How Christians Must Respond to the Coronavirus

The world feels shaky. Coronavirus is the culprit.

The New York Times called the virus a worldwide paranoia is out of control. And the virus is not a stand-alone problem.

The virus has affected world travel, the stock market and the world economy.

The broader picture reveals some deeper struggles.

There is an undercurrent: fear. Many are afraid.

What we don’t understand, we often fear.

God tells us not to fear and not to worry.

“Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouses nor barns. Yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds? Who of you by worrying can add one cubit to his height? If you then cannot do what is least, why are you anxious about the other things?” (Luke 22:33-36).

To check the status of fear, just try to find some hand sanitizer at your local Walmart. It is hard to find. Fear sells, and opportunists are always ready.

Amazon reported:

As Wired reported, some items were having their prices increased by three to four times the standard level. Since then, the gouging has become worse, with 24-packs of 2-ounce hand sanitizer bottles seeing jumps from $10 per box to more than $400. Shipping costs are also being raised to exorbitant levels.

Fear is running wild

Fear is running rampant at the possibility of the virus moving to pandemic levels.

Some fear is legit. With no vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, there is great concern. Although the fatality rate is low, it is higher than the fatality rate of the flu virus.

“Anxiety spreads faster than the virus,” Catherine Belling, associate professor of Medical Education at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said in an interview with ABC News.

Fear and worry are not friends in fighting off the virus. Ultimately, the most important thing to do is not to panic, because panic is a killer. Take a deep breath, remember that “pandemic” describes a disease’s spread, not its severity.

The Spectrum reported that tech employees are experiencing a “Fear of Going to Work” due to the coronavirus. They call it FOG. And also reported is that it’s leading to a lot more people who are WFM (Working From Home).

Remember:

—Stay levelheaded.

—Use common sense.

—Get a flu shot.

—Wash your hands with warm water for two minutes.

—Touch your face as little as possible.

—Do not overindulge in the news or social media.

—Stay engaged in the public health announcements of your local community.

Great advice.

Doctors suggestions are; “If you have difficulty breathing, where it’s hard for you to catch your breath, if you are having fevers that are uncontrolled or if you cannot eat or drink, go see your doctor.”

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34, NKJV)

If you don’t have these symptoms, and even if you do, then tell fear to get lost.