This morning as my kids ate breakfast, I sat at the table with them and scrolled through headlines about COVID-19. It was hard to tear myself away from my phone, from the rising numbers, from everything we just don’t know yet.
As I read more and more, I felt this fear tightening around my heart. My mind started to race, thinking about what I should do to protect my family.
Listen, my point in writing this is not to make a commentary about the extent of the coronavirus or its severity, and I’m not going to tell you what precautions to take or what we should do about it.
My point is we don’t know the future.
And we should not be afraid of it.
It is hard not to panic in the face of something like this. But, sisters: “she is clothed in strength and in dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” (Proverbs 31:25).
Think of what the women in the Bible did when faced with something terrifying, with something packed full of unknowns:
They walked in bold faith. They did not overreact. They did not let the fear of the unknown muzzle their boldness, their fierce love for others, or their willingness to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Ruth followed Naomi.
Rahab hid the spies.
Esther spoke up.
Mary trusted God.
It was only women who went back to Jesus’ tomb three days later, full of grief, but refusing to hide out in their homes wringing their hands in anxiety. And because of that, they got the miraculous privilege of being the first to witness the empty tomb.
I hope COVID-19 shows our neighbors just what us women of God are made of:
Power and not fear.
Wisdom and not anxiety.
Peace and not panic.
I hope we still bring over casseroles to our friend’s homes when their kids are sick.
I hope we hang on to our giving mentality when it could be so easy to become hoarders of goods like soap or hand sanitizer.
I hope we remain wise consumers of the news and seek out facts, not speculation.
I hope when we wash our kids’ hands after leaving the play park, we sing a silly song with them instead of snapping at them to wash their hands well.
I hope when faced with fear, we remember that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
I hope we do not spend our breakfast with our kids scrolling through headlines instead of talking to them.
Women, put down the phone. Stay informed and act with wisdom. But do not give way to fear.
That’s not who you are – because that’s not who He is.
I’m bored at home surfing the web, lol, and I came across your blog. Thanks for the smiles and good reads 😊.
I feel the same way but it does no good. No one will shake hands or hug anyone anymore, not even at church. In fact there is no more church. That used to be the only home and safety I knew. Now there is no more good will. No more caring about one another or giving anything. All people are concerned with now is ”Oh no! I might catch a new strain of virus!” So they self isolate and expect everyone else to or you end up being portrayed as an uncaring monster (at least in my town). The very only thing the majority of the population cares about now is staying indoors. That won’t fix anything. The economy is crashing down all around us and no one feels safe anymore. Being out and comforting each other in person is what is going to help the world. Not staying a foot apart, especially in church settings. If church even existed anymore. Something has taken away almost everything for now. Hopefully that something will give it back soon.