Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Like many parents and family of immune-compromised loved ones the first thing that popped into my mind when I started hearing about COVID-19 was, “this is how we’re going to lose Liam.” Maybe that seems dramatic for the everyday person who is young and/or unfamiliar with chronic illness, but to heart parents even the Flu is deadly, so something like Coronavirus is terrifying. We do all the smart things: wear masks in public, wash our hands excessively, limit our trips to the store to 1x per week, etc..., but Logan works in healthcare, so there is a certain amount of risk that we take on at baseline. We can only hope a viable vaccine or treatment can come online faster than the spread, but even as public places reopen, we’ll continue to practice social distancing until a treatment is found because this pandemic is far from contained.

We are incredibly fortunate as a family to still have our jobs- our work is essential and I already work from home. It goes without saying many of our friends and family are not so fortunate and have really been struggling. This pandemic has touched us all in a variety of ways and not all of us have the luxury of staying home. So, how do we love our neighbor well when everyone’s circumstances are so different?

Let’s start with this command from Philippians 2:3-4: “In humility, value others above yourselves. Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” Regardless of creed, I think we can agree this is a good standard. If we all put one another above ourselves, we will all be cared for.


Here are some other ideas:

1) leave your politics at the door and wear a mask out in public. Blue, Red, or Purple, your friends, family, and fellow man deserves the right to live first and foremost. It does not infringe on your dignity or your freedom to respect the dignity of others.

2) Be kind. It’s easy to get frustrated with people who aren’t wearing masks or who aren’t practicing social distancing. I am guilty of a significant amount of teeth grinding on this point and I have said some sharp words to solicitors in my neighborhood as late as last week. These people may not have the money to buy masks, the skill to make them, or a job that provides them. We don’t know every person’s situation.

3) Be generous. Thank your cashier, your food delivery person, your mail person. Recognize the sacrifice they are making to keep you fed and well-stocked. If you can make masks and give them away, do it. If you have a stockpile of disposable masks and see someone in need, give them away. If you are untouched financially by this pandemic, give money to your local food bank, your church, a school. Find ways to alleviate suffering in your neighborhood.

4) Be informed. States are opening before meeting guidelines the President’s Coronavirus task force has written. Information and additional guidance needed for governors to make critical decisions from the CDC is being shelved and some states are withholding virus data. Do not re-post things that you can not verify independently and remember that just because a state or city is reopened doesn’t mean the danger has passed. Gainesville, GA, for instance, is experiencing an explosion of COVID-19 cases only a week after the state reopened (even against the President’s suggestion, which should really put Georgia’s situation into perspective).

It’s not just your life that is at stake, but if we all behave like it is then we might just be able to hold the line until vaccine and/or treatment reinforcements can arrive.

A final word to church goers, pastors, worship leaders, etc: Jesus doesn’t need all of us in one place. He isn’t upset that we pray to him at home instead of with 100 or 500 other people. Don’t make this pandemic’s social distancing about faith or religious persecution. We worship Him best when we follow His command to love our neighbors as ourselves.