Just kidding! I cannot imagine anyone in the United States of America who has not heard about and/or been impacted by the Corona Virus Emergency. I have been trying to post a daily devotional of encouragement on Face Book based on Psalm 23. I hope it has been helpful. For sure, it has been helpful for me to do offer it.
Today I want to share kind of a “pre-emptive warning”. Many of us have been around for enough time that we have seen a disaster or two. We lived through Hugo, we reached out during Katrina, we travelled overseas after the tsunamis. There is a strange thing that happens in the middle of disasters. It is slow and it kind of sneaks up on us. It is called by some “compassion fatigue”. Compassion fatigue can happen when we have been pre-occupied be some extreme hardship. We can become inundated with information and news… particularly bad news. We may gradually start experiencing anxiety, fear, frustration, doubts, anger, etc. Before we know it we start caring too much or too little, start feeling apathetic toward real needs, start bottling up our emotions, isolate, turn to substance abuse of our drug of choice.
This is new territory for many people. We have experienced disasters before but not many of us have experienced pandemics…world-wide emergencies! So, let’s take a deep breath and do what we know to do. First, let’s cut back a little on the amount of news we watch. Don’t ignore it completely, just don’t let it dominate your time and thinking. Watch some comedy and laugh; listen to music and dance; look at art and be amazed. Second, don’t forget to exercise when you can. Get outside even if you can’t go far. Third, take advantage of technology. Call, talk, skype, facebook, zoom…just find a way to stay connected. We need others and others need us!
When I played and coached ball, we sometimes played “small ball”. That means you try to win with bunts, singles and walks. You steal one base. You don’t have to hit the home run or the triple every time. Small ball can win the game. During this corona virus challenge, let’s play some small ball. Do the little things that improve our spiritual and mental health. Fill up daily with praise, Bible reading, music, a phone call, giving thanks. Empty out daily the frustrations, explosive anger, isolation and anxiety. Breathe in God’s Holy Spirit, breathe out our confessions…fill up and empty out, fill up and empty out. Stay healthy spiritually, mentally, physically, socially, relationally. Don’t let compassion fatigue rob you of the life Jesus gives you! When this trial passes, we want you healthy and blessed!
Pastor Tom
P.S. We now have 60 families that give online/electronically! We cannot overstate what a blessing that is to our ongoing church budget during this time. Thank you so much.
