It’s become part of our normal morning routine. I set out his needs for the day on the counter – his meds and vitamins (D as his levels are low), his lunch, any mail to go out, and his breakfast – which I hand to him at the door on a paper plate so it is hot. Added to that list now is his mask.
From 8AM to 4PM he must have one in place while he is at work. Soon the hours will be extended as they resume normal business hours.
Listening to the press conferences of our state governor and city mayor have become a part of my day. There haven’t been very many which have been missed. On a recent Friday, the mayor made the announcement that “the orders would not be lifted on Monday, nor this week” and then he added, “And not in the foreseeable future.”
He went on to share it is a necessary step to “protect the vulnerable”. A phrase heard many times over these last few months and yet this time it struck to my core.
Wearing a mask. Social distancing. Hand sanitizing.
The steps we are now being asked to implement for an extended time, and unforeseeable future. All steps needed to protect others.
We don’t like these measures, some may even rebel against them. We don’t want to lose control of ourselves or as one of my granddaughters has often said to me, “I want to be the boss of you and me.”
Perhaps this world wide pandemic is uncovering something which has settled deeply into our hearts.
Maybe the putting on of masks
is unmasking the very things God is wanting to uproot in our lives.
Are we only willing to help the vulnerable when it comes easily and comfortably?
Are we only willing to give to those without as long as we still have for ourselves?
Are we only willing to obey as long as we maintain control?
Are we unwilling to submit to what He may be calling us to do?
“We need to protect the vulnerable.”
His words echo and settle into my heart and have seared this time. The vulnerable – those who are older, of a particular ethnicity, or have pre-existing conditions. The vulnerable have become the young who are breaking out with unexplained rashes and fevers.
But the vulnerable are quickly becoming more than these, as they are also …
- Those without jobs and perhaps none in the foreseeable future.
- Those waiting for hours in food lines to receive nutrition for what may only last for a few days.
- Those with mounting bills and shrinking bank accounts.
- Those without hope.
We need to protect them as well. In fact, Scripture tells us in several places how and who we are to protect:
“No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, NLT)
“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.” (Psalm 82:3, NLT)
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression …Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” (Isaiah 58:9-10, NLT)
May we become more accepting and less critical, our hearts desiring to show more mercy and compassion. May we remember that we, too, were once vulnerable people who came to experience God’s goodness upon our lives and Christ’s love in our hearts.
