Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Mercy and the Pandemic

Are you tired of hearing about the pandemic? I'm tired of hearing about the pandemic. It has been dominating our lives, changing our daily rhythms and patterns, causing crises of all different types, driving us crazy, and causing lots and lots of tension between us.

Now, these are things that are bound to happen when we are told to stay at home or our daily lives are disrupted. We feel that things are out of our control, with they are, and we start to flail around a bit and we tend to take it out on each other. Just like when we were kids and our parents packed us up with our suitcases and duffel bags to go on a family vacation. We were confined with our siblings in the back of the car, or in the hotel room, or in the spare room at a relative's house. We fought. We argued. We were at each other's throats. We felt entitled to be right, to win our arguments. To prove that we were better, more mature, smarter than our siblings, all the while proving the opposite.

And how is this any different? We are confined in our houses and apartments with our families, we are being told what to do, we don't know when it will end or what is coming next. We are out of our element. Our lives are out of our control.

Just like our younger selves, we are agitated, we are functioning in defense mode.
We are fighting.
We are arguing.
We are at each others throats.

Does anyone else feel convicted by this? Maybe even a little bit ashamed? Called out? Because when I had the idea to write this, I felt that way. That's why you're reading it a week or so later, because I put it off, but it kept bouncing around in my head, so here I am. 

Maybe you haven't been acting out against anyone you live with, or maybe you live alone. Maybe you've been rude to your spouse, talking down to your kids, avoiding your roommate, or maybe you're one of many hiding behind a screen, lashing out at others online. Have you entered into The Great Mask Debate? Have you torn the mask from someone's face in the name of Freedom, or accused someone of letting the government control them? Or maybe you've mercilessly shamed someone for not wearing one, calling them selfish, saying they don't care about others and would rather see them die than be told what to do. Or perhaps you've weighed in on other COVID-19 related policies, conspiracies, or predictions, calling out those you see as crazy or blind. Or maybe you have been high-and-mighty about any of the other numerous issues that we are tearing ourselves apart over throughout the world today. Whichever side you are on, I believe that you are wrong when you act in this manner.

I'm not here today to take sides on any issue that we may be dividing ourselves over, or even to really address those issues other than to point out their existence and the fact that we tend to build a fortress on one side or the other, open fire on those we see as our opponents, and are willing to fall on our swords before we extend a little kindness and mercy to those we may see as being wrong. No, I'm here today to talk about mercy. 

Now, there is a difference between grace and mercy, and the two are often confused. If you are being graceful, then you are giving something undeserved, such as kindness, love, gifts, you name it. From a Christian perspective, we understand grace as God giving us life, love, salvation, and all the loving gifts that he gives to us on a daily basis, even though we are so undeserving of them. He sent Jesus to be a sacrifice, to die, to take on our sins, even though we in no way deserve it. 

Mercy, on the other hand, is not giving something that is deserved, like a punishment of some sort. Our wrath, so to speak. God is merciful to us by not giving us the penalties of our sin, which is death, because of the gift of Jesus as a sacrifice for us to take our place, which He graciously gave to us. 

See? They are different. But they go hand in hand. 

Grace is easy enough. We tend to not have a whole lot of trouble giving undeserved gifts. It makes us feel good, in fact, to give something to someone who doesn't deserve it. Does a homeless person deserve anything from us? Do people we don't particularly like deserve our kindness? Do people who do wrong to us deserve our forgiveness? No, but we are nice people. We are good people. We are godly people, so we give it to them anyway.

But mercy... mercy is hard. We like to have a sense of justice. And it's easier to be nice, give freely, and forgive when we feel that justice has been accomplished. It's hard not to punish someone for something they did when we think they deserve it. It's hard not to act harshly when someone has done something, said something, been something that we see as Not Okay. In fact, many times we see it as Our Christian Duty to bring about what we perceive to be justice, forgetting that God has said that that is His job, not ours (Deut. 32:35Rom. 12:19). In reality, it is our job not to give them what we think they deserve, instead loving them, and acting in mercy and grace.

"But they are being stupid, it is my job to set them straight."
"But they are being a jerk, someone needs to teach them a lesson."
"But they are wrong. It is my job to change their mind so we can agree."

All of these things have a root of nobility, but are usually acted upon out of a sense of selfishness, hatred, self-righteousness, or in the name of our view of justice. Very rarely is the other person's point of view considered, and even more rarely are their feelings taken into place. Is our own sense of entitlement to being "right" more important than the hurt that we may be putting others through? 

I'm not telling you how to think, how to act, or even accusing you of anything. I am simply asking you to examine yourself and act in mercy. In your homes, at work, on the internet, everywhere really. This pandemic has taken much from us. It has taken away routine, financial security, events, places to go, things to do, and much more. Don't let it take away our relationships with each other, and don't let is take away our love. Have mercy in the pandemic. Love one another.

 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus."
-- 1 John 4:7-17

Friday, May 1, 2020

Radical Unity

If you are reading this around the time that I am putting it out, then you, like me, are being affected in some way by COVID-19. For most of us, that means we are spending most of our time at home, and having little to no in-person social contact with people who do not live with us. And this can be hard.

I know for me personally it has been hard, which actually came as somewhat of a surprise to me. I do not think of myself as being much of a "people person," and my regular week pre-COVID didn't look a whole lot different than my weeks have been looking under this pseudo-quarantine that we have been under. I was still at home by myself most of the time (as my husband is an essential employee and still works almost as much as he ever has), although I had the opportunity to work transcribing things, and I have not had much (if any) available to me as of late. I still went shopping about once a week, since my husband and I only have one car and he uses it for work. There are two major differences between my life then and my life now. The first one is that I don't get to go out with my husband, like to restaurants, the movies, etc. The second one is that I don't get to go to church, or gather with other believers in my life group, or in any other way, and this is the thing that I miss most.

One of the scriptures that has come across my radar lately that has struck me as particularly important is out of the book of Acts, chapter 2. It is concerning the gathering together of believers and what this should look like, and I thought that this time in seclusion would be the perfect time for all of us to examine and maybe reconsider the way that we relate to each other and gather as fellow believers, and how important we regard it as being. This was an eye opener for me, and I hope it will be for you as well.

The passage I am referring to is this:

 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved. -Acts 2:41-47 (HCSB)

Now this passage takes place directly after the account of Peter giving his message on Pentecost and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. We are talking about the first century church, right after it started growing post-messiah. At this point, they were only ten days removed from when Jesus last stood on the earth.
I want us to look for a minute at how these believers interacted with each other. They were together, they worshiped together, they examined the Word and poured over the teachings of the apostles together, they devoted themselves to meeting together, they held all things in common, they had joyful and humble attitudes; they went through life together. 
You may have noticed that it talked about them holding all things in common. I have also seen this translated as "they were all of similar mind" or "like mind." This does not mean that they had everything in common, it means that they were bound together by what they did have in common; their love of God, and their belief that Jesus was His Anointed One (Messiah, Christ).
So we are looking at a diverse group of individuals who gathered together often, not just on Sunday or Saturday for a weekly day of worship.
We are looking at a group of believers, a church, who studied together. Really studied, not just sat and listened to their pastor preach and then went home.
We are looking at a church who broke bread together, ate together, spent time hanging out, getting to know one another, and sharing their lives together.
We are looking at a church who was bound by their similarities, not torn apart by their differences.
And we are looking at people who did all of this joyfully, humbly, and with good attitudes.
Do our churches look like this today? Do even the small groups, life groups, or friend groups that break out of our churches look like this today? Do we care enough about each other to sell our excess to make sure that everyone has what they need? Do we regularly sit down to eat together, worship together on a personal level, edify and encourage one another? Do we act like the family that we claim to be?
I want to say yes, but I think the answer is more consistently no. I know I am guilty of not doing these things, not acting like a family member of the body of messiah, and instead looking at how it can benefit me and how I can use it to feel more full and feel like I am living my life how I should. 
I think that too often our focus is on ourselves and what we can get out of church, and not what we can give. And even more than that, we think of it as a part of our lives, and sometimes not even a very big one, instead of being the focus of our lives. 
"Are you telling me I need to base my life around church?"
Yes. No. Kind of.
We should be inviting other believers into our lives, going through life with them like they are our family, because they are. We are all one, we are all the body of Christ, and we should at least make an effort to function like it. 
We may not always get along, but that's more or less because we don't want to. We prioritize being right on certain issues, whatever they may be, over agreeing on the things that are the most important, bonding over those things, learning, and growing along side others. If we take a step back, we can see that differing view points can actually help that and make studying together more interesting and productive.
We might think we don't like other believers, or even that we don't belong with them, but if we are Christians, then we do belong with them, and we should learn to like them because we are a part of them and they are a part of us. And there will always be people that we don't get along with as well as others, but that's just a chance for us to practice humility, patience, kindness, and self-control, all things that we should be good at (or at least growing in) as Christians.
I think that while we are living somewhat secluded lives, while we are in this strange time of life where we are in between when we used to get together with others and when we will be able to again, we should take a nice long look at how we gather, especially as Christians. If we have a relationship with God and have made a covenant with Him to bear His image like we are supposed to, then it is our job to show Him to the people that we encounter with how we live our lives and how we act. It stands to reason then, that we should stand united with our fellow believers in every possible way. We should encourage one another, draw from one another, give to one another, spend time together, interact with each other, live life together, encounter God together, and share Him with the world together. 
We should have a certain level of intimacy among us, because we are a family. 
We should live in community like we were created to do, we should fellowship with each other in radical unity, because we are united in Christ, the one who can bring together even the most unlikely individuals, binding us all together with the same love that we are supposed to be to the world around us. 
Imagine a life where we all function as a body like we are supposed to, because we all know how to complement each other because we share it with each other.
Imagine a life where we treat our faith like it is the most important thing in our lives, letting everything else flow out of it, and being united with others who do the same on an intimate level.
In this time of isolation, I encourage you to ready yourself for when we can all gather together once again. I encourage you to create deeper friendships, get involved with the believers in your faith community, and love each other like God intended. Let's come together out of this in radical unity, facing the world as one family, one body, united in Jesus our Messiah.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

For when things get out of control.

Lately all the talk and hype has been surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine, whether you're watching the news, on social media, or just talking to anyone at all. Naturally, this has been not only affecting our day to day lives, but the way we see the world, and of course we are all asking questions like: 

What is everything going to look like when this is all over?

How many people are going to be affected by this?

Am I going to be affected by this?

It is understandable that we would have these questions, and there really isn't anyone who can answer them for us right now. But this does not need to cause panic in our lives.  I can, of course, give you the typical Christian responses of "God's got a plan for us," "God is our healer and our protector," "He didn't give us a spirit of fear," and there are plenty of others like that going around. These reasons are all true, and we should take any wisdom that comes from the Word of God to heart, but assuming that these comforts are wearing thinner and thinner the longer we are cooped up in our homes, I have a somewhat fresh thought for you to consider.

As many of you may know, Passover is coming up in a few weeks. The story of the first Passover in and of itself should be inspiring to us in times like this. God hearing His people's cries and delivering them from from a hopeless situation, all the plagues that happened in the land of Egypt that God kept his people safe from, and then that last night in Egypt, everyone staying cooped up in their houses and following God's instructions so they would be safe during that last, terrible plague. The one that killed. In fact, that first Passover -- people quarantined in their houses, celebrating their pending deliverance among themselves, being careful and staying in to stay safe during a plague -- probably looked a little like Passover celebrations will this year to those of us celebrating it, so this story should really resonate with us this year!

But as I was doing some reading in the book of Exodus (which is where you can find the whole Passover story if you're interested), I came across a verse that I found interesting, considering what is going on in the world right now.

"By now I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth. However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth." - Exodus 19:15-16 HCSB

Now, the context of this is God speaking to Pharaoh through Moses, explaining basically why they were surviving all these plagues and why Pharaoh was able to refuse them the right to leave, but the concept of it was interesting to me. It made me think of us and our situation.

Sure, you can be scared of the virus, the same as you can be scared of anything that could kill you or the people around you. But ultimately, it is God who is in control. And lots of times, we see crazy things happen that remind us that we are ultimately not in control of our own fates or where our lives will take us. Think about it. We were all doing just fine, and then out of nowhere we are home bound, our jobs, the economy, our health, and pretty much everything is somewhat up in the air and we are seeing that we do not control the world and what happens in it.

Our self preservation kicks in and we do irrational things like stock up on toilet paper in order to make ourselves feel in control, when really we are struggling with the concept that we are not. But you know what? That doesn't have to be scary. In fact, it can be reassuring. 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 reminds us that it is in the parts of us that are weakest that God's strength comes through the most. When we are humbled and our ego is out of the way, His strength shines through, and we are able to truly bear His image, which is what we were created to do. 

When we are weak and not in control, it opens the door to not only remind us of God's power and divine control, but it also opens the door for His strength and love and light to be shown to other people through us. We get to be the ones who pass on the message. And we don't get that opportunity if we are clinging to control, trying to make a name for ourselves instead of showing everyone where hope and life and love really comes from.

So, I implore you, embrace the vulnerability. Embrace the fact that you cannot control what is happening, or what will happen. Rejoice because you follow a God who can. Dance for joy because He is stronger than you ever could be, and that He has you here on this earth at this exact time for a reason, and that reason does not cease to exist for any virus, or quarantine, or loss of resources. 

Rejoice in your weakness, because when we are weak, then we are strong.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Keeping Yourself Healthy, Body, Mind, and Soul

If you live basically anywhere in the world right now and don't live under a rock (which I apparently do, because I didn't even know about the whole people-panic-buying-all-the-toilet-paper thing until Thursday when I ran out and ended up having to buy way too much online in order to get any at all), then you know that the COVID-19, or corona virus, is now officially a pandemic, and is all people are talking about all over the world. This understandably, is causing quite a bit of anxiety and fear to a lot of people.

Maybe you are someone who is at a higher risk of getting sick, or at a higher risk of being more negatively affected by getting sick, and are anxious about leaving your house. Maybe you have loved ones who are higher risk and are afraid for them, or maybe you even know someone who already has been affected by it. Or maybe you live in an area that is more highly affected already, and are falling into the fear that is sweeping your area. Or perhaps you're like me, and it isn't necessarily the virus you are afraid of, but the economic implications, and the possibility of your household suffering from a loss of work. Or maybe you're just freaked out because people are all so panicky and acting irrationally and a little crazy!

Regardless of exactly why you may be feeling some fear and anxiety, most of us are experiencing some, on some level anyway. It may feel like there isn't a whole lot we can do about anything right now, besides staying home, staying away from large groups of people, and washing our hands. While these are all good tips, you may be thinking that they are not going to ultimately stop the virus, especially because it came out of nowhere and so fast. It was already upon us by the time we were worried about it.

Well, there are a few things we can do to help ourselves and those around us, so I have compiled a list of tips here to not only help keep our bodies healthy, but also to keep us from worrying ourselves to death and so we can fell mentally sound during these trying times.

1) Try not to worry so much. 
I know, that's kind of a tall order, and it's more easily said than done, but if you can cut down on your worrying and stressing, it will help your sanity and your health. When you are under a lot of stress, your immune system suffers, and now more than ever we need to try and keep that from happening. If you're like me, knowing that stress can hinder your immune system just makes the whole thing more stressful! But there are ways that we can cut down on that. And if you are a Christian like I am, it can be made even easier because we know that God is in control of the whole situation, so there is no need to worry! That being said, we are human and prone to worrying. So here are some things that may help cut out some of that stress:

  • Prayer/Meditation/Quiet Reflection. As a Christian, I make it a priority to read and meditate on the Bible daily, as well as having a daily prayer time. During part of my prayer time, I make sure to set some time aside for me to just sit in God's presence, taking deep, calming breaths, and listening. A lot of times when we pray it's all talk, which is good, but we should also listen. And be still. This can be great for our health, because we are taking some time where we are doing nothing but being in God's presence, and the more we do that, the easier it is to remember during stressful times that we are always in his presence, and to bring the peace and truth that we find in our quiet moments with Him into the more stressful ones.
  • Exercise. Moving your body helps your mind to relax, even if it's just going for a walk with loved ones.
  • Journaling. Sometimes writing down all of your worries helps you to sort through them and see them for what they really are, or even just get them out of your system.
  • Talk it out. You don't have to bottle up those feelings and worries, tell someone about them. It will probably make you fell better, and maybe they are dealing with the same worries and can empathize with you, or maybe call out your more irrational fears and bring you some peace of mind. It also is comforting to realize that you are not in all of this alone.
  • Read your Bible. God is in control, and the Bible is full of stories and accounts that prove that. And reading and dwelling on His promises should help you feel better about your life, especially when you remember that He is in control no matter what happens.
  • Stretching, particularly before bed. Stretching can release tension that you are holding in your body, and can help you sleep better.
2) Make sure you're getting enough sleep.
And good quality sleep at that. Getting a good solid 7-9 hours of sleep a night can do wonders for your immune system, and for your peace of mind. If you are having trouble sleeping, try one or more of these suggestions to help:
  • Stretching before bed, as I said in the first point, helps to release tension you're holding in your body and relaxes your muscles so you can fall asleep easier and stay asleep.
  • Try turning off all screens an hour or so before bed. Instead, do something relaxing like reading a book or taking a bath, something that will calm your mind a bit instead of stimulate it like the TV or your phone or tablet will.
  • Drink a nice, soothing cup of herbal tea. Just make sure you give it time to go through your system so you don't need the bathroom in the middle of the night!
3) Get some exercise.
Especially if you can go outside or open your windows while you're doing it. Exercising helps to oxygenate your cells, making them stronger and healthier, giving your immune system a boost and also shipping out any toxins that are already in your system.

4) Eat lots of fruits and veggies, and try to stay away from processed food.
Fruits and veggies and other unprocessed foods like whole grains and beans give your body all the nutrients it needs in a way that is easy to absorb, keeping your immune system up. When you eat processed foods, like packaged, pre-made, foods with junk in them, or foods with a lot of processec wheat and/or sugar, your body has to use more energy breaking them down and gets less nutrients than what you need to be healthy, which could potentially compromise your immune system.

5) Drink lots of water!
This can help your body flush out any toxins that are in it, and keeping your body well hydrated keeps all of its different parts operating how they are supposed to. 

6) Take some high quality, immune boosting supplements.
You're probably thinking vitamin C, and that's definitely a good one. But probably more importantly is vitamin D, especially this time of year when it's hard to really get any from the sun. Taking a supplement of this could be huge for your health. It does a lot of different things for you, including fighting inflammation, which in turn helps you fight infection. And it can help bring your mood up too! Another good thing to think about taking is a probiotic. Your gut is pretty much the center of your health, and taking a probiotic not only helps add good bacteria, but also helps to get rid of bad bacteria that may be in your body.

There you go! If you follow this simple advice, it should help you as you try to stay healthy, and help you keep your sanity as well! Keeping your body healthy goes hand in hand with keeping your mind and soul healthy. If you're one of the people impacted by cancellations and are stuck at home, try to make the best of it and spend some time with your family, catch up on your reading, or any of the other things you just haven't had time for. This may also be a great time to work on your relationship with God, while you have the time, and shine your light to help bring hope to those who need it!