It seems like a lot of people just want to be told what to do in this pandemic. They won’t heed warnings, they need threats. They won’t take this virus seriously unless you take away all their rights. Obviously I blame that on a system where people are constantly told what to do from a very young age using a method of threats and punishment. Sit down. Stand up. Walk in a line. Wait. Stay with the group. Don’t talk. Talk. Eat now. Go to the bathroom now. No, you can’t go to the bathroom. Wear your seat belt. Eat your vegetables. No straws. Drive 55. And on and on. Follow instructions! Thinking for yourself is not encouraged.
However with or without a ‘system’ that encourages conforming and following rules, I think it’s mostly personality. People are either ‘rules followers’ or ‘rules questioners’. Some feel safer with rules. Some feel threatened by authority.
Right now we are told to follow these rules , stay home, do these assignments and turn them in, stay 6 feet away from other people, self-quarantine if you’ve been exposed, don’t hoard, don’t go to work, go to work if you are essential, listen to our panicky news broadcasts every day. But too many people are ignoring this information and still gathering in groups and doing other stupid things. They seem to need someone to make them do the right thing.
So now the message is: If you don’t stay home , we will arrest you, close the borders, shut down the economy, and thousands will die! If you do what you’re told, we will give you money to pay your bills and protect you from the virus. The walls are closing in.
But there are also people in America who question authority, who prefer to base their actions on facts, who don’t need to be told what to do all day long, who can see that the news broadcasts are constantly changing and leaving out information, who want to protect their families, who want to stay healthy, who want to keep the economy alive. These people are often disparaged and accused of not following orders, putting others at risk, when they just want to know exactly what is happening and make up their own minds. They do not like being manipulated or left in the dark. This does not make them bad people. Nothing wrong with wanting the truth! But it’s important for ALL of us to obey the instructions right now so we do not push them to putting even worse restrictions on us. Even if you don’t believe anything they are saying about the cause of the virus or how many are dying or what the ultimate plans are , you can be sure that God knows what is happening and he has allowed it, for HIS purposes.
Christians need to be the light during this crisis. Show the world that you have trust in God. Trials are for our good. Death is not to be feared. Man is not to be feared. If God is sovereign, if Jesus died for our salvation, if the Kingdom of God is at hand, we can have peace! But sadly, I see quite a few believers that are filled with fear right now. Remember, fear is from the devil or a lack of true faith. Don’t give in to it! I’m not saying I have been 100% fearless, but we all have to fight this battle with the armor God has given us.
All of us want the best outcomes. None of us wants grandma or mom to die. We just want to know the truth. Some feel the best way to get to the truth is from the government. Others feel that they must seek out alternative news sources. Either way, it’s impossible to predict the future right now. Is it ever really possible to fully know what will happen in the future? No. So, we must keep level heads and be smart and take care of ourselves the best we can, no matter who we believe. Yes, we know from Scripture that in the end times certain things will happen, but God has not given us dates or names. We mustn’t run ahead of Him or add to his Word.
There IS a virus that is making people sick and the best way to deal with it is to stay away from other people so it stops spreading. It doesn’t matter where the virus came from or who is to blame if you get sick, you are sick! So whether you blame Trump or love him, trust the news or don’t, be safe, stay home, and trust God.
Some trust in chariots and others in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm. Psalm 20
Blue Skies and Green Pastures 
I love this line especially: “you can be sure that God knows what is happening and he has allowed it, for HIS purposes.” Amen, Sister, you are totally right. I believe He is sending the world a wake-up call. In His mercy, He is giving us an alarm. We need to pay attention. God bless you and keep you.
And you! Thanks for reading.
I don’t “feel threatened by authority.” I think the people in authority in our country are functionally insane, and that’s hardly a new development. I think they are the ones who are poorly educated. I don’t have blind trust that the people who are loading bills up with gross pork projects in a crisis have our best interests in mind. I think you are crazy if you think they do. While you are lecturing people on “taking this virus seriously” they are robbing you and your children and your grandchildren blind in the name of “flattening the curve.”
Every single cultural and economic institution in our country has been ruined by the generation that is currently in power and won’t give it up even though they are quite seriously going senile. The media is ruined. We have tenured academics at universities who are so innumerate they have literally published gibberish prank submissions in peer-reviewed journals. The same institutions that are publishing models on the spread of disease with basic math errors. Now they have thoroughly pitted the interests of an aging 1960s generation against the livelihoods and educations of three generations younger than them.
Right now, I am blessed to still have a very lucrative job. But I can mostly guess where people stand in the fight over whether a cold virus (which is literally what the coronavirus is) is the end of the world by whether they are employed or not. There are currently families where both earners are unemployed and they are suffering the indignity of living off a very fragile government, who is supplying them with less money than they need to pay the bills. I’m sorry, but that’s not the same as banning straws for the good of all humanity. There are a lot people feeling pretty forsaken by God right now, and telling them to shut up and get on message is not going to help them. It’s certainly not going to bring any doubter to Jesus.
What do you think would help? I’m not saying to shut up. I’m saying we have to stop spreading the virus. I have friends who are literally so afraid they are nauseated. Just offering a little Biblically based hope. Man is not in control of everything. On the other hand, I do believe God uses some people in his plans , so some people will be working to stop the government overreach while others are stopping the panic, while others are working to take care of the sick. If you have a role, play it, if you are just watching , then try to stay calm.
Great post PK, I just wish people would listen to the Federal, state and local mandates/orders to stay home and not be walking around spreading this thing all over the place. El Paso just ordered a stricter (if that’s a word lol) local order because this weekend TONS of people were at local parks! Violating the 50 or more social gatherings. I was dumbfounded, I have stayed home except for maybe going to the store to get essentials last week. And, yes I’m getting a bit cabin feverish, but I still run, after work and when the sun is starting to set I run around my neighborhood because no one is out. I, stay away from anyone I see and since my running is only in 45 to an hour in duration I follow all protocols. But stupid people aren’t taking this seriously, that is until they catch this thing. I have to be reminded about what you wrote because after-all its true. God knows why this is happening, and it’s not the first nor the last time that humanity will be put to the test by the Lord.
[…] We all know that it’s been ONE YEAR since lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID rocked our world. The world shut down in the beginning of March 2020 for us and even earlier for other countries. We stocked up on groceries and toilet paper (a blog I wrote when it was still funny) for what we thought would be TWO WEEKS, maybe a month. Some of us suspected it was fake or no biggie. We were more concerned about running out of food due to hoarding. Others were much more afraid from day one. I wrote about that and later I felt guilty for joking about it when I realized that people were actually losing loved ones. I am sorry. Honestly, it never really felt real to me unless I was in a store and forced to wear a mask. I knew people who got Covid, but most did okay. When a friend lost both of her parents the same day, it finally hit home. I started writing more empathetic posts. […]