COVID-19 is a monster. I know monsters. As a little girl my biggest fear was climbing out of the bed at night to use the potty. I thought my bed was my castle and the moat around it was filled with scaly, sharp tooth monsters waiting to devour me.
But then I met real life monsters – cancer, heart disease to name a few. Each cost me sleepless nights, tears of pain, and fears left me depressed and speechless.
Now the COVID-19 Corona virus is on our doorstep. Many have gotten the virus. Many have died from the virus. We watch the numbers of those we love rise to amounts that surpassed 911 (2,753) and Vietnam (57,939 US servicemen)
Fear rises like the Lock Ness Monster rising from the waters. We watch and wait to see how it will all end.
By joining together America watches the virus begin to slow, the curve showing how collectively we can slay this monster and S L O W E L Y come out of hiding.
But the fear within us continues to rise – if we go out will we cause the Monster to come back for those remaining? What do we do? Do we remain in seclusion and destroy what little we have left in the economy or begin to open up our stores, our services and try to live while this virus still remains among us?
Fear itself has become a monster. And left untreated it will choke out faith, hope and reason if we let it.
Now fear that relates to dangerous situations is healthy; but fear of what is imagined or might happened and not based on fact can lead to a constant state of anxiety and worry and is unhealthy. This fear is not from God, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).
I have learned that monsters thrive on fear to deflate us, and weakens us in mind, body and spirit. When we trust God our faith can grow stronger than our fear. Habakkuk 3:19 tells us that the Lord is our strength, our personal bravery and invincible army. And nothing can defeat our God. With Him, we will survive.
So what do we do?
We begin with one step at a time. The first step is to replace the fear with knowledge (facts) we know. The second is to use this knowledge with wisdom. That means that we continue to be socially distant and protect our elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. Enjoy the great outdoors but keep gatherings to 10 and under, wearing the masks, and washing our hands often. And we continue to help one another.
I leave you with the words from Eric Church, country singer who says it so well in his song Monsters
“Anymore when a restless feeling keeps me up at night,
Fallin’ on my knees is my new turning on the light.
I keep my faith intact; make sure my prayers are said,
I’ve learned that the monsters ain’t the ones underneath the bed.”
You can watch his official video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrYUK1vzCfY