This One’s for the Believers

So, you call yourself a Christ follower. That means you’ve confessed your sins and admitted that Jesus came to earth as Savior and man to make a way for us to spend eternity in heaven. You believe His time on earth was full of temptation, yet, He never sinned. When He was arrested, it was for no other crime than loving us enough to take mocking, beating, betrayal, rejection, whipping, and crucifixion. You know what sets Him apart from religions is that He is not dead. On the third day, He was resurrected and spent 50 days loving, teaching, and forgiving before returning to Heaven. If you believe this, and prayed as much, then you are sure you’re spending eternity in heaven with Jesus and that He will appear on earth again. The first time? He was a lowly carpenter’s son. The second time? King of Kings.

Of course there is much I’m leaving out. But if that’s a summary of your beliefs, then you are categorized as a Christian. Believer. Christ-follower. Brother/Sister in Christ. Son/Daughter of the King. Jesus Freak. One of those.

And this post is for you.

About the Coronavirus.

As I type this, both my children are home from school for a few weeks. They will learn remotely, something their educators are still working through. My husband has received regulations straight from the CEO regarding upcoming trainings, travel, and face-to-face interactions with clients.

Bottom line?

Everyone is home.

Today I got groceries. Most of what I needed was the regular stuff to get us through the week. When I could, I bought extra meat and staples I could put in our deep freezer. There were things I actually put back because I felt I could get to a store again before I truly needed that item and someone else could most likely use it.

Christians? That’s the attitude you should have during this pandemic.

We are the light. We represent Christ. When the dominoes in the world are falling, it’s our job to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit and resist the ways of the world. Greed should not be what the world sees from you. If you have so much hand sanitizer others joke you could open a store, I hope your plan is to share it. If it’s between you and a stranger at the store to grab that last item, I hope you let it go. You do trust God as your provider, right?

Julie ARduini

Sure, you can come at me and say I don’t know what it’s like. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Well, I have, according to the CDC, two members of my immediate household who fit the criteria of higher risk. One by age and one by a compromised immune system and chronic illness. I guess if anyone in the Christian world were allowed a free pass to set aside their Christian self and go nuts, I could get in on that. I also have a parent at risk. When I was in town, we ran errands to make sure she had what she needed. We were calm and collected. We didn’t hoard or grab something from someone else. She has what she needs.

I also understand anxiety. Although it’s taken me until recently to realize how much anxiety has played a role in my life, I used to lose sleep as a student worrying about art class because I was not good at it. Same for gym. I worried about what people said in front of me, or their motives behind it. Then there was lost sleep over relationships, infertility, work stuff and more. I realized a lot of choices I made in over eating or how I took care of myself was borne out of nerves. I lost out on a lot of fun situations because I could not stop thinking about the what if’s or the general uncomfortableness I didn’t understand. I’ve even had two panic attacks. So I get it.

But, my peace as a believer sure can’t come from me. Even as I have loved ones in this high risk, and I’ve been tested before when we nearly lost our baby due to doctor error, we have to cling to the peace only Christ can give. It is a promise that He gives peace that all understanding and it’s true. I can’t even explain how I felt as doctors worked to save our child. I had no guarantee she would survive, yet I knew no matter what, I’d be okay. On my own strength, I could not have made it. I struggled for a long time after working through the emotions. But His peace? Still, Jesus.

It’s hard not knowing what’s coming around the bend. Even as I typed this, our oldest came down and announced the president of his college just canceled the rest of the semester. I don’t know what that means. But as a follower of Christ, panic can’t be my go-to. And it shouldn’t be yours. Admitting you’re scared? I think God understands. But others are looking to you for comfort and encouragement.

And we have a Book Full of Promises we can share. And prayers we can offer up—just regular talking to Jesus, nothing fancy, that because of the power of Christ, can transform. Save. Heal. Deliever. We can be the community that sends cards. Texts verses. Checks in. Finds ways to help and build up.

I pray this post is a wasted read because as a believer, you’re there. But if you feel a little nudge reminding you of a choice or attitude that didn’t quite make the mark because you joined the world instead of showingthem the love of Christ, you can because of Jesus, turn it around.

This is a season I think is new for all of us. But what an incredible open door for us. We can hand over that grocery item and be kind. Share a prayer with someone struggling. Send a card to someone isolated. When we’re on the other side of this, let’s be the group remembered for extending love, generosity, grace, prayer, and kindness.

Afterall, as Christians, it’s what we’re called to do.