BY: REV. BETSY EAVES
I arise hoping for sunshine, but the sun does not shine. Instead the world is shrouded in fog. A cool mist hangs in the air, and visibility is so low I can barely see the trees down the street. We are in a fog right now with the COVID-19 virus. Asked to stay home by government and medical leaders, we try to find a new rhythm of life. Many people are anxious about how the bills will get paid, if their jobs are secure, if their businesses will survive or their investments will weather the looming financial storm, if they can feed their families or how their children will keep up with school.
We want to do something. We want to make a plan and get to work and fix this problem. There are some people who are hard at work to help us. The frontline medical world is taking care of the sick. Research scientists are hard at work searching for a cure, for medicines to reduce the severity of the illness, for a vaccine to keep this wicked virus at bay. Governments are struggling to determine the best restrictions to put in place to keep people safe and slow the rise of the number infected. Educators are creating innovative online learning opportunities. Congress is working to pass a stimulus package to shore up the economy and support the most vulnerable. Some people are working hard to make a plan and DO something. But for many, it seems there is nothing to do.
As I sat on the patio this morning looking out at the fog, I thought about what we do in a fog. If we are driving, we know the wise thing to do is to turn on our lights and to slow down. We can’t see what is up ahead until we are right on it, so we know to move at a slower pace, being carefully attentive along the way so as not to do any harm to ourselves or someone else. If we are flying, we know that for a time we will be grounded. No matter how badly we want to take to the air, the wise air traffic controllers tell us to stay on the ground.
This is a time to develop a new pace and to stay grounded. We can’t see what lies ahead no matter how great the longing. We can guess. Because some of us have traveled this road or similar roads, we can anticipate some of the curves. But, we can’t know if there will be a new roadblock or an unexpected creature darting from the woods. The experts are telling us what to do. Stay home to keep yourself and everyone else safe. The wisdom of the Spirit is telling us to pay attention to the fog. Slow down. Slow down enough to hear the guiding words. Slow down enough to see the stranger on the road who needs a helping hand. Stop long enough to relax your tense muscles and breathe oxygen into your brain and lungs. And stay grounded. When we are grounded in the Spirit, we are guided by love, not fear. When we are grounded in the Spirit, we recognize that our decisions are best made by thinking of the impact of the whole of humanity, not just ourselves.
These are challenging times. Times that call for us to slow down, to stop, to be grounded in love, not fear. These are times that cry out to us to stop thinking only of ourselves.
We must also remember the other lesson of the fog. It doesn’t last forever. The sun will burn in off. In time the fog will lift. The Light will ultimately shine through, and we will be able to see again. When it does, will we remember the lessons of the fog?
I hope so.
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE April 3 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUISITOR.