We all need a LOT of grace…

This COVID pandemic has brought out all different emotions and reactions in everyone. Some are fearful of the health implications for themselves or their loved ones. Some are anxious about lost wages from their businesses being closed down. Some are scrambling to adapt to very different ways of doing business in an effort to stay afloat and serve the public. Others feel angry over the restrictions placed upon them by governing officials. Others worry about their children’s education with the schools closed.

With all these different emotions and reactions, we all have different ways of dealing with it. Some retreat into anxiety and depression. Others speak out and protest. Others try to find the deeper story and investigate whether there’s some bigger, scarier motive behind all this.

The lines that have typically been drawn - political, religious, familial, etc - seem to be overtaken by different lines. People who once agreed with each other on most important things now find themselves on different sides of the pandemic debates.

Good friends and family members differ on their beliefs on the cause of the virus and our appropriate response to it. The result is schisms that shouldn’t be there. Divides that don’t need to divide us. These aren’t just minor issues, either. They’re things we all feel very strongly about. When we feel strongly about things, we tend to respond strongly and attack those who we once were close to.

Let’s not go there, friends. Can we agree that we all need some grace? Actually, a LOT of grace?

According to my Greek study Bible, grace means

“joy, favor, acceptance, kindness”.

Yes, that’s what we all need for ourselves and for others.

We are all coping with this differently, for different reasons. It’s a wacky, multifaceted, complicated situation affecting everyone uniquely. So…

When your friends post facebook rants about how tyrannical the government has becomes - give them grace.

When others lash out at you for wanting to reopen businesses - give them grace.

When others are infuriated that they have to wear masks in certain stores - give them grace.

When your friends seem to have become conspiracy theorists - give them grace.

When you’re an emotional mess one day and can hardly get out of bed - give yourself grace.

When you’re so furious because you’re not sure if your vacation will be canceled but then you feel guilty for worrying about that when people are dying - give yourself grace.

When you’re just so tired of all the conflicting media reports and ideas out there - give yourself grace.

When you become fearful that maybe there really is a giant, malevolent force behind all this orchestrating the whole thing - give yourself grace.

This is all hard enough as it is. Let’s not make it worse by dividing households, friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors. Because honestly, it’s messy and complicated. The truth is hard to find and hard to recognize. Do masks help? Is the government overreaching? Is there an evil conspiracy? Should we reopen businesses and when and how? I don’t know. I’m torn on most of those issues myself.

But one thing I do know: God. Is. In. Control. He hasn’t left His throne. Worst case: some evil entity has planned the whole thing and our planet is destined for destruction and/or to plummet into third world world status because of the virus, economic collapse and giant killer hornets. (Sorry - couldn’t leave out the hornets.)

Even if all that is true… GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL He has a plan and is following it. He’s not surprised or caught off guard or nervous. He loves us and is using this for our good and His glory. Not our comfort, necessarily, but our good. We have to trust Him and do what we are called to do - walk with Him moment by moment and become more like Jesus.

“He has shown you, oh man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Which definitely includes giving ourselves and others lots of grace.