"For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence...You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday." ~ Psalm 91:3, 5-6, emphasis mine
I'm guessing that you already know about the global pandemic of Coronavirus. You are probably suffering some of the effects, not from the virus itself, but from the panic and social distancing its path through our world has caused. Just this past weekend, the cast party for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the monthly Kansas Authors' Club meeting, and all services at my church were canceled. Not only that, but I found out yesterday that everything at church is canceled until April 1. I was able to go to Zumba Sunday after being gone for a month and a half while rehearsing for and performing Joseph, but before the day was over, the local YMCAs closed for the next week at least. Tonight's Stephen Ministry meeting, which I was scheduled to bring treats to, is also canceled. (That meant more guacamole for me, but when a girl tries her hand at guacamole from scratch for the first time, she wants to be able to share it.)
When I went to the store on Saturday, the produce section and paper goods aisle were gutted. Many of my coworkers have said that either they or someone they know was unable to get something they needed from the store because it's sold out. The CDC is recommending that all gatherings of 50 or more be canceled for the next eight weeks. People are hoarding things like we're facing a nuclear war rather than a pandemic caused by a virus that requires close contact to spread. A local movie theater decided to close this morning. I had a ticket to see I Still Believe this afternoon, and they failed to inform me of the closure before I drove out there, so not only did I waste the trip, but I am still waiting to see a movie I've already waited months to see.
I'm not working this week because it's Spring Break, but there's been talk of extending it by a week or more. After working for the same place for seven and a half years and rarely being sick, I have enough leave stored up to last a month if needed, but most of my coworkers aren't that lucky. We all have bills to pay, and unlike Italy, the United States has not yet mandated a suspension of payments until this all blows over.
In these uncertain times, it would be very easy to start panicking and give in to fear, but that is the last thing we should be doing. No matter what happens in our lives, God is in control, and He will keep us safe. We still need to be smart about washing our hands and staying home if we're sick, but God has promised to be with us and protect us. I have finally gotten to the point where I'm not living in fear of anything, and I refuse to let Satan use this crisis to drag me back down.
However, there is a hidden dark side to this crisis that we need to be aware of: the potential effects on people's mental health. Under normal circumstances, distancing themselves from others is a warning sign that someone is considering suicide. Now, they can do so without anyone thinking twice about it. Sixteen years ago, the temptation to kill myself didn't really set in until after school was out for the summer, so I was not expected to be anywhere. And if someone is in the place mentally where they wouldn't be going anywhere even if they could, and have the weight of all the current fear and panic added to their burden, the temptation to kill themself will become even more enticing.
Even if someone isn't considering suicide, this social distancing can still be detrimental. For those of us with anxiety, doing certain things require more mental preparation than they would for those without anxiety. After doing all that mental preparation, when what we were preparing ourselves for gets canceled, it affects us in ways most people wouldn't be able to understand. Even when the event is just postponed, as is the case with both the cast party and the Authors' Club meeting, it's still hard because we have to maintain that determination until the event actually occurs. It can be exhausting, to say the least, and could very easily drive someone mad.
So what can we do about this? Even if you aren't meeting with people in person, find ways to meet online. Pick up a phone and call someone who you know might be struggling. Write letters to people you haven't seen for a while. Pray for those who are working in hospitals and nursing homes, and those who can't work because their workplace is closed. Pray for those who don't have the resources to pay their bills when they aren't working. Love people and reach out to them in whatever way you can. When we do all these things, we ensure that we will all get through this crisis with our sanity intact. We can also lay a foundation of real connectedness that we can carry with us into the future when life returns to normal.
I'm guessing that you already know about the global pandemic of Coronavirus. You are probably suffering some of the effects, not from the virus itself, but from the panic and social distancing its path through our world has caused. Just this past weekend, the cast party for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the monthly Kansas Authors' Club meeting, and all services at my church were canceled. Not only that, but I found out yesterday that everything at church is canceled until April 1. I was able to go to Zumba Sunday after being gone for a month and a half while rehearsing for and performing Joseph, but before the day was over, the local YMCAs closed for the next week at least. Tonight's Stephen Ministry meeting, which I was scheduled to bring treats to, is also canceled. (That meant more guacamole for me, but when a girl tries her hand at guacamole from scratch for the first time, she wants to be able to share it.)
When I went to the store on Saturday, the produce section and paper goods aisle were gutted. Many of my coworkers have said that either they or someone they know was unable to get something they needed from the store because it's sold out. The CDC is recommending that all gatherings of 50 or more be canceled for the next eight weeks. People are hoarding things like we're facing a nuclear war rather than a pandemic caused by a virus that requires close contact to spread. A local movie theater decided to close this morning. I had a ticket to see I Still Believe this afternoon, and they failed to inform me of the closure before I drove out there, so not only did I waste the trip, but I am still waiting to see a movie I've already waited months to see.
I'm not working this week because it's Spring Break, but there's been talk of extending it by a week or more. After working for the same place for seven and a half years and rarely being sick, I have enough leave stored up to last a month if needed, but most of my coworkers aren't that lucky. We all have bills to pay, and unlike Italy, the United States has not yet mandated a suspension of payments until this all blows over.
In these uncertain times, it would be very easy to start panicking and give in to fear, but that is the last thing we should be doing. No matter what happens in our lives, God is in control, and He will keep us safe. We still need to be smart about washing our hands and staying home if we're sick, but God has promised to be with us and protect us. I have finally gotten to the point where I'm not living in fear of anything, and I refuse to let Satan use this crisis to drag me back down.
However, there is a hidden dark side to this crisis that we need to be aware of: the potential effects on people's mental health. Under normal circumstances, distancing themselves from others is a warning sign that someone is considering suicide. Now, they can do so without anyone thinking twice about it. Sixteen years ago, the temptation to kill myself didn't really set in until after school was out for the summer, so I was not expected to be anywhere. And if someone is in the place mentally where they wouldn't be going anywhere even if they could, and have the weight of all the current fear and panic added to their burden, the temptation to kill themself will become even more enticing.
Even if someone isn't considering suicide, this social distancing can still be detrimental. For those of us with anxiety, doing certain things require more mental preparation than they would for those without anxiety. After doing all that mental preparation, when what we were preparing ourselves for gets canceled, it affects us in ways most people wouldn't be able to understand. Even when the event is just postponed, as is the case with both the cast party and the Authors' Club meeting, it's still hard because we have to maintain that determination until the event actually occurs. It can be exhausting, to say the least, and could very easily drive someone mad.
So what can we do about this? Even if you aren't meeting with people in person, find ways to meet online. Pick up a phone and call someone who you know might be struggling. Write letters to people you haven't seen for a while. Pray for those who are working in hospitals and nursing homes, and those who can't work because their workplace is closed. Pray for those who don't have the resources to pay their bills when they aren't working. Love people and reach out to them in whatever way you can. When we do all these things, we ensure that we will all get through this crisis with our sanity intact. We can also lay a foundation of real connectedness that we can carry with us into the future when life returns to normal.
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