WTE: Uplifting observations from the COVID-19 crisis

Three months ago, when most were still in the Christmas spirit, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was scrambling to understand a mysterious new virus that appeared in Wuhan, China. Fast forward three months and the world has gone on lockdown.

Some believe the reaction is over the top. Others believe it is not yet enough. But all are filled with fear. The only difference is whether one fears the virus itself, or drastic reactions to the virus. This column will not enter that debate.

Rather, the COVID-19 crisis is uncovering some truths worth pondering. By taking these to heart, we can be encouraged in the moment and focused on a better future.

As a pastor, churches are my first thought. They are places where people gather, touch and eat together. As recommendations against gatherings of any kind mounted, temptations grew to shutter churches by government fiat. Thankfully, Wyoming has resisted this impulse.

Even directives closing movie houses, coffee shops and a host of communal gathering places left churches off the list. Governor Gordon should be commended for protecting the free exercise of religion and allowing church leaders to rise to the challenge of finding responsible and faithful ways to meet human needs.

That brings up a second observation. Not only churches, but schools, clubs and sports teams have agonized over the cancelation of gatherings. These discussions have forced everyone into a deeper reflection on the human need to gather in person.

Tech trends continually replace meaningful human contact with disembodied digital communication. Increasing addiction to screen time has not deepened human connection but drained it. Loneliness has become a self-chosen epidemic. Now, suddenly, our forced separation provides an opportunity to relearn why togetherness is important at all.

As schools, churches and board rooms replace the warmth of personal contact with flattened and touch-less images, we are filled with a longing for real humanity. When all this is over, let us not forget these lessons. Rather, let us force the virtual world back into its servant role. Technology meant to assist humanity should not be allowed to dominate and replace it.

Personal connectedness is bodily connectedness. Human beings are not disembodied minds. This is the third lesson. Stop to think about the measures used to stop COVID-19 infection. All of them are about specific bodily actions and not mere thoughts.

Specific, objective behaviors slow virus spread. Other behaviors increase a person’s risk of infection. Ignoring the science has implications not only for your personal safety, but for the whole community. One careless action can infect an entire family, church and neighborhood.

Sins against the CDC recommendations cannot remain secret. Infection with the virus is a matter of public interest. Thus, the COVID-19 outbreak has caused an outbreak of common sense. With one voice, we are encouraging one another to take every healthful precaution. All recognize that attention to good practices benefits both the individual and society as a whole.

This is precisely what our society used to understand about all careless and unhealthy behaviors. We called them sins and encouraged one another to avoid them. This was not some mean-spirited criticism. We understood it as love for the person sinning, as well as care for the community as a whole.

The current pandemic offers us a real opportunity to relearn some fundamental lessons of human community. Not only can these lessons help us resist the COVID-19 virus, but they can serve to resist other viral thoughts that have infected our life together.

It is vital, however, to remember the greatest lesson of all: Infection with a virus should not make anyone less valuable to society—or less loved. When a person becomes infected—whether by COVID-19 or by something else—our focus is not on blame and condemnation. Rather, we focus on care and healing.

In a world where infection is in the air, the accusing finger of blame has no place. Anyone can succumb. Anyone can be infected. We must take precautions, to be sure. But we recognize that we are all in this together. That keeps us humble and attentive to the neighbor in need—especially those who are ill.

Three months ago, hardly any of us suspected that our world would be turned upside down. But, take comfort. God knew it. He knew not only of the ills, but also of the positive lessons that could come from the pandemic.

Let’s make the most of this opportunity. Take to heart the lessons of today. Trust that God will supply the needs of tomorrow. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV).  

Also published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on March 27, 2020.