Lamenting a Pandemic

Throughout all of human history, people have loudly lamented when life is hard. There are many laments in the Bible, including the entire book of Lamentations and many of the Psalms. Jesus himself lamented his lot in the Garden of Gethsemane!

Life is hard right now. As I'm writing, more than 1,000,000 people have confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world; and we all know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. One of the most challenging things about COVID-19 is that it appears without symptoms in a significant number of people.

Almost 300,000 in the United States have confirmed cases. Most of us now have active cases not just in our states, but in the very county in which we live. Some have cases in their own communities...or in their own families.

And we're worried. We worry about our grandchildren with compromised immune systems, our sisters fighting cancer, our parents and grandparents. We worry about being able to purchase needed food, medical supplies, and more. We worry about leaving our own children without a mother or father.

Is it "un-Christian" to worry? I mean, we see it in the Bible: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7) So is it wrong for us to worry? To lament our sorrows? To be scared and anxious?

Of course not!

In Isaiah 16, Isaiah weeps for Jazer and the vineyards of Sibmah. His tears flow. His joy is gone. We, like Isaiah, can be filled with anguish for those places and people who are in the midst of Corona-chaos.

 Like Job, sometimes we wish we had never been born. Like Jeremiah, we wonder why the world is so very painful. And like in Lamentations, we weep; tears flow down our cheeks. And we lament that no one is here to comfort us.

Our coronavirus quarantine is lonely. The news brings tears to our eyes. And God understands every bit of this. He knows our pain. Even Jesus wept.

And after weeping, we carry on. We bring our lamentations to God, and then ask Him for help to pick up our burdens and carry on. He listens. He hears. He comforts us as we mourn our normal, our world, the pain, and the death.

Our pain and tears are not symbols or symptoms of a loss of faith! They are our prayers for a better world, a better tomorrow. They are our cries for God's presence in the midst of our sorrow!

Because God is faithful, He will answer our pleas! 2 Chronicles 20:9b says, "We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us." Go ahead and cry out to your Father; He will hear and respond. Reach out to Jesus, our Lord and Savior! He will bring you comfort.

Go ahead and lament; you are in good company!

"I'm Happy."

This little boy with the braids will often say, out of the blue, "I'm happy!" Usually, after he blurts this, someone asks him, "What are you happy about?" And he answers.

"I'm happy that we have potatoes tonight."

"I'm happy that we live in a safe house."

"I'm happy because we are playing a game."

"I'm happy because..."

There's always something to be happy about. He's teaching me this in a new way. I know the teaching of the Bible: Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) I know my joy is in Jesus Christ. And I know the difference between earthly happiness and heavenly joy.

But...

Right now, I think the world could use a little of this boy's "I'm happy" attitude.

So, think about it: What are you happy about?

I'm happy that everyone in our household seems to be healthy.
I'm happy that my parents have groceries delivered.
I'm happy that my children are finding ways to be happy at home.
I'm super-happy that our teenager is genuinely motivated to stay quarantined.
I'm happy that my husband wears a mask when talking with people outside our household.
I'm happy that our cats entertain us all.
I'm happy that you can freeze milk.
I'm happy that we can still worship on Sunday mornings.
I'm happy that we have enough food to share when needed.
I'm happy that the stimulus money will help us pay our mortgage so our renters and we don't worry.
I'm happy that technology lets me stay social without the chance of spreading COVID-19.

I could go on, I know. There is much to be happy about.

I also know that there is much to worry about for each one of us. Worries about finances, loved ones, food, illness, our retirement accounts, etc. And I know what to do with those, too: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7.

Proverbs 12:25 says,  "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad." Let's follow our little guy's lead and look for things to be happy about. Share those thoughts! Be the "good word" that makes someone glad. In this troubled time, making someone glad is something to be treasured. 

Essential Outing

Last night I went to the grocery store. It was an essential outing because I needed my medications and the pharmacy we use is at the grocery store. Because I was going to the store anyway, we decided I should do some shopping to avoid a later trip. It was only the second trip to anywhere I had taken in 16 days.

Seriously.

We've been self-quarantined (and then state- and tribal-quarantined) for 17 days now. It's really going quite well. My "school" cupboards have been thoroughly cleaned, and we're doing fun activities using all the treasures I found in the cleaning. The kids are playing and learning and playing some more. I even traded the teenager an extra hour of daily screen time for an hour of "joining the family in some activity." It's been delightful to have her play games, paint, or jump on the trampoline with us every day!

As you can see in the photo, I wore a mask to the store. I also wore latex gloves. I was the only one in the store to be so attired, and I have to admit I was a little self-conscious. Not self-conscious enough to put away my protective gear, though.

I am not afraid to get the virus, although I'd rather not, of course. I am concerned about bringing the virus home and giving it to my children or my husband or someone wandering through our yard who asks for food. I do not want to be the "seed case" for our small community.

As I watched the not-very-many people at the grocery store wander near each other without masks or even awareness of risk, I was doubly glad that I had my protective gear. I had brought my own sanitizing wipes for the cart and PIN pad, and I used the self-check-out lanes. The helpful employee suggested that I should go to check-out 15 because someone was checking people out there. He seemed surprised when I said I preferred to handle my own groceries. Check-out lane 15 would have added two more people's hands to each item I purchased, people who had been exposed to hundreds of people as they worked in the grocery store. No, thank you.

And when that helpful employee brought me a second cart to put my scanned groceries in, I stopped and wiped down the cart before touching it. Again, he seemed surprised.

Unconcerned. These folks all seemed unconcerned about COVID-19. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not an alarmist. I am not a germaphobe. I eat food off the floor in my house. My kids get muddy from head-to-toe. I figure that playing with a neighbor when they have a cold builds immunity.

But this disease gives me pause. And so I donned my gloves and mask to grocery shop. And I will do so every time I encounter people outside my family. We will remain socially-distanced for as long as this illness remains a threat.

I urge you to, too. And take a few minutes to watch this video. I saw it yesterday and it confirmed my concerns about grocery shopping and bringing groceries into our house. I used the techniques taught today. Hopefully, they will keep us safe.

Stay at home every time you have a choice. Next month, the pharmacy will be mailing our medications to our home. One less chance to spread COVID-19 is a good thing.

Goom Common Snese

When I was in high school, we lived in a small northwestern Iowa town. It had a daily newspaper (which I delivered when I was younger than high school), and one day the paper ran an article about how common sense was anything but common. I'm sure the article had some good points, but the reason I have any memory of it at all is that the headline was: Goom Common Snese. It became a family joke that is still tossed around occasionally, "Oh, now that's an example of goom common snese!"

When I look around at today's news...coronavirus...lockdown...stories of sickness and death...panic buying of toilet paper (?!) and other goods...I'm thinking that the world could use an enormous dollop of good common sense.

I mean, seriously people, there's a brand new virus out there that no humans have immunity to. Think about that. We are all going to get this thing, especially given that it seems to be fairly easily transmitted. Now, I get that 80%ish of people don't really have a problem at all with it, and so it seems like it shouldn't be a big deal. But let's do a little math:

Let's say that only half  the population will get infected; that's a really small amount given that no one has immunity...but let's go with half. If half of 300 million people get infected, that's 150 million people. Now, take out the 80% that don't really get sick. That leaves 30 million sick people. And if even 10% of them need hospitalization, that's 3 million hospital beds in a short amount of time.  According to a 2018 survey by the American Hospital Association, hospitals in the United States have a total of 924,100 beds, about 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people. (This includes all of the beds currently occupied by patients.)

Common sense would indicate that we must increase hospital capacity and decrease the number of critically ill people at the same time. So, unless you can increase hospital capacity or in some other way help our nation in this crisis, stay home.

And hoarding? That's an issue of common sense, as well. If you buy up all of something to make a profit in a crisis, you're a thief. All the rest of us, we should be buying what we need. I saw a very common-sense guideline somewhere: "Take no more than two of anything and no more than one cart-full." 

Good advice. Since we're trying to minimize the number of times we have to go out and shop, buy what you need for a couple of weeks. Leave the rest for others. The other thing we can control is how much of something we use. Be frugal. Use cloth rags instead of paper towels. Make your own sanitizing wipes (learn how here). Be mindful in everything. It's just common sense.

And common sense can guide us in our daily quarantined behavior, too. If we spend 90% of our time reading alarming reports about the coronavirus or the economy, we will be stressed. If we check our retirement accounts each day, we will be depressed. If we fret about being bored and getting out, we may very well face arrest. 

That last one is hopefully not true and just a silly rhyme scheme on my part! But seriously, if we are constantly obsessing over our circumstances regarding this pandemic, we will not be mentally healthy and at our best. 

So common sense would dictate that we use our seclusion for our betterment somehow. Deep clean. Learn to play piano. Play with your children. Video-chat your grandkids. Play chess remotely with your brother. Write. There are many productive things to occupy our time; just use common sense. 

So in this time of COVID-19, let's spread some goom common snese. 

Wherever Two Are Gathered

Worship was...well, weird this morning. We joined the throngs of Christians worshiping online today. The kids, my husband, and I gathered around my computer and participated in worship. We sang, we prayed, and we listened to my husband's sermon on Youtube. We even sang a couple of songs that we've used for AWANA. All-in-all, it was a wonderful experience!



But weird, too.



Weird not to be God's people in our home church here in Dulce. Weird to sing with just our family. (Probably weird for my husband to watch himself preach; I haven't asked him yet!) Weird not to have the full worship service.

Not weird to God, though. Not weird at all to Him!

His word says, "For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." Remember, God knows all of our days. Even these days. He has known all along that we would face the challenge of the coronavirus. He knows how it all turns out. For us. For our families. For our nations. For our communities. God already knows.

He also works everything out for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). We usually do not understand how He is working; it's hard to see how some things can be for our good. Sometimes, we learn here on earth how something helped us; sometimes, we have to wait until we are face-to-face with God in heaven.

A personal example: In November, I had two bad asthma attacks. The second was bad enough for my daughter to call 911. I was taken in an ambulance to the ER. It was scary. For me. For my family. Especially for my daughter. The kids still jump whenever I cough, asking me if I'm okay.

But without that experience, my asthma would have been less well-controlled. On my new medications, I haven't needed my rescue inhaler for two months. And now I have a nebulizer and more options for extra medications when I need them. I feel confident that I can keep my asthma under control. Now I can thank God for those emergencies in November.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28)

So, as you worship in a new way... and as we muddle through being self-quarantined (or state-quarantined)... and as we try to find ways to be compassionate while social-distancing, remember that you are not alone. God is behind us, beside us, within us, and before us. Seek Him. He is here now and always.

God's got this.

Even this.

Life in the Days of COVID-19

What's it like to be self-quarantined? I have a feeling this COVID-19 social distancing is going to go on for a while. And I imagine that most of you are beginning to know what self-quarantining feels like. For us, it's not incredibly different from our usual lifestyle! We homeschool. Brad's office is in our home. I don't work outside the home.

So, here's what life is like in the Days of COVID-19 at the parsonage in Dulce on the Jicarilla Apache Nation's homeland:

Our schedule is always relaxed. Kat and I are still walking most mornings. We drive to the high school track and park the car. We've been walking just under 2 miles a day. It feels good to get out and exercise, and it's brisk here in the mornings, which is delightful.

These days, there's a box of face masks on the counter, in case someone comes to the door for prayer, food, or counsel. And this week, there's a pile of presents growing on the counter, too. Someone has a birthday next week! We are disappointed there can't be a party, but we'll celebrate with gifts and cake and a special meal.

Our homeschool schedule had us on "Spring Break" this week, so there hasn't been any sit-down school time. But we've kept ourselves happily busy!

I've been going through my school cupboards and finding all kinds of I-thought-this-would-be-fun-to-do-someday projects. Each day I try to find a couple of new things to try:

Painting:                                                                     Making Gingerbread Houses:

Playing in Kinetic Sand:                                             Writing projects:

Given the amount of stuff I have gathered over the years of teaching, I think I can come up with new activities for several weeks! Melting crayons may take several days...I can think of many projects!

We get outside for some time every day, too, usually in the afternoons. We play on the trampoline and climb trees. We swing and run and chalk and ride. When the weather is nice, we stay outside for hours! When it's raining or snowing, we stay outside for half an hour or more.

Even when we're stuck inside most of the day, we have physical activity indoors. For Christmas, the boys got a trapeze and swing for a doorway; they also got a small indoor trampoline. We can always move our bodies! And of course, the teenager loves keeping in touch with her friends via social media...
...and I sometimes find things with which I amuse myself!


May God bless you during this time with peace, joy, love, and more.

Chapped Hands

For many, when the COVID-19 crisis is over, toilet paper will be the remembered symbol of the weeks of quarantine...or the lack of it. For others, it will be the experience of spending 24/7 with their school-aged kids. I have a feeling that there's enough left to come that we may have other shared experiences that will represent coronavirus more unpleasantly.

For me, at least for now, it's chapped hands.

I ventured out yesterday to pick up an antibiotic prescription and get some groceries (since I was already at the store). I took along my own disinfectant wipes for the cart and other surfaces I would need to touch. By the time I came home, two of my knuckles were bleeding from the alcohol in the wipes.

My teenager said to me this morning, "Why do my hands hurt so bad?" I looked. Her hands were as red and chapped as mine! I checked the boys' hands, and they, too, were suffering. Our hand-washing routine now has an added step: Put lotion on!

Thankfully, chapped hands aren't very debilitating. Not too scary. Not too difficult to deal with.

That's not true with much of what we're seeing happen around the world and around our country. The numbers keep climbing. The restrictions keep growing. The shadows of Italy's humanitarian disaster just keep falling longer and longer on the USA.

And there's not much these hands can do to help, to change, to stop what's happening. It might feel hopeless...

But it's not!

These hands can do a lot! Romans 12:12b tells us to "Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Philippians 4:6 says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

When you get anxious, pray for peace.

When you get worried, pray for understanding.

When you get bored, pray for those suffering around the world.

When you get exhausted, pray for strength.

When you hurt, pray for relief.

There is always hope! God is good. He is mighty. He is loving. He is sovereign. Put those chapped hands together and ask Him to help you through. Ask others to pray for/with you. Ask me!! What better thing is there to put our extra time into?

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Romans 15:13