What I’m Learning Through Covid and Why I Want You to Join Me

Moving at the beginning of this pandemic was difficult, and then toss in shut downs, virtual services, the stress of quarantines, and working in a place where serving others is the number one priority... It’s been hard to navigate, honestly. And people here haven’t really had a chance to get to know us the way it has been in past ministry, or the way we envisioned it going. We love spending time with our church community and staff families and hosting people in our homes, but this year has made that difficult, and I don’t want people to misunderstand that as not caring or not investing or something other. So the purpose of this blog is to share a little bit about where my heart is at with all of this, as well as share what I am learning so it can encourage you to dig in and learn for yourself.

I am not a medical professional and do not claim to know everything by any stretch. My heart has been so burdened this year by watching many people’s responses, specifically to Covid, and the division it has created. I have tried so hard not to alienate anyone because they may have different views than I do, and I always try to empathize and see things from others’ perspectives. That being said, I’ve found it difficult at times this year to see the lack of consideration and empathy people have shown for one another. 

First and foremost, I always aim to love God and others. It is our number one mission as followers of Christ, and it is a paradigm through which I try to view everything in life. I also seek the Lord and ask His guidance and wisdom in nearly everything I do. I have spent much time processing and considering what I write here, so know I don’t say any of this flippantly. 

I never want to create further division in the body of believers, but I also know the views I have regarding Covid are fairly unpopular where we live. I cannot in good conscience neglect the knowledge I have—from firsthand accounts of my family in the medical field, from accounts of family literally across the country seeing their numbers rise, from my own research, and my own experience—and acting upon that accordingly.

So here’s what I’ve learned that has led our family to make the choices we have to temporarily social distance or self-quarantine for various times and reasons and to wear masks in public, and why I believe it takes all of us doing so to be effective:

🖤 Covid is not “just the flu.” More people have died of Covid this year than the past five years of flu deaths  combined. Even if you believe those numbers are inflated (which I don’t believe they are), and you discount half of that, it’s still 2.5 times greater. Not to mention the strain on hospitals and healthcare workers due to the rapid spread of the virus. To say this isn’t real or is blown out of proportion is equivalent to burying one’s head in the sand. 

🖤 Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing hands/properly sanitizing are the top ways we are being asked to do our part in slowing the spread of this virus. 

🖤 No one thinks these measures are a cure for Covid. But it can slow the spread and stress on our medical community, as well as potentially spare some lives in the process. 

🖤 Many people were doing some form of these things during shutdowns, which is when positive cases and deaths began to slow. As things reopened and people became more relaxed and tired of the precautions, numbers began to rise. We are all weary and want things to “go back to normal,” but the issue doesn’t go away because we’re tired of dealing with it or hearing about it. 

🖤 Masks don’t work unless everyone wears them correctly. This can’t be an “everyone mind their own business” or “you do you” kind of situation. It takes everyone doing their part for this to be effective, which is why it hasn’t been effective in the past 8 months. 

🖤 To say that “masks don’t work” when such a large number of people refuse to wear them at all or refuse to do so properly is inaccurate. 

🖤 The government would not have to be involved in mandating such things if people would do it willingly for the more vulnerable among us.

🖤 Masks don’t prevent the wearer from getting a virus. They prevent the wearers from unknowingly spreading it. You can carry the virus without symptoms, even after recovering from Covid, therefore everyone should still be wearing masks and practicing social distancing.  

🖤 To tell people to “just stay home” if they want to “live in fear” is both disrespectful and impractical. Due to jobs and other factors, this simply is not possible or healthy. Again, if we collectively were practicing social distancing and wearing masks appropriately, we could avoid further shutdowns and prolonging the worst of the spread.

🖤 My family just had Covid and recovered. It affected each of us differently and to different severities, but it took Andrew and I nearly two full weeks to recover energy, and we still had (have) some lingering side effects. We were never emergent or feared for our lives, but after experiencing it, I do see how those who are elderly or with compromised immunity would have a difficult time fighting the virus. If for no one else, we should be taking precautions to protect them.

🖤 Just because the virus didn’t affect you personally, or your case was mild, doesn’t negate the fact that it does impact many people severely. And to say it only affects the elderly or those with compromised immune systems is not always the case, according to my family working in the medical field seeing this firsthand. 

🖤 The strain on our medical workers across the country is real and severe. They are overworked, stressed, having to make difficult decisions and comfort the dying. They are carrying a huge amount of the burden of this pandemic in many ways. If you’re a medical worker and have been spared this stress, I urge you to speak up in your communities to encourage people to take appropriate precautions to prevent it from getting worse. We see what happens when this virus goes unchecked, and we have the knowledge and tools to prevent it! 

🖤 Everyone is very critical and wary of another major shutdown, and I understand why. If we don’t want this to happen again, we have been given the tools and instructions of what needs to happen: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands. 

🖤 Mental health this year is a very real and concerning issue. We need to take care of ourselves and I don’t think anyone is recommending complete isolation. I think it is important to continue to meet in community with people virtually, as well as having a small bubble of people also taking appropriate precautions to be able to rely on. We were made to live in community, and that is a very real need. Meeting that need doesn’t need to equal negligence for the reality of our temporary situation. There is a balance, and I believe that can look different for different people in different circumstances. However, there is a “greater good” mentality that we also need to keep in mind as we make these incredibly difficult decisions.

🖤 To what end? I am not sure anyone knows the answer to this question. We know a vaccine is coming (which is another conversation entirely). We can’t go on indefinitely this way, sure, but neither can our healthcare workers if people continue to ignore expert advice. No one is saying we plan to wear a mask and social distance forever, but the longer people refuse to work together using preventative measures, the longer this situation will last.

🖤 It’s uncomfortable and inconvenient, and while there are legitimate cases where masks could cause concern for the wearer, the majority are simply choosing not to wear it. At the end of the day, there are so many more important things at stake than comfort or inconvenience. Literally lives. 

I am not downplaying the difficulty of this year for anyone. There are no easy and simple solutions. But I urge you to look beyond the individualist culture, the personal rights and privileges to which you believe you are entitled, and consider the greater good of not just our town, but our country and world as a whole. Seek the Lord and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Don’t get stuck in feeling like you have to stand behind what you have or have not been doing this year, but be humble enough to learn and grow and act accordingly. Above all, treat one another with love and kindness. That’s my heart and truly what I am trying to walk out daily. ❤️