EDC. IFAK. Bug Out Bag. INCH Bag. SHTF. TEOTWAWKI. Preppers and survivalists know these terms and devote considerable time and energy to preparing for every imaginable worst-case scenario. (In case you’re wondering what those letters mean, here is a link to a discussion thread that tackles these and many more.)
COVID-19. It’s a virus. Most people who get it survive, and in fact it appears that the majority have symptoms so mild that they don’t even realize they’ve gotten it. But with most of the world (apparently) on some sort of shutdown, this virus has become a big deal, a SHTF situation, and it truly is affecting all our lives.
I decided to do some reading and learning and figuring things out, because I’m not sure I know how to survive, much less thrive. I don’t have an INCH bag; I’m not prepared for TEOTWAWKI. You’re welcome to read along and learn with me.
King’s Kids
Before we start, let me get one thing out the way. This “Abundant Life” business hinted at in the title isn’t a joke. But it is only available to King’s Kids. In other words, born-again, Spirit-filled believers in Jesus Christ. Harold Hill’s How to Live Like a King’s Kid is one of the best resources out there. If you aren’t a King’s kid, or you are but aren’t living in abundant life, feel free to keep reading (or grab the King’s Kid book above, and read that first if you rather). While the full abundance is only available to King’s kids who live like King’s kids, the principles are helpful (maybe even life-changing) to everyone.
Death Is Not the End
For the King’s kids, here never was home anyway. I may hold a US passport, have a driver’s license that identifies my state of residence, but this world is not HOME.
Heaven is. And I don’t get to go home and get a new body until I die. Death is not the end, but a new beginning. When this truth sinks deep into my heart and soul, death is no longer a fearsome specter, but a doorway to going home.
I’ve been reading scripture in great gulps, and Philippians has come alive in this time of pandemic like never before. I understand better Paul’s wrestling with desiring to go home while knowing that staying will be important for those who need what he brings to the Kingdom.
Sit for a minute and ask God to show you your heart. Is there fear of death there? If there is, no condemnation. You are a King’s Kid, and fear of death does not belong in the abundant life. You can bring the fear of death to God and tell Him you are done with it.
Kick Out Fear
Fear hit me hard, when the school shutdown in my state got announced. Seventy-five percent of my job as a home-care nurse is with kids in school. When they don’t go to school, I don’t work. And if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. I also live alone, so quarantine would mean no social contact. Being alone for days on end is my worst nightmare. I simply don’t do well with isolation.
But I knew that fear is a spirit (2 Timothy 1:7) and that perfect Love (aka Jesus) casts out fear (1 John 4:18). So, all that week I fought it, rebuked it, took it to Jesus, and gained some measure of victory even in the midst of the battle. And finally, on Saturday night, God showed me, through a gentle inner knowing, that there was a spirit of accusation also attacking me. I commanded that to leave, and the fear left too. I’ve had a deep settled peace ever since. Not that I haven’t felt stressed or had times of being tempted to fear. But peace has reigned.
This is a slice of abundant life; to have no fear even though I don’t know how next month’s rent is going to be paid, or if I will continue to have work, or if I will be stuck in my apartment alone for weeks on end.
Come to God again and give Him permission to show you your heart. If you discover more fear, bring that to God too. Persist in prayer and worship until it is gone.
Choose What is Real
In a time and place where false narratives, fake news, alternative facts, and “post-truth” ideology inundates every aspect of our lives, it is not enough to look for things truthful. We need Truth. Nay, more, we need the Spirit of Truth. (For a fuller and better explanation of this, see the book by the same name.)
This seeking of the Spirit of Truth, to be filled and changed by Him, is the first and most needful. But choosing what is real doesn’t stop there. In fact, I daresay this principle undergirds all the others.
Here are some of the ways choosing what is real may play out in practical terms.
· Turn off the national news. Fill your mind with good books and scripture and words of hope and peace.
· Eat real food. Skip fake, faux, and processed in favor of real. Simple and unprocessed, not necessarily raw, but prepared simply. Real fruit instead of semi-artificial juice, fresh veggies instead of the processed kind, real meat that isn’t ground up and stuffed with filler.
· Use preventive measures instead of over-the-counter symptoms management. See previous post for suggestions.
· It’s okay to limit contact with negative people. Social media platforms have restricted friends lists and block buttons and other ways to restrict people’s access to your thoughts. Un-following, blocking, unfriending, not bothering to respond to a message, whatever it takes, it’s worth it.
Be Fearless/Love Well
Just over a week ago, schools closed in Pennsylvania. A week of pandemonium and panic (and pandemic, just to finish out the alliteration).
Even before that, I began to ask myself, "What would a completely fear-less approach to this look like?"
To be clear: Fearless is not careless, thoughtless, or stupid. It is calm, clear-eyed, thoughtful, loving, kind, and brave.
And as this crazy week has played out, I've begun to catch glimpses of the answer to this question.
Fearless looks like patient reiteration of love. Fearless is a refusal to take refuge in panic or fearmongering, nor to adopt an attitude of careless bravado. Fearless walks the road step by step, making decisions based on available information even though later developments may make those decisions look foolish. Fearless looks like leaving toilet paper on the shelf. Fearless looks like babysitting, self-quarantining, going to work in an ICU, giving a much needed hug, laughing until you get side stitches, offering a meal, paying someone else's rent when you're not sure how you're going to make payroll, praying with quiet faith, practicing social distancing, livestreaming a sermon, knocking on the neighbor's door...
Choose Abundant Life
Be a King’s Kid. Don’t be afraid of death, live in the Spirit of Truth, and Love well. It’s an unconventional guide to surviving a pandemic, to be sure. And this doesn’t negate the ordinary and practical measures, such as being cognizant to avoid unnecessary spread and supporting a strong immune system.
I’m learning here. A baby King’s Kid, in many ways. Probably not everything here is correct, or as accurate as it could be. If you have some wisdom, or correction, or insights, to add, please do.
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