as in the building?
• Do we need to improve our Online technology?
• Must we only share what’s happening in the Sanctuary, or can we broaden it to personal stories to keep connections alive?
• Do we offer a different worship experience?
• When do we start Sunday School?

IDK… “I don’t know…”! Or, as other languages may say it…

quién sabe, ʻo wai ka mea ʻike, Wer weiß, qui sait, sino ang nakakaalam....

I just don’t know. The problems we deal with in times of isolation, contamination, pandemic…well, I’ve not been through this before. I’m not a prophet or a fortune teller. All I can say is this…

It may get worse before it gets better, and that “better” may not be anything like what we think it should be.

What Do We Know?

What I know can only come from what others tell me because I have no first-hand experience with the virus itself. Most of those with compromised or underlying health issues struggle the most, and the youngest among us seem to have a better system to fight off the effects. Mass Media has produced Mass Hysteria. Sure. Many have died, but we’re nowhere near the number of deaths due to the Spanish Flu in 1918-1920, or the Black Plague (1346-1351). Every so often we fight off some virus or sickness and from it, many suffer and die.

Is this any different?

Perhaps the uptick of all of this is the connection to medical knowledge that we have access to in these modern times. To create a vaccine (which will not eradicate COVID-19) in less than a year is magical and mysterious. Many companies are focusing on a solution, but lest we think it magical, let’s keep in mind that it’s the “practice” of medicine that takes us to possible solutions!

This article represents a clear way of thinking about the current upheaval, and if you take the time to read it completely, maybe you will have a better appreciation of our current status. [Read Here]

Where To From Here?

I just completed Nevil Shute’s, On The Beach, where everyone knew the end was upon them. And this was a 1950’s novel about the nuclear war potential. When I first read it in the ’70s, I remember going to work one day and thinking, “It’s just about over.” I was so touched by the story that I felt like I was living it.

Today, I’m living it. Again. It’s only because of the Grace of God my world is not impacted by this current pandemic in such a way that I struggle with food on the table, roof over my head, or sufficient funds coming in to manage existence.

It could be much worse.

Will we ever return to normal? What will that look like? How many will lose their freedom and safety before it happens? What epidemic is next? We may never know the complete answer, but I do know that my path forward is secure in Christ.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
(Philippians 1:21 NKJV)

Paul describes a life lived in the flesh to produce results, but when the time comes, to exit this life is gain. Especially if we are found full of works that show our trust in Christ. Remember, “faith without works is dead…” (James 2:17). So, keep working. Don’t stop. When He calls you home, go to your “gain” or reward.

That’s where I’m headed.