loving your neighbor and laying down your life 73/366
sometimes loving your neighbor means cancelling
sometimes laying down your life means not doing something
Plans have been "in the making", the time of executing them has arrived. Supplies are purchased. People are in place to pull off various events. And now many "things" are, at best, being postponed and at worst, cancelled or suspended.
Some athletes in their senior year of spring sports
didn't know their junior year would be their last.
How do they wrap their mind around that loss?
Basketball teams that earned their way to March Madness
and fans of those teams
are mad in March,
not because a ref made a bad call or their team lost
but because their team won't even get to compete.
Some schools are going to online classes for the remainder of the year, some for the next few weeks. There are students being sent home with packets of work to complete since they won't be going to school. How will that work if there is no computer or person at home to help?
I am not up to speed on all the changes the COVID19 is inflicting on people's lives, I have listed some of the ones I know of personally. The event I was prepared for and excited about speaking at Saturday has been postponed. I'm not alone in my disappointment. And we know there may be those who second guess that decision or disagree completely.
But, loving our neighbor means looking at all the facts and recommendations and making the decision that is most responsible, not the one most popular. And for this current time and place we are in, that translates to cancelling the event for tomorrow. Laying down our life for a friend does not always mean dying for them or in their place. Sometimes it means putting aside our life, our "rights", our desires, our plans and looking at life from their perspective and doing what is best for them. And for this current time and place we are in, that means cancelling tomorrow's event.
Loving our neighbor, laying down our life, might also mean checking in on our literal neighbor. It might look like providing childcare for a parent(s) who has to keep going to work. It might mean sharing from our stash of toilet paper or hand sanitizer. It might mean providing a meal for a family. It might mean paying a little more to shop and eat locally at small, family owned businesses so they can pay their bills.
It might mean being uncomfortable.
It will probably cost us something.
It will definitely mean living and loving like Jesus- praying rather than pouting. Encouraging rather than complaining. Sharing rather than hoarding. Serving rather than hiding. Being cautious, but not cowering. Being patient and kind rather than throwing a tantrum. Walking in wisdom, confidently trusting the Author of Life rather than trembling in fear.
It also means continuing to wash your hands, practice good hygiene, cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough and stay home when you are sick, even after the threat of COVID19 is past. I am borrowing my closing comment from a friend: "Just remember to wash your hands and say your prayers because Jesus and germs are everywhere."
sometimes laying down your life means not doing something
Plans have been "in the making", the time of executing them has arrived. Supplies are purchased. People are in place to pull off various events. And now many "things" are, at best, being postponed and at worst, cancelled or suspended.
Some athletes in their senior year of spring sports
didn't know their junior year would be their last.
How do they wrap their mind around that loss?
Basketball teams that earned their way to March Madness
and fans of those teams
are mad in March,
not because a ref made a bad call or their team lost
but because their team won't even get to compete.
Some schools are going to online classes for the remainder of the year, some for the next few weeks. There are students being sent home with packets of work to complete since they won't be going to school. How will that work if there is no computer or person at home to help?
I am not up to speed on all the changes the COVID19 is inflicting on people's lives, I have listed some of the ones I know of personally. The event I was prepared for and excited about speaking at Saturday has been postponed. I'm not alone in my disappointment. And we know there may be those who second guess that decision or disagree completely.
But, loving our neighbor means looking at all the facts and recommendations and making the decision that is most responsible, not the one most popular. And for this current time and place we are in, that translates to cancelling the event for tomorrow. Laying down our life for a friend does not always mean dying for them or in their place. Sometimes it means putting aside our life, our "rights", our desires, our plans and looking at life from their perspective and doing what is best for them. And for this current time and place we are in, that means cancelling tomorrow's event.
Loving our neighbor, laying down our life, might also mean checking in on our literal neighbor. It might look like providing childcare for a parent(s) who has to keep going to work. It might mean sharing from our stash of toilet paper or hand sanitizer. It might mean providing a meal for a family. It might mean paying a little more to shop and eat locally at small, family owned businesses so they can pay their bills.
It might mean being uncomfortable.
It will probably cost us something.
It will definitely mean living and loving like Jesus- praying rather than pouting. Encouraging rather than complaining. Sharing rather than hoarding. Serving rather than hiding. Being cautious, but not cowering. Being patient and kind rather than throwing a tantrum. Walking in wisdom, confidently trusting the Author of Life rather than trembling in fear.
It also means continuing to wash your hands, practice good hygiene, cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough and stay home when you are sick, even after the threat of COVID19 is past. I am borrowing my closing comment from a friend: "Just remember to wash your hands and say your prayers because Jesus and germs are everywhere."
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