I live in the county that has been called the epicenter of
the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in my state. Yesterday
I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription…no I am not sick or
contagious. You will not catch any
disease by reading this. I needed to renew
an old prescription of a daily medicine.
Many of us older folks take some kind of pill on a daily basis. Anyway, as I approached the drug store I
noticed a sign on the door communicating that they were not allowing anyone in
the store for the health of their employees.
The sign had the pharmacy number to call and they would fill the
prescription and bring it to your car.
OK, I am getting used to this. I
had the same treatment at the local library.
However, as I sat waiting for my curbside prescription
delivery I noticed that the package store next door had no such policy. People were going in and coming out at will with
their purchase. I mentioned this to my
wife who has been lecturing me because I believe we are living in too much of a
panicked atmosphere. She told me that
this was probably because many sick people go into the drug store and they did
not want to take a risk of catching and/or passing along viruses. I responded, “So, I guess it is better for your health to consume alcohol than to
purchase medicine?” Forgive me for
failing to learn not to comment on certain things even at my advanced age. I won’t go into the rest of the conversation
because that is not the subject of this moment.
However, I also noticed that the hardware store across the street had
the same open door policy as the liquor store.
Forgive me again but I still did not see the logic of being
able to walk in a store to buy nails or liquor and not be allowed to go in to my
local drug store to purchase or speak to a pharmacist about medicine. I did manage to keep my next sarcastic
remark to myself…see, I’m learning. Oh,
what the heck, here it is; “So, I guess
it is ok to go in and those stores and buy enough nails and liquor to board
myself up in my house and drink until this is over?” See why I should learn to keep certain thoughts
to myself?
There is much that confuses me today; hoarding toilet paper
probably tops the list! I have always
done much of the grocery shopping in our family. I was a bachelor for several years and bought
groceries before marriage. Even today when
we go to the grocery store she grabs the shopping cart and says, “I’ll
push. You get” (the groceries we
need). We are in the stores often
because we never have been people who ‘stock-up’ when buying groceries. Since I am not good at ‘stock-up’ grocery
shopping, I certainly don’t understand the current ‘hoard-shopping’ (my word
for panicked virus shopping)!
I know we live in uncertain times and they can be scary
times for many. However, as I shared in
my previous blog, we do not need to live in anxiety or fear. Fearful hoarding prevents people who actually
may need certain items (especially medical items) from being able to acquire
them when they are unnecessarily hoarded by others. In uncertain times we need to be especially mindful
of our behavior, toward ourselves and others.
When we live in fear or selfishness we are not able to enjoy life or the
day that we have been given. I know
these are serious times but we need to be “wise”
or “shrewd” and be “innocent, gentle and harmless” in our
dealings with others as Jesus recommended in Matthew 10:16.
So if these
times are causing anxiety leading to hoarding, selfish attitudes, wondering
what to hold onto or value or worrying about things that can pass away in a
blink or things over which you have no control (like your retirement savings); don’t be anxious, fearful and illogical! Wash your hands, practice social distancing,
stay home if you don’t feel well and pay close attention to what those who know
more than we do about the best, healthiest, safest and anxiety free way to
live…especially Jesus! I will give Him the last word on hoarding,
worrying and knowing what is really valuable in life. I like the way the Contemporary English
Version translates Luke 12:16-34 (the separation and titles are mine).
Hoarding
So
Jesus told them this story: A rich man’s farm produced a big crop, and he said
to himself, “What can I do? I don’t have a place large enough to store
everything.” Later, he said, “Now I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns
and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. Then
I’ll say to myself, ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to
come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’” But God said to him, “You
fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?” “This is what happens to people who store up
everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.”
Anxiety and Worry
Jesus
said to his disciples: I tell you not to worry about your life! Don’t worry
about having something to eat or wear. Life is more than food or clothing. Look
at the crows! They don’t plant or harvest, and they don’t have storehouses or
barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds.
Can worry make you live longer? If you don’t have power over small things, why
worry about everything else? Look how the wild flowers grow! They don’t work
hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t
as well clothed as one of these flowers. God gives such beauty to everything
that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire
tomorrow. Won’t he do even more for you? You have such little faith! Don’t keep
worrying about having something to eat or drink. Only people who don’t know God
are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. But put
God’s work first and these things will be yours as well.
Treasures in Heaven
My
little group of disciples, don’t be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the
kingdom. Sell what you have and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves purses
and wallets that never wear out. Make sure your treasure is safe in heaven,
where thieves cannot steal it and moths cannot destroy it. Your heart will
always be where your treasure is.
