- This is not the end of the world. There is only one of those, this is not it.
- This is not a judgement from God. This is just life and death in a fallen world. It is akin to a natural disaster, like an invisible tsunami. Something God will use in many ways; to challenge our presuppositions and shake us from our spiritual lethargy; to show us the fragility of all the things we put our trust in. But He is not judging us. “For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” When the day of judgement does arrive, and we are all called in from the playground to give an account; there will be no doubt about what is happening. Until that day “today is the day of Salvation.”
- This is going to look a whole lot worse before it begins to look better. It is inevitable that the numbers will rise as testing increases. This “invisible enemy” was wandering among us long before it was detected. But it will begin to look better. One day soon, we will all crawl out of our Hobbit holes, and stand blinking in the sunlight to find that the ring of power has been destroyed; or, at least in our case, greatly diminished. Until then we must all do our part; but I will not insult you by repeating here the CDC guidelines, (which, if I hear one more time, I will stick my head into a woodchipper). Anyone else tired of feeling guilty for having allergies?
- Your kids are not going back to school this year. Sorry, get used to it. Go easy on them. Relax. Don’t stress. We are all in the same boat. The state, and the schools know this, and the expectations for the end of this school year and the beginning of the next will be adjusted. Stop feeling guilty for doing the minimum some days. Let your kids be kids. They are living history right now.
- They are not going to close the grocery stores. It is not an option, and the state knows it. So stop hoarding. If we all just shopped the same as we did in February, there would be no shortages. If you name the name of Christ, and you are hoarding anything, then you are displaying a profound lack of faith and, even worse, of love. If you do not like that, your problem is not with me, but with the King. We are not allowed to not share.
- Unemployment will easily hit double digits, maybe even twenty percent or more. Capitalism has lifted billions of people around the globe out of poverty in the last half-century; yet, for all its strengths, capitalism is remarkably fragile. The mightiest economy in history was brought to its knees in a week, by a whisper. The U.S. will bounce back; we always do. But much of the rest of the world will be crippled and will need a lot of help. Because, economically speaking, when America sneezes, the world gets a cold. Globalization is going to look very different from now on; but I am hopeful that, by this time next year our unemployment rate will be below six percent.
All of these convulsions should make us grateful for what I call The Gift. The Gift is something that we all have right now. It is something that we have all received thousands of times, and each time it has been different. The Gift is what most people call “today”. Every other commercial on TV is now using the phrase “uncertain times”. I don’t know what that means; it is a silly phrase. It implies that there is such a thing as “certain times”; but there isn’t. Tomorrow has not been promised to you in this place. But today has been GIVEN to you. it is a gift, The Gift. Each day is a gift, a present to unwrap. It may be filled with joy or sorrow, but it is another undeserved day to be alive on this world.
You can do whatever you want with The Gift. Some of us seem to leave it unopened. Some waste it or destroy it. You can be completely selfish with it and not share it with anyone; although gifts are meant to be shared, along with happiness, and grief. The Gift is squandered by many of us, because it has come to us from an unknown giver; so we toss it aside; we do not appreciate it because we cannot even see it as a gift. But The Gift has a purpose. It has been given to us to use for these two reasons: to love God with all our heart, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. You do not have to use it for either of those, no one will force you; not even God. I may be wrong about some of my conclusions above, but I am not wrong about The Gift.
Yesterday is spent. Tomorrow is a promissory note. But today? Today is cash. How will you spend it? you only have today to forgive someone. You only have today to love your neighbor. You only have today to bless your spouse, your child, your parents. You only have today to bless God; to acknowledge the Giver. The Gift is precious. The Gift is all we truly have in this place. Enjoy it. Use it and be grateful for it. Put the anxiety on hold and go outside; for it is Spring, and the trees are bursting into life, and the grass will be blanketed with flowers. Birds are singing, completely unconcerned about the diseases and economies of men. Next week is Easter and the bold proclamation of the Resurrection from the dead. It is the absolute guarantee that there will not only be a tomorrow, there will be an eternity of tomorrows, all bright with hope and glory.
Shalom.
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Moses