Lessons I Learned about humanity, the enemy, and myself from good old Rona’ - Jennifer Beil
Lessons I Learned about humanity, the enemy, and myself from good old Rona’ (Covid 19)
Corona Virus Groups
Group 1: Fear of the actual Virus
*These people were avid mask wearers, went the right direction in the grocery stores isles, got nervous when people gottoo close, and were quick to get the vaccine. They washed their hands more than typical, watched the news, read articles, and watched videos to keep a close eye on the infection rate and death toll. They also wanted instructions as to what the experts were telling them to do to stay safer. They were happy to quarantine believing they were helping the people they loved and their neighbors.
Group 2: Questioned the media, the government, and the agenda
*These people wore masks only when specifically asked to, didn’t pay any attention to the arrows in the grocery isles, hugged their friends and family without second thought, and will only get the vaccine over their dead bodies. They watched “other” news outlets, read “other” articles, and watched “other” videos that exposed the apparent lies and mis-information the mainstream media was spreading. They were miserable being in quarantine and believed they were having their constitutional rights ripped away from them quicker than anyone could ever imagine.
I had friends, family members and fellow christians that I love and DEEPLY respect in both group 1 and in group 2.
I have personally been in both groups. I started out in group 2. The whole thing just never made logical sense to me, had a couple weeks in group 1, and then jumped in deeper to group 2.
You may have noticed, when we have things we disagree on, the enemy comes in and pounces.
The first way he attacked was by instilling fear.
I think sometimes people in group 2 arrogantly looked down on people in group one for living in fear! But can’t we agree if we stop and think for a minute, people in group 2 were JUST AS AFRAID as people in group one! The fear was just placed differently! Group 1 people were afraid of their friends, family members and themselves dying. People in group 2 were afraid of government over reach and their freedoms being taken away. Both are fear. And fear is not of the Lord!!
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The second way the enemy attacked was by trying to divide us.
Haven't you noticed people in group 1 wanted to desperately convince, convict, and persuade people that group 1 was the place to be! That you are uncaring, and hateful to be in group 2 and you have it all wrong? On the flip side, people in group 2 were convinced that they were “WOKE” and have seen through all the smoke and mirrors to reveal the “TRUTH” of what was actually happening? They would share underground youtube videos to people in group 1 so they would see the light!
Romans 14:2-8
For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
This might be one of my favorite passages. You see, it was never our job to convince anyone else of how they should have navigated this virus. We were to be “fully persuaded” in our OWN MINDS!
I know all of you are just dying to know my weakness through this whole pandemic: My daily struggle was giving grace, understanding and ultimately love and respect to people who did’t think the way I thought. I mentioned before I have been in both groups and have friends and family members in both groups… So how did I combat this?
I want to introduce you to another Group: Group 3!
Group 3: Realized they are not in control of the virus OR the powers that be.
*These people were consciousness of the people around them and wore masks when appropriate and didn’t wear masks when they were not appropriate. They asked before going in for a hug, or handshake. They didn’t want politics, illness, or the lack of freedom to cast a stumbling block for an unbeliever to come to Christ. They washed their hands when they should wash their hands. They rarely watched the news, or read articles because they were completely uninterested in the virus. They decided to control the areas of life they could control: their walk with God, their relationship with their family, and their service for others. They navigated conversation away from points of division to points of unity between believers. They didn’t send any articles to people in group 1 or group 2 with regards to the virus because they didn’t read them. They lived in hope and not in fear. They realized it is not their job to convince anyone of anything except the saving knowledge of the LORD JESUS CHRIST!!
TRUTH BOMB!!! I struggled to stay in group 3. I desperately wanted to be in group 3! My daily goal was to be live in Group 3. Sometimes I won the victory and sometimes I failed miserably. I can relate to Paul when he said “I DIE DAILY!” It was literally a flesh vs. Spirit battle for me. Like I said before I am a truth seeker! I want truth and I want to share truth!
LESSON:
If I am being honest and transparent there are many different areas of my life that I have friends, family members, and fellow christians that I love and DEEPLY respect that are fully persuaded in their own minds on polar opposite ends of the standards spectrum. Examples: music, dress, child discipline, social media, entertainment, and the list can go on and on and on.
So how did I fight against the enemies desire to divide my friends, family, and church family?
1. I started using a purple highlighter to highlight any passage in the Bible that has to do with the tongue to remind me how much power my mouth has!
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
2. I only read articles, or watch videos about any subject from people I actually have a relationship with and have talked to face to face. Social media, texting, and instant messaging has caused a little bit of slippery slope for relationships. I know its way easier to text or write about confrontational issues than actually talk about them face to face. I find I have more respect and compassion to people I am talking with when I can read their body language and look them in the eye.
3. I try to bathe my conversations in prayer. I try to be diligent to ask God for wisdom when I am having a face to face conversation. I pray for Him to help me to say the things I am supposed to say and to convict me not to say the things I am not supposed to say.
James 3:13-18 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
4. While I am in a conversation where there is disagreement I try to change the subject. In all of my relationships we have soooooo much more that we agree on then we disagree on, so just adjusting the conversation to another topic makes a world of difference.
5. When It comes to memes and articles I have read by people I actually talk to face to face, I share them with a group of friends I know is in my group when it comes to a particular topic. When It comes to something that is funny or something that speaks to my soul, I can be compared to a child who has a $100 bill burning a hole in their pocket, I HAVE to share it. So I have decided who I can share those things with. People who are in my “group”, people who are already fully persuaded and I know will not cause a stumbling block to. Just like Corona, it is not my job to convince anyone of anything except the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!
6. When I was an immature christian, (who am I kidding, I still struggle with this) I was convinced that everyone wanted to know what I though about a certain topic and that I had the answer they were searching for. The hard, sad, truth is literally no one cared what I thought about anything. I have found the more mercy and love I have showed to people, the more interested they have become in what and why my family has chosen to live the life we have purposed to live. It all boiled down to not having enough faith in the Holy Spirit of God to do His work. I thought I had to help him by convicting other people for Him. How gross of me.
In these last days, (hey, we are closer to Christs’ return today than we were yesterday!) I think its very appropriate to extend extra grace and mercy. Lets not make our differences in how we feel about an illness, our wokeness, politics, standards, and preferences prevent us from being a good neighbor, being a need filler, and ultimately being good christians, wives, and mothers.