FEAR or FAITH?

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

I'm sick. No, I am not sick with the Wuhan virus, or COVID-19, or coronavirus, or whatever we're supposed to call it, I'M SICK OF IT! I'm sick of the constant chatter about it. I'm sick of the non-stop news coverage concerning it. I'm sick of the political posturing over it. And I'm sick of the unbelievable display of "stupidity panic" as a result of it!

Some are reporting this event as a doomsday catastrophe, which at times crosses the line from revealing basic facts to fear-mongering. Others are prophesying that this virus will usher in the final Great Awakening via Facebook technology before the return of Christ. (By the way, I didn't know that God needed social media to accomplish His work. And I also remind you that if an awakening does not take place, the Bible says in the Old Testament that we are to execute false prophets. Be very careful, preacher, what you say. And because of your lying tongue and deceitful words, be very thankful that we don't live in Old Testament days.) While even a few are challenging this whole scenario as a false scheme to manipulate the markets, destroy our prosperous economy, and cause a tidal wave of hatred towards our President in order to assure his defeat in our upcoming election.

In light of all this commotion around us, what are we to think? How should we respond? And what are we to do? Please read my observations with an open mind and an humble spirit, as I have prayerfully prepared to post my thoughts:

• I do not believe the coronavirus is a false news narrative. I believe it is a real disease that should not be taken lightly. I do not know if it originated from someone eating a diseased bat purchased in an open market in Wuhan, China; or was an experiment gone bad in some kind of chemical/biological testing facility in that city; or was a man-made virus intentionally loosed in order to fulfill the desires of those with an extremely depraved heart. I do not know the exact origin, but I believe that it is real.
• Like some, I question why this virus is getting such news coverage when other sicknesses and diseases cause much more death than the coronavirus. The latest report states that there are 186,707 confirmed cases and 7,471 deaths linked to this disease globally. As I stated in my MARCH MADNESS post last week, it is estimated that at least 100,000 have died in this same time period of the common strains of the flu. Hmm, that's an interesting comparison. Also, the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus is very minimal. China, where the virus originated, has a population of 1.4 billion, and has reported just under 81,000 cases with 3,226 deaths. Look at that again: 1,400,000,000 people, and only 81,000 cases. Italy, with a population of 62 million, has certainly been hit hard with the virus according to alarming reports. It has about 28,000 confirmed cases with 2,158 deaths. The United States has a population of 330 million. We currently have 4,743 confirmed cases resulting in 93 deaths. In the state of Mississippi, we have a total population of approximately 3 million, with 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and no deaths. What does all this mean? With a total population of 7.8 billion people on planet Earth, only 0.000024% has the virus. In the U.S. only 0.000014% of our citizens has the virus. And in my home state of Mississippi, only 0.000004% have the disease. If you were to double, or even triple the confirmed cases, it would still remain a very small, minute percentage of the entire population. Estimated figures tell us that so far this year, there have been 7,700 traffic fatalities in the United States compared to 93 coronavirus deaths. You are much more likely to be killed in a car crash in this country than to die from this virus.
• One of the reasons for the concern over the coronavirus is the limited number of hospital beds and medical supplies. Our health care system is not made to handle large numbers of extremely ill members of our society. Just looking at Mississippi, there are a total of about 12,000 hospital beds throughout the state. With a population of 3 million people, it is easy to see that we are not able to house and care for a large number of our citizens should they get desperately ill. Since this is a new virus, we have no natural immunity to it. Therefore, medical professionals, researchers, and governmental leaders have the right to be alarmed and to put forth advice and recommendations to us concerning the desire to lessen the spread of this virus.
• As upsetting as this situation is right now, our world will eventually return to a place of normalcy. For those who like to schedule everything, have all their plans and courses of action spelled out, and possess a sense of control over their lives and circumstances, you will have to adjust to the new normal for the next several weeks. I encourage you to consider others more than yourself. Check on the elderly and those with compromised immune systems who might be in your circle of influence. Look for those opportunities to share the gospel with those who do not posses the same hope that we have in Christ. And by all means, please lovingly encourage everyone to CHILL OUT concerning toilet paper!

                                                                                                  

Many of you probably know that for half of my ministry experience, I have been classified as bivocational. If this term is new to you, it simply means that I have been employed outside of my ministerial vocation to meet the needs of my family's financial burdens. Tammy and I both helped operate a family owned restaurant in Sturgis when our girls were younger and who also worked there with us. I worked at a local hospice company for several years as a chaplain, serving patients, caregivers, and my fellow employees as I ministered to people in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Since 2011, I have been involved in the transportation industry, driving ACR Coach charter buses, as well as Mississippi State University shuttle buses for a three year period in that time frame. During these nine years of meeting thousands of people and helping groups reach their travel destinations, I have sought to be a witness for Christ in a subtle yet straight forward way. I have purposely played Christian music on low volume via the radio or satellite TV on my buses, to which I have never heard one complaint. While working on campus, I engaged in numerous conversations with students who trusted me to give them sound, biblical advice concerning some of the issues that they were facing in life. And in the charter world, I have often quoted the above scripture from Philippians chapter four before purposely praying for our safety on the roadways before embarking on a trip.

With the news of this coronavirus inundating the airwaves of talk radio, news reports, social media, and everyday conversations everywhere, this verse is taking on a whole new meaning for me and my family. The charter bus industry is taking a direct hit in this time of crisis. With an announcement just yesterday of governmental officials suggesting that we do not gather in groups no larger that ten, who's going to plan to fill a bus with 50 passengers to go somewhere? In fact, over 80% of my trips in 2020 have been school or sports related, and now all of my upcoming trips for the next several weeks have been cancelled. Spring time is the "Christmas season" for those of us in this type of work. If we don't make it now, we won't make it at all. We have historically called the months of February, March and April our industry's March Madness because of the hectic schedule associated with this time of year. Now, however, everything has drastically changed.

Other businesses, like ours, are about to be thrown into the fires of financial uncertainty. I say all of this to let you know that I am not writing in an ivory tower, unconnected from the world of fear and concern. Though not physically, this virus is having a direct impact on me and my family. So what are we to do? We can either allow FEAR or FAITH to dominate our hearts, lives, thoughts, and actions. It cannot be both, it is an either/or reality. So we choose FAITH! What about you? Are you going to join forces with those who add to the chaos, or will you link up with the calmness of the redeemed? Jesus said, "In the world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." Amen? So, my dear friend, I encourage you to KEEP CALM and FAITH ON!