Last week I was at a celebration with a group of Spanish-speakers, in which we girls and ladies were given costume crowns to wear.

In Spanish, the word for “crown” is CORONA!

This naturally brought about some joking—“What, you’re giving me corona?!!”

Truthfully, none of us felt anxious about it.  Why?

–All of us had taken necessary precautions—we’d “done our part”, as it were, to stay protected and healthy.

–We knew Who has ultimate control, and were trusting Him to do His part in running the universe, including protecting us.

Is this carelessness?  Denial?  Disregard for real danger?

No.  I call this perspective.  Perspective that states:

~Exercise prudence, without paranoia!  Prudence involves hygienic measures, such as: hand-washing and sanitizing; staying away from crowded areas; all the other good things the CDC is telling us to do and not do.

Paranoia, on the other hand, involves: Running to supermarkets (that are crowded, by the way) to “get what I need before someone else gets it”, and then hoarding it!  So much for “looking out for others’ interests above our own” (Phil. 2:4) 

For example— how much toilet paper can one person use?!  So what if we run out?  There’s other things we can use!  Don’t stop me—I’m on a roll here! 🙂

~Take care, but don’t live scared!  Like the above—once we’ve done all we can do to protect ourselves, the rest is in God’s hands—right where we need to trust it all. Sitting around in our houses worrying about catching this virus, does no good, and only makes us more anxious.  As Jesus said:

“Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?” Mat. 6:27

As contagious as the coronavirus is, fear is just as, if not more, contagious!  Stop checking your newsfeed about how many people are catching COVID19 and where!  And don’t pass on the contagious fear!

When people live in fear and spread it, it causes widespread panic.  And when sets in, it causes self-fulfilling prophecies of doom, gloom, and shortages. 

Stock market trends reflect society’s trust, or lack of it, concerning the economy and particular companies within.

People’s moods are just as catching.

Shortages happen when everyone starts to believe “we’re going to run out!”  Then, guess what?…

But think of the peace we can maintain in our hearts and spread to others when we follow this advice:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds…” Phil. 4:6-7

Does the coronavirus and its cure transcend our understanding?  Yes.  But that doesn’t stop God from doing something about it. Spread that news and see what happens!

~Relate– don’t isolate! Yes, we have to get creative here, but we can do it– Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, What’sApp, Messenger, the telephone, snail-mail, take a walk and greet folks in the park, visit your friends and neighbors and the elderly, and/or anything else you can think of. 

Somewhere, there’s a healthy balance between going into virus-infected hospital wards and sitting in self-induced solitary-confinement.  The latter is just as dangerous for our health—mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual health.

Again, we do need to take precautions on who we come in physical proximity to and where.  But we don’t have to run away from everyone! If you’re afraid to “get too close” to anyone, remember this:

“In God I put my trust.  What can (mere) man do to me?” Ps. 56:11

Ultimately, don’t forget WHO is with us, protecting us, even if all else fails:  

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Josh. 1:9

The King of the Universe is still on His throne, wearing the biggest, only permanent, “CORONA” there is!