Did I miss the memo?

Did I miss the memo?

Since when are Christians afraid of suffering? Illness? Even death?

I feel like we have been slipping into the twilight zone over the past five months, where all of the sudden people who used to be pictures of health are now afraid of disease. People who used to lift people up are now tearing others down. People who used to be pillars in their faith communities, are now afraid of people. People who used to live on fire with their faith, are now lukewarm at best. Church leaders and community leaders who used to lead with courage have started becoming infected by the fear around them, and some have stopped leading all together.

Did I miss something?

Since when are Christians afraid of suffering? Illness? Even death?

None of us know how many days we have on this earth to do good. Should we not be reaching out to our neighbors for fear of illness? Should we not go to our church to pray for fear of what might be lurking there? Should we not go to comfort a friend in need because hugging them might pass a germ between us? What have we become? Please, let’s come to our senses and remember what we were created to be. We are warriors! We who are able, can keep our bodies and our minds strong by the grace of God. We can go out there and be lights in the darkness. We can be lighthouses anchored in bedrock to provide security for the weary travelers. We can lower our mask and smile at a child in a store because they are confused with the way people look these days. We can still help the elderly person load groceries into their car at the store without contaminating them. Humans need to know that other humans care. If doing this means taking risks, sign me up! I report for duty every day trusting that God knows what’s going on. I will not be asked at the end of my life “why were you hiding with your candle when so many were afraid in the dark?” Lord help me and to be strong in the midst of this storm.

Here’s a new memo:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline! (2Tim1:7)