pandemic

The Significance of Touch.

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One day, Jesus had just finished teaching and healing a lot of people. A man with a skin disease (called a leper) came up to him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me well.” Jesus looked at the man and told him he was willing. Then, Jesus did something amazing. He touched the man and the man was clean! His disease was gone and he was healed! (This story is taken from Matthew 8:1-11.)

As I studied this story this week, I looked more into lepers and their place in society. I knew they were considered “unclean” and “untouchable” since their disease could be spread easily. I knew they lived outside of the city in communities with other lepers. And I knew they often didn’t have any human touch. But the thing I discovered this week was that there was a law that said lepers had to stay at least 6 feet away from other people! SIX FEET!

Now, if you are reading this in the Covid-19 season, you see the significance of this. Right now, most places require a 6 foot distance between you and another person not in your household. Apparently there is something to the whole 6-foot rule after all! 😉

Reading this during the pandemic has given me a new perspective on this story. It is so significant that Jesus reaches out and touches the man. He goes against what the law said. He goes against what society said was good and right. He goes against what those around him said was appropriate.

And Jesus touches the man. He touches someone who has probably not had human contact in years. He puts himself in a vulnerable place. This is significant.

During this pandemic, we are asked to stay six-feet away from others and wear masks in most public places. These are laws that have been put in action to keep people safe and reduce the load the health care system is caring right now. I know these are not my favorite or your favorite rules, but if they help make others who are immune compromised feel safe, I will continue to do this when around them. But, this is not meant to be a post about masks, or no masks, or the division masks have created in our society.

Instead, this is a post simply noting that ways Jesus interacted with others. He leaned in. He stepped in. He stood in the gap. He put himself in a vulnerable place by touching someone with an infectious disease.

So I ask you to consider, who around you do you need to lean into? Where can you stand in the gap? How can you go the extra mile and love someone well?

In this pandemic, maybe that means giving a hug to a single person who is living alone and doesn’t have much human contact right now. Maybe that means spending extra time on phone calls with friends and family who are spending time by themselves. Maybe it means checking in on people more frequently, or inviting neighbors into your home. Maybe it simply means saying hello to people at the grocery store or a restaurant, even if the whole mask thing is hard and feels restricting. As Christians, we can continue to be people who love well in this season, masks or no masks. The commands of Jesus are the same: to love Him and love others. And I can tell you, as a single person, that touch is significant and I have loved getting hugs from friends and family! Even for those who don’t “love” hugs, right now, I bet that most people you know would love another hug. 2020 has been a hard year for everyone.

God created us for community… community with Him and community with one another. We do not need to let this season create further distance and isolation between us. We need to see those who are prone to isolation and lean in. We need to reach out and touch them, reminding them that there is hope.

This pandemic will not last forever, and this pandemic was not a surprise to God. He is fully aware of our lives right now, and how they were different 9 months ago, and what they will be like 9 months from now. In every season, we can have trust that God is in control. We have hope that goes beyond this broken world, and this is the season the world needs to hear of this hope.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

The Disorienting Nature of COVID-19.

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Right now, I was supposed to be on the West Coast feeling the cool ocean breeze and hugging giant trees. But I’m not. The reality is, we all have things we were looking forward to over the next few days or weeks that have now been suspended, postponed, or canceled. COVID-19 is disorienting.

It’s easy to watch the news and hear about disasters and hardship in other places and not really feel it for yourself. Sure, maybe you can relate to some of the reports but you likely can’t relate to them all, nor can you actually know and experience what those people are experiencing at that very moment.

The coronavirus is different. With the first case reported on December 31, 2019 in China, it was easy to see that event and not believe it would effect that many people. And then it spread… quickly. This virus seemed to make the news almost overnight as it reached country after country, eventually landing in the United States.

Now we begin to feel it because now it affects us…in fact, it affects every single person on the planet. It’s affecting our friends and family living in other countries. It’s affecting our loved ones living in the U.S. in different states. And it’s affecting us… our plans, our hopes, and our day-to-day lives.

And for me, this is disorienting.

We don’t really seem to have a category to put our current lifestyle into. We walk around with caution, buy things in haste to stay prepared, and obsessively check the news. Some are responding with extreme caution while others are not missing a beat and continuing with their lives. But everyone is slowly becoming more and more aware to the reality and seriousness of this pandemic.

The feeling of disorientation is strange and seems to cause panic, frustration, and fear. No one likes this feeling because it feels out of control, with no stability. And let’s be honest, we all really like being in control.

Yet, in the midst of this disorienting time, there is a place we can go to find certainty, hope, and peace. That place is the Word of God, the Bible.

Taking time to sit in the presence of the Lord reorients us to what is true. The Bible tells us over and over again about how God is a safe refuge, a good Father, a shield, a rock, a fortress, a healer, and most importantly, He is God with us! Therefore, we can listen and respond to the most common command that God gives His people: “Do not fear.”

God tells His people to not fear because He is with them, He is in control, and He is a trustworthy and good God. He tells us not to worry because He cares for us and sees our needs. God reminds us that when we put our hope in the things of this world, they always leave us feeling empty, yet hope in God is certain and true.

I pray that today you would find time to take your cares, concerns, worries, and fears to the Lord, the God of heaven and earth. He is aware of what is going on, has not abandoned us, and deeply desires for His name to be glorified, even amidst the chaos of today. I pray that you would put your hope in Jesus, looking into God’s Word to see the beauty and grace of all that He is and all that He has done. Even through these are disorienting times, God is calling people to Himself and opening the door for people to put their full trust and hope in Him! And He is more than able to save!

Friends, we can have a certain, unswaying, and strong hope that goes beyond the cure of a virus or containment of the chaos. We can have a hope that reorients us to what is true. And that hope is in JESUS. Full, flourishing life is found only by trusting in His name. Run to Him today and let Him reorient you to truth. (And read the verse below. It’s my favorite verse and a great one to cling to in the days to come!)

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV)

P.S. Here are some other verses that may give you hope, peace, and rest, helping you to be reoriented to the truth today. Feel free to comment below with some of your favorite verses as well!