A Spiritual Lesson from Covid-19

As I write, most of us are experiencing a global pandemic’s realities for the first (and hopefully only) time in our lives.

For me, the reality of COVID-19 slowly started with snippets of news items in places far away before overtaking the local news media.

Many changes —some happening quickly— were made to help keep us healthy. In less than a month, most of us had little choice but to adjust to a world much different from what we were used to. Simple pleasures, such as taking children or pets for playtime at a park or shopping for anything, especially groceries, were no longer pleasurable. Venturing outside of the home took way more planning and preparation than we could have anticipated. There were times when I procrastinated or rationalized away an outdoor venture until the event became unavoidable.

Extremes of human behavior came to the surface.

Random acts of kindness, such as young people volunteering to shop for those in more vulnerable situations, warmed our hearts.

On the other hand, people’s unfortunate acts of selfishness ranged from hoarding items to refusing to maintain a safe physical distance, thus putting more vulnerable people at greater risk. As jobs and businesses were categorized as “essential” or “nonessential,” some people were able to continue their work —though within very different parameters. Others saw their livelihoods dry up like withered leaves in the fall. The insecurity all these rapid changes brought was palpable.

For some, their church family and their usual go-to place of worship and comfort were no longer available to them in the usual manner.

Many people were ushered, feet dragging, into a brave new world of technologically assisted support. Telemedicine, livestreaming, and Zoom conferences became the new norm—an uncomfortable, intimidating norm for some, especially those who had managed to live without these “novelties” of modern life.

After about a month of experiencing the new realities of the pandemic, I was grateful to be able to mentally step back and reflect that, indeed, this world is not our home. It was a time to compare the new life I was living with the old ways.

Further, it has also been a time to consider that the promise of eternal life in heaven is even more desirable now than ever before!

Doreen Evans-Yorke