Hi Ren Family!
Last Sunday was our reopening service and we had about 50 people. It felt very safe for the most part. The one thing I noticed that I wanted to mention is the importance of wearing masks properly. It seems that some people had them only over the mouth and not the nose. Some masks don’t fit great so when you start talking they slide off of the nose. So make sure you find a mask that works well for you.
As I’ve said before, the wearing of a mask is not so much for your own protection but the protection of others. It’s possible that any of us could be a carrier of the virus but not realize it because 1) we have not developed symptoms yet or 2) we are asymptomatic (someone who has the virus but doesn’t get sick). This is what makes the wearing of masks important. In essence, it’s about loving our neighbor.
Being cautious in various ways regarding Covid is also about protecting yourself. I believe Scripture teaches us to be wise. In the wilderness Jesus was tempted to throw himself off the pinnacle of the Temple and believe that angels would rescue him. Satan even gave Jesus a Scripture to back his dare! But Jesus did not do that because he considered it testing the Lord. So to be careless, is to presume God will protect us—when there is no promise of protection for us if we are unwise! The principle applies to poor eating habits and expecting to live a long healthy life. Or smoking cigarettes and expecting God to keep us from lung cancer. Or unnecessarily taking a dangerous route and expecting God to protect us. Even in our carelessness, of course, God’s mercy may cover us, but there are oftentimes natural consequences to unwise choices.
That said, when we are making a reasonable effort to be careful in how we live, the Lord will guide us into His perfect will. Now, we may still get Covid. Or lung cancer. Or may not live a long life but die young. That’s possible. But we can trust in the Lord’s sovereign plan. We can rest assured that our illness is not because of our careless behavior but because the Lord has a good purpose. As Christians, we may experience all kinds of suffering, and when it’s according to God’s will and not the result of our sin or carelessness, then God is glorified and God’s glory rests upon us. The epistle of 1Peter develops this concept beautifully by the way.
The reason some of us struggle so much is that we have an illusion of control over our lives. While caution can certainly keep us from a measure of consequences, we are still subject to the general consequences of living in a fallen world. “Bad” things sometimes happen to good people. Christians get Covid. Some die. The comfort we get from the Lord is that if we suffer as a Christian it is not in vain— “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom 8:28). Our suffering will produce character (Rom 5), drive us to Christ (2Cor1), make God known to us in glorious ways (Phil 3) and will result in eternal rewards (1Pet1)! God will be with us no matter what we face and will carry us (Isaiah 43) and provide abundant grace (2Cor9:8). We don’t need to be afraid (Psalm 23).
I’ve seen how in the Christian Church at large there is a polarizing response to Covid-19. It’s even become political. Some are cautious and others are not. The cautious crowd boasts that they are being compassionate toward their neighbor. The not-so-cautious crowd boasts that they are not giving into fear and trusting that God is in control. Listen. We need to unite both of these ways of thinking. Like so many paradoxical Christian ideas it’s not “this or that” but “this and that”.
Does this make sense? I believe God wants us to be models of loving our neighbor by doing whatever we possibly can to be careful not to infect others. He wants us to be wise in protecting ourselves so we don’t get sick on account of carelessness. And I believe he also wants us to fully trust in him and not be afraid. Cautious but unafraid. May God enable us to have this dual mindset. And may He grant us endurance during this challenging season.