Things are looking rather bleak. The media rattles off an alarming increase in the numbers of the people who have contracted and died from the Coronavirus. The press offers minute-by-minute updates of the ever-increasing casualties.
The United States stock market dropped thousands of points this week. The main media outlets cover the dramatic drops in value and upticks 24/7. There are pictures of food stores that show empty shelves, stoking fear. Online you see large lines forming at Costco to purchase supplies in case of a disaster.
It’s easy to succumb to the fear of the crowd when everywhere you turn there is negative news. The hard part is to keep your head when everyone else around you are going into a panic mode.
There are some bright spots on the horizon, but we will have to manage our expectations about what will happen next. It’s highly likely that the next few weeks and months will be rocky. The Coronavirus is something scientists and the medical community have not encountered before. They don’t yet know its cause nor do they currently possess an antidote or vaccine. It’s unreasonable to believe that life will play out like the movies, our medical heroes and heroines immediately find a cure and save the day. The reality is that this will take time.
Like almost anything in life, reaching out to the God of the universe for help is the only thing that makes sense. This outbreak is just another reminder of how finite we are. I have to continue to remind myself that it takes the same amount of energy to worry as to pray. One leads to peace, the other to panic.
It seems at times that life is just one big social experiment and a test of what we are made up of, especially in times of crisis.
One of the people I have always admired is Eric Liddell who was a devout Christian who represented Scotland in the 1924 summer Olympics. He was a missionary, and some believed he should have given up the sport to preach, but Liddell believed that God had called him to race. At the Summer Olympics in Paris Liddell refused to run in the heats for his favored 100 meters because they were held on a Sunday. Instead he competed in the 400 meters held on a weekday, a race that he won. “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Doctors and scientists are challenged with the Coronavirus outbreak. Many take on the task out of the motivation of becoming a hero or at the very least, the feeling of being needed. Then there are those who are motivated to find a cure for the glory of God, they sense God’s pleasure in their talent. This is the backdrop behind everything in life including music and touring.